Anomabu, originally a coastal trading center, rose to prominence in the 17th century due to its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Initially trading gold and grain, the Fante merchants of Anomabu shifted towards the slave trade after inviting the Dutch to establish a trading post. The construction of an English fort, supported by these wealthy merchants, further boosted the town’s role in this trade. However, when the Royal African Company lost its monopoly in 1698, the fort closed in 1730. With increasing French interest in the region, the Company of Merchants Trading to Africa rebuilt the fort, which became a key center of British slave trade activities until the abolition of the trade in 1807.
Anomabu Castle, later named Fort William in the 1830s, was designed by British engineer John Apperley and built between 1753 and 1760. It was considered one of the strongest fortifications on the coast. After Apperley’s death, Richard Brew, an Anglo-Irishman, took over the fort’s construction. Anomabu became a major hub for the British slave trade along the Gold Coast, with many enslaved people believed to have come from the Ashanti and southern Akan regions.
The decline of Anomabu as a slave trading post after the abolition in 1807 led to a significant decrease in its economic power. A small garrison successfully defended the town from an Ashanti attack that same year, though it resulted in heavy casualties, with over 8,000 deaths.
In the late 19th century, Anomabu shifted to exporting palm oil, ivory, gold dust, peanuts, and Guinea grains, trading them for manufactured goods. Its population in the 1870s was about 4,500. Once a small fishing village, Anomabu had become one of the most important trading ports on the Gold Coast, known for its significant role in the slave trade. By the 18th century, it was one of the largest exporters of slaves on West Africa’s coast. The town’s wealth in gold, slaves, and corn made it highly desirable to slave traders. In 1798, slaves were embarked from Anomabu on the Antelope ship, which had arrived from London.
Though the history of Anomabu is a gruesome yet inspirational one, the tour attraction is one you wouldn’t want to miss. It is a three hours drive from the western region. The town is located 12 kilometers east of Cape Coast in the central region of South Ghana. It is located on the main road to Accra. From the clean and clear beaches with beautiful rocks, the wonderful scenery, delicious food and comfortable guest houses and apartments, the town is one you would wish you visited earlier.
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