Kadjebi

Kadjebi
District Capital
Kadjebi Location in Ghana
Coordinates: 7°31′39″N0°28′33″E / 7.52750°N 0.47583°E / 7.52750; 0.47583
Country	Ghana
Region	Oti Region
District	Kadjebi District
Elevation	209 m (686 ft)
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	GMT

Kadjebi is a prominent town and the administrative capital of the Kadjebi District, a district in the Oti Region of Ghana. ^[1] It serves as a vital economic hub for the surrounding farming communities. The town is the seat of the Kadjebi-Akan Traditional Area, headed by the paramount Chief, Nana Ogyeabour Akompi Finam II. ^[2]

History

The people of Kadjebi are of Akan descent, possessing a rich lineage. According to oral tradition, they migrated from the Ashanti Kingdom, specifically tracing their ancestral roots to Asante Mampong in the present-day Ashanti Region.

Culture and Festivals

Kadjebi maintain a rich culture heritage centered on Akan traditions through the observance of key festivals:

• Dawuro Kese Festival: The "big gong-gong" festival is a festival of the people of Kadjebi in the Oti Region of Ghana. It commemorates the ancestorial migration, military history and environmental heritage of the community. ^[3] The people of Kadjebi were pushed by wars across the Volta River over 300 years ago and finally settled at mountain Karikera (pronounce as “Kera” east of present Kadjebi) and angry at the preservation of her glory through neglect and pollution (allegedly by adversaries) only stream running through the town caused an epidemic. The populace dwindled and the enemies took advantage of reducing the population to harass its people. The chief at the time, Nana Akompi, consulted an oracle. Following the instruction a big gong-gong “dawurokese” was forged. The sound of the gong-gong was said to have mesmersing and demoralizing effect on the enemy forces, effectively protecting the settlement. It was instructed that spiritual and physical cleaning should be carried out each year, the women of Kadjebi swept the town with a special leaf shouting in the process “Yere pan yade” meaning to away sickness as a form of Passover. The relevance and success of Dawurokese today is due to its capture of the past traditional values and modern requirement, environmental issues are threatening today, therefore, the forest and rivers must be preserved. The theme for Dawurokese festival appropriately selected is based on judicious use of the forest and streams.
• Akwasidae
• Adae Kese Festival

Geography

Location

Kadjebi is located in the middle part of the Oti Region and not far from the Ghana-Togo international border.

References

1. "Kadjebi District".
2. "Kadjebi- Akan Omanhene Laid To Rest". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
3. "Kadjebi, Oti, Ghana – International Cities of Peace" . Retrieved 2026-02-28.

External links and sources

• Kadjebi Akan Association
• Kadjebi District on GhanaDistricts.com

Further reading

• La petite ville, Un milieu adapté aux paradoxes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (in French)