Obuasi

Last updated

Obuasi
Mining Town & Municipality Capital
Tutuka.jpg
Obuasi is the location of one of the largest know gold deposits on Earth: the Obuasi Gold Mine at the Obuasi Gold bar Mining community in the Ashanti. [1]
Seal (Emblem) of Obuasi.png
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Sikakrom, Gold Town
Motto: 
Unity in Development
Ashanti (Ashanti Region) location map.png
Red pog.svg
Obuasi
Location of Obuasi within City-state Ashanti
Coordinates: 06°12′00″N01°41′00″W / 6.20000°N 1.68333°W / 6.20000; -1.68333
City-state Flag of Ashanti.svg Ashanti
Municipality Obuasi Municipal
Government
 • Type Absolute monarchy
 • Body Manhyia Palace
Obuasi Municipal
 • Emperor Asantehene Osei Tutu II
Elevation
331 ft (101 m)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total175,043 [2]
 •  Ethnicity
Ashanti people
 • Nationality
 Ashanti
Demonym(s) Ashanti
Obuasian
Time zone Greenwich Mean Time
 • Summer (DST) GMT

Obuasi is a gold mining community [3] and town which is the capital of the Obuasi Municipal District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. [4] It lies in the southern part of the Obuasi Municipal, 39 miles (63 kilometres) south-west of Ashanti capital city Kumasi. [4] Obuasi has a population of 175,043 people. [2] Obuasi mining community has a mixture of the Ashanti people culture and the semi-island exclave Ashantiland. [4]

Contents

Obuasi is home to the Obuasi Gold Mine, one of the largest known gold deposits on Earth. [1] [4] The Gold Coast region was named after the large amount of gold mined historically at Obuasi and the broader Ashanti Region. [4]


Economy

Obuasi is known for the Obuasi Gold Mine, one of the largest underground gold mines in the world. Gold has been mined on the site since at least the seventeenth century. [1]

The Obuasi Gold Mine is now being refurbished after being placed under care and maintenance in 2014. The mine was anticipated to reach full production in 2022, with a mine life of more than 20 years. [5] [ needs update ]

Transportation

Train and air

Obuasi train station is on the Ashanti railway line to and from Kumasi (39 miles or 59.4 kilometres or 1 hour 2 minutes south-west of Kumasi) and Obuasi also has an airstrip and airport. [6]

Tourist attractions

Tourists can visit the town's mine by arranging with the Public Relations Directorate of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC). [4] Operated by the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC), formerly the State-owned Ashanti company Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC), Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC) was the largest mine until the AGC company merged [7] in 2004 to create the world's second-largest gold producer, Anglo Gold Ashanti (AGA) with the merging of the South African company AngloGold. [4]

Education

Obuasi is the site of the Obuasi Senior High Technical School, a coeducational second cycle public high school. [8] Christ the King Catholic Senior High School, St. Margaret Senior High School, and the College of Integrated Health Care. Obuasi is the site for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology [9] (KNUST)-Obuasi Campus.

Climate

OSC Hill of Obuasi in Ashanti. OSC Hill Obuasi.jpg
OSC Hill of Obuasi in Ashanti.

Obuasi has a semi-equatorial tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with two rainy seasons. The main rainy season is from March to July, with May and June being typically the year's wettest months, whilst a lighter rainy season occurs from September to November. The average annual rainfall in Obuasi is around 1,270 millimetres or 50 inches and the average temperature 26.5 °C or 79.7 °F with highs of 30 °C or 86 °F and lows of 23 °C or 73.4 °F. Relative humidity is around 75% - 80% in the wet seasons.

Climate data for Obuasi
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)32
(89)		31
(87)		31
(87)		31
(87)		32
(89)		29
(84)		27
(80)		27
(80)		26
(79)		30
(86)		32
(89)		32
(89)		30
(86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)24
(75)		24
(76)		24
(76)		25
(77)		25
(77)		24
(75)		23
(73)		22
(71)		21
(70)		24
(75)		24
(76)		24
(76)		24
(75)
Average rainfall mm (inches)25
(1.0)		25
(1.0)		76
(3.0)		130
(5.0)		200
(8.0)		230
(9.0)		100
(4.0)		25
(1.0)		76
(3.0)		150
(6.0)		130
(5.0)		100
(4.0)		1,267
(50)
Source: Myweather2.com [10]

Healthcare

Obuasi is also noted for its healthcare facilities, such as the AGA Hospital owned by the Anglo Gold corporation, and also for a private health facility, St. Jude Hospital, [11] owned by Dr George Owusu-Asiedu. [12] The facility is noted for many successful surgeries and numerous successful births at the maternity division of the hospital. [12]

Golfing and stadium

Obuasi Golf course in Ashanti. Obuasi Golf course.jpg
Obuasi Golf course in Ashanti.

Obuasi has a golf course, [13] and the Obuasi Ashanti Gold Sporting Club, a professional football club, is based at Obuasi's Len Clay Stadium. [14]

Notable people

Notable people from Obuasi mining town include:

Sister cities

As of 13 September 2008, Obuasi has been a sister city of Riverside, California, United States. [18]

Sovereign stateCityStateDate
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Flag of Riverside, California.svg
Riverside
Flag of California.svg
California2008 [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kumasi is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the commercial, industrial, and cultural capital of the historical Ashanti Empire. Kumasi is approximately 500 kilometres (300 mi) north of the Equator and 200 kilometres (100 mi) north of the Gulf of Guinea. Kumasi is alternatively known as "The Garden City" because of its many species of flowers and plants in the past. It is also called Oseikrom, after Osei Kofi Tutu I who was a king in the Ashanti empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II</span> Ghanaian monarch of Asante

Osei Tutu II is the 16th Asantehene, enstooled on 26 April 1999. By name, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is in direct succession to the 17th-century founder of the Ashanti Empire, Otumfuo Osei Tutu I. He is also the Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the Grand Patron of the Grand Lodge of Ghana and the Sword Bearer of the United Grand Lodge of England.

The Ashanti Goldfields Corporation is a gold mining company based in Ghana that was founded by Joseph Ellis and Joseph Biney both from Cape Coast. The Ashanti Mine, located at Obuasi, 56 km south of Kumasi, has been producing since 1897. During the turn of the century 1900, the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation was among the most important gold mining companies listed at the London Stock Exchange. The mine is sited on one of the world's major gold deposits and is one of the ten largest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashanti Region</span> Region of Ghana

The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 24,389 km2 (9,417 sq mi) and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the most populated region in Ghana, with a population of 4,780,380, according to the 2011 census, accounting for 19.4% of Ghana's total population. The Ashanti Region is known for its gold bar and cocoa production. The largest city and capital of Ashanti is Kumasi.

AngloGold Ashanti Limited is an independent and global gold mining company with a diverse high-quality portfolio of cooperation, projects and exploration activities formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. As of 2022, it was a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents, listed on the New York, Johannesburg, Accra, London and Australian stock exchanges, as well as the Paris and Brussels bourses, but left the Johannesburg exchange in 2023. As of May 2023, it was the world’s fourth-largest gold miner with assets in Ghana, Australia, the US and Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology</span> Public university in Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commonly known as UST, Tech or Kwame Tech, is a public university located in Kumasi, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the first public university established in the country, as well as the largest university in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Samuel Esson Jonah is a Ghanaian businessman and the current chancellor of the University of Cape Coast. He is the executive chairman of Jonah Capital, an equity fund based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jonah was previously president of AngloGold Ashanti and shared the strategic leadership of the company with its CEO, Bobby Godsell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashanti Gold S.C.</span> Association football club in Obuasi

Ashanti Gold Sporting Club popularly known as AshGold is a Ghanaian football team based in the gold mining town of Obuasi, south of Kumasi the capital of Ashanti Region. The club are currently competing in the Ghana Premier League.

Agogo is a town in the Asante Akim North Municipal District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Agogo is approximately 80 kilometers east of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, and had a population of 28,271 in the 2000 census. Computer projections estimate that the 2007 population was 32,859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining industry of Ghana</span>

The Mining industry of Ghana accounts for 5% of the country's GDP and minerals make up 37% of total exports. Gold contributes over 90% of the total mineral exports. Thus, the main focus of Ghana's mining and minerals development industry remains focused on gold. Ghana is Africa's largest gold producer, producing 80.5 t in 2008. Ghana is also a major producer of bauxite, manganese and diamonds. Ghana has 20 large-scale mining companies producing gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese; over 300 registered small scale mining groups; and 90 mine support service companies.Other mineral commodities produced in the country are natural gas, petroleum, salt, and silver.

The Obuasi Gold Mine is an underground gold mine situated near Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It was at one time one of the world's ten largest gold mines. The mine is in Obuasi Municipal District, 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of the regional capital Kumasi.

The Iduapriem Gold Mine is an open-pit gold mine situated 10 km south of Tarkwa, in the Western Region of Ghana. The mine is owned by AngloGold Ashanti and consists of the Iduapriem and the Teberebie operation, which were merged in 2000. AngloGold Ashanti originally only owned 85% of the mine but acquired the remaining 15% in September 2007.

Asokore Mampong is the capital of the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly, a district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Popularly known for Kumasi Academy a senior high school and the SSNIT affordable housing projects. The chief of Asokore Mampong is Nana Boakye-Ansah Debrah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisca Oteng-Mensah</span> Ghanaian politician and businesswoman

Francisca Oteng-Mensah is a member of parliament of the New Patriotic Party for the Kwabre East Constituency and was known as the youngest parliamentarian of the fourth republic of Ghana at the time of her election in 2016.

Jacob Osei Yeboah is a politician who contested as an independent candidate for Ghana's presidential elections in 2012 and 2016. Out of seventeen candidates, Yeboah and three others survived the Electoral Commission's controversial disqualification of candidates ahead of the 2016 general elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Boakye-Yiadom</span> Ghanaian politician

Patrick Boakye-Yiadom is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghanarepresenting the Obuasi East Constituency in the Ashanti Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.

Obuasi Airport is a private airport serving the town of Obuasi in Obuasi Municipal District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Ashtown Ladies Football Club is a Ghanaian professional women's football club based in the heart Ashtown in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The club is founded on the principles of inclusivity, empowerment, and excellence and strive to create an environment where female athletes of all ages and backgrounds can develop their skills, build lasting friendships, and become positive role models in our community.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "World's top 10 gold deposits". 7 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 "World Gazetteer online". World-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  3. ↑ Agyeman, Adwoa (22 January 2019). "Akufo-Addo reopens Obuasi gold mine". Adomonline.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "An Economic History of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation" (PDF) (PDF). Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Obuasi, Ghana". AngloGold Ashanti. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Business: AngloGold Ashanti Opens Obuasi Airport". 4 September 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Online, Peace FM. "Gold Fields, Anglogold Ghana Team Up To Create Africa's Biggest Gold Mine". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Obuasi Sec-Tech old students support alma mater" . Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Home | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology". www.knust.edu.gh. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Obuasi Weather Averages". Myweather2. 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "St. Jude Hospital Obuasi - Obuasi - WorldPlaces". ghana.worldplaces.me. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine" (PDF) (PDF). May 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Obuasi Golf Course Photos" . Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ashanti Gold Sporting Club" . Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Directors: Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, KBE, OSG, Executive Chairman". Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Yaw Boakye Yiadom". 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  17. ↑ "Interview with John Mensah". 24 September 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Riverside's Sister Cities". City of Riverside, California. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

06°12′N01°41′W / 6.200°N 1.683°W / 6.200; -1.683

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