Konongo, Ghana Explained

Official Name:Konongo
Settlement Type:Town & Municipality Capital
Other Name:Konongo-Odumase
Pushpin Map:Ashanti
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Konongo within Ashanti
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ghana
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1: Ashanti
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Asante Akim Central District
Population As Of:2012
Population Total:71,238[1]
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicity
Population Blank1:Ashanti people
Population Blank2 Title:Demonym
Population Blank2:Konongoan
Timezone:Greenwich Mean Time
Timezone Dst:GMT
Coordinates:6.6167°N -1.2167°W

Konongo (also Konongo-Odumase) is a gold bar mining and manganese mining community located in Ashanti, Ghana. The town serves as the capital of the Asante Akim Central Municipal.[2] As of 2012, Konongo has a settlement population of 41,238 people.[1] Konongo is about 33miles from Kumasi, the Ashanti capital.

Toponymy

The name of Konongo is derived from rural folklore of drinking palm oil (kor-nom-ngo).[3]

Gold Mining and Manganese Mining

The Gold mining town of Konongo has always been a lively town. It was a very boisterous town many decades before the 1950s. Konongo was the commercial capital of the Kumasi East Council which later became the Asante-Akyem District. The Gold mines that was owned by British companies attracted many nationalities from the West African Sub-Region as well as other ethnic groups from the West African Sub-Region.

Konongo Gold Mine[4] Konongo Gold Mine is a suspended open pit mine in Ashanti and the Konongo Gold Mine mainly produces bullion gold bars. In Raw Materials Data production data for gold for 6 years, between 1984 and 1992 can be found and the Konongo Gold Mine is controlled/owned by Signature Metals Ltd, Konongo Gold Mine is just one of 26,000 entities to be found in Raw Materials Data, the mining industry's most extensive database. Konongo has manganese ores deposits estimated at over 1.7 million metric tonnes at Odumase near Konongo in Ashanti as the Ashanti manganese ores deposits have manganese content of 19.7%.[5]

Education

See also: List of Senior High Schools in Ashanti Region. Konogo-Odumase is the location of the Konongo-Odumase Senior High School, a coeducational second cycle institution. It was officially opened on 23 February 1953 [6] [7] [8]

In December 2017, over 100 students of the Konongo-Odumase Senior High School (SHS) were displaced after a huge fire engulfed the school's boys' dormitory on Saturday night.[9]

Notable people

Professional footballer Sulley Muntari was born and raised in the town, as was percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah.

Some prominent lawyers from Konongo include: Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang Esq, a senior lecturer and acting Director of the Ghana of the Ghana School of Law, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi current Member of Parliament of Asante Akyem Central Constituency, S.K Boafo Esq, a private legal practitioner and politician, *Richard Adu Darko Esq*, a private legal practitioner, politician and entrepreneur. Prominent geographer, Hanson Frimpong-Nyantakyi and trade economist, Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi of the World Bank and African Development Bank are from this town.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: World Gazetteer online . World-gazetteer.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120111172126/http://bevoelkerungsstatistik.de/wg.php?x=1170623253&men=gcis&lng=de&dat=32&geo=-85&srt=npan&col=aohdq&pt=c&va=x . 2012-01-11 .
  2. Web site: Asante Akim Central Municipal.
  3. Web site: Fordjour . Konongo . A SHORT HISTORY OF KONONGO: Kwame Badu, The Unfortunate Imp in the Restitution of the Juaben BAHA Royalty . 2022-08-01 . Modern Ghana . en.
  4. Web site: Rmg.se - Vi tipsar!. Rmg.se.
  5. Web site: Mineral exploration & Mining industry . drabeny.com . 2 August 2015.
  6. Web site: BRIEF HISTORY OF KONONGO-ODUMASI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL. 2018-04-19.
  7. Web site: Konongo Odumase SHS old students hold 3rd inter tertiary congress. 2015-08-02.
  8. Web site: Ghana » Ashanti Region » Asante Akim North District. asanteakimnorth.ghanadistricts.gov.gh. 2015-08-02.
  9. Web site: Fire guts Konongo-Odumase SHS dorm, displaces students. 2018-04-19.