Most Accra neighbourhoods are named after people, rivers or old villages. Achimota is named after a school. When the colonial government opened Achimota College in 1927, the area was bush and farmland north of the city. Today the name covers a busy district of homes, offices, a forest reserve, a shopping mall and one of Accra’s best-known lorry stations.
The name and Achimota School
“Achimota” is often explained as coming from a Ga phrase meaning “a place where names are not mentioned” or “do not call names”. Tradition says escaped slaves hid in the forest there, and people avoided calling out names to keep them safe. The school, founded by Governor Gordon Guggisberg, Rev. Alexander Fraser and Dr Kwegyir Aggrey, became one of the most famous schools in Africa. Its alumni include Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry Rawlings and Edward Akufo-Addo. The campus still dominates the area.
The forest and the roads
Achimota Forest, a reserve covering several hundred hectares, is one of the largest green spaces in Accra. Parts of it are used for recreation, and there have been fierce debates about plans to release forest land for development.
The Accra-Nsawam road and the N1 highway pass through the area, linking the city to Kumasi and the west. Traffic at junctions such as Achimota and Apenkwa is often heavy.
Neoplan, the mall and housing
Achimota is home to a major transport terminal, widely known as Achimota Neoplan, where buses and trotros leave for Kumasi and other destinations. It is busy day and night. Achimota Retail Centre, commonly called Achimota Mall, opened in the 2010s and brought supermarkets, cinemas and shops to the area, changing its shopping habits. Residential areas near Achimota range from older family houses to newer estates. The neighbourhood is popular with people who work in central Accra and want quicker access to the north of the city.
Prices, challenges and the railway
Rents in Achimota are generally lower than in East Legon or Airport Residential but higher than in outer suburbs such as Pokuase. Proximity to the school and the highway adds to demand. Like much of Accra, the area faces flooding in heavy rain, congestion and pressure on green spaces from development. The Accra-Kumasi railway once ran through Achimota, and parts of the old line and stations remain. Plans to revive rail transport have been discussed for years.
A school gave Achimota its name and its reputation. The neighbourhood that grew around it now has to protect the forest that made the place special in the first place.
