Sunyani

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Map showing the location of the city of Sunyani, in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana.

Sunyani is a city in the West African republic of Ghana, and is the capital of the both the Sunyani District and Brong-Ahafo Region.

According to the 2005 population estimates 80,245 people reside in the city of Sunyani, with a growth rate, in the city, of 3.4% per annum.[1]

1 History of Sunyani
2 Education and Commerce in Sunyani
3 Tourism
4 References

[edit] History of Sunyani

Surrounded by the forested Southern Ashanti Uplands, the city of Sunyani arose as an outpost camp for elephant hunters during the 19th century. The name Sunyani derives from the Asante word for elephant 'Osono.' In 1924, The British colonial government designated Sunyani as a district headquarters. Following the construction of a road connecting Sunyani and the city of Kumasi, Sunyani became an important hub for the distribution of cocoa, kola nuts, and staple foods such as maize and yams.

[edit] Education and Commerce in Sunyani

The Sunyani Cocoa House

Today Sunyani is home to both the regional government and high court, the region's post-secondary institutions are also based in the city; including two polytechnic schools, the College of Renewable National Resources and the Catholic University. Several of the country's best primary and secondary schools can be found within Sunyani and its suburbs, including: St. Mary's; Holy Spirit; Wesley's; Divine and St. James. Attracting students from throughout the region and beyond, is the highly ranked Sunyani Secondary School (Susec). JH Mensah, a Senior Government Minster, without portfolio, is the MP for Sunyani East.

Although considerably smaller than nearby Kumasi, Sunyani is growing rapidly and has effectually engulfed the suburb towns of Fiapre and Abesim, amongst others. Sunyani is a clean and well maintained city with a thriving economy. The economy is predominantly agrarian with approximately 48% of the population engaged in agriculture production. About 24 percent of the population is employed in the service sector, followed by commerce and industry which employ 15% and 13% of the populace, respectively.

The city’s growth is boosted by the city’s high-quality water supply. Water sources include pipe borne water, bore holes, hand-dug wells, rain water and water from streams, rivers and springs. However, in severe harmattan (dry) conditions, water can become more difficult to access. Sunyani is provided with electricity by the Volta River Authority.

The City of Sunyani is outfitted with modern communication facilities which include fixed telephone and fax lines, pay phones, mobile phones, internet and e-mail services. Additionally; postal services are available in the form of post office, as well as expedited mail services provided by EMS (Express mail service), DHL and FedEx.

The city has a number of financial institutions including a branch of the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Commercial Bank, Barclays Bank, Society Security Bank, Agricultural Development Bank and the National Investment Bank. There are also six rural banks, a number of credit unions and insurance institutions complementing the financial service provision of the city.

The city also has three hospitals, one of which, Sunyani General Hospital, is a state-of-the-art development, which opened in 2003. Eight clinics and three maternity homes also operate in Sunyani.

The Sunyani Prison is home to approximately 719 inmates. [2]

[edit] Tourism

The Sunyani airport opened on 13th July 1974. However due to runway length limitations the airport is unsuitable for use by medium range aircraft, and generally only connects passengers to the Kumasi, Accra and Takoradi airports. Sunyani is a seven hour drive from Accra linked by a first-rate highway. Despite the lack of dedicated tourism facilities, tourists are beginning to venture to Sunyani in greater numbers, attracted by the areas of natural beauty surrounding the city. Such visitors can take advantage of the city’s three 3-star hotels and rated hostels. A number of guest houses and restaurants can also be found in the City.

Among the city’s attractions is the Cocoa House, a high rise that dominates the Sunyani skyline. The building houses the headquarters of several regional companies, two radio stations and numerous boutiques. Other buildings of interest in Sunyani include the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and Sacred Heart Church and the Cocobod house. In addition, the Kintampo waterfalls and the Boabeng monkey sanctuary in Fiema, are a short distance outside the city.