Hohoe

Hohoe is the second largest town in the Volta Region of Ghana. Located approximately 150km east of Accra, and 100km north of the capital of the Volta Region, Ho, the town of Hohoe is between the narrow strip of land between Lake Volta, and the border of Togo, and to the west of the Agumatsa range.

The main road through Hohoe, in the Volta Region of Ghana.

(January 2007)

The population mostly consists of the Ewe tribe. The population is largely made up of traders, who deal in goods traded with Togo, and farmers who produce foodstuffs from surrounding area. The town is attempting to modernize, although the majority of the hotels and restaurants seem to be long-established.

The town centre of Hohoe, as seen from the Evangelical Presbyterian church tower.

(March 2008)

The town is located along a bend in the main road between Ho & Bimbilla, and it is along this main road that much Hohoe’s infrastructure is found, including banks, the local Police Station, and several of the hotels. The town continues on, and the main road straightens as it heads north, crossing the Diya River at a modern bridge that was constructed in 1996 to replace the former, less-sturdy bridge.

 Ghana-pedia You Tube video clip of a drive through the main street of Hohoe. The clip starts just south of the bridge at the Diya River in the north of the town, past the large Ghana Commercial Bank branch, and out of town. The cars were driving on the left side of the road to avoid the potholes, and don't miss Ghana-pedia co-administrator, Eli Evans, with his great impersonation of a driver's mate in a tro-tro.

(March 2008)

Hohoe’s popularity with tourists owes much to the local ecotourism that makes the town an excellent base for daytrips, although a few noteworthy attractions lie within the town itself.

 The Evangelical Presbyterian church in Hohoe.

(March 2008)

Visitors to Hohoe often find the characteristic Evangelical Presbyterian Church a point of interest. A throwback to the colonial period when the area formed part of German Togoland, the church was constructed in 1879, has a tower that overlooks the entire town and the surrounding area, although it should be pointed out that the concrete stairway access to the top of the tower are not terribly sturdy, and is in need of repair. Another point of interest in Hohoe that is worth visiting is the Catholic Church is located along the road to St Francis College.

 The statue of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel K. Kotoka on Franco Road, Hohoe.

(March 2008)

Further along this road is an statue of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel K. Kotoka, one of the officers responsible for the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, and widely regarded as one of Ghana's finest ever military officers, who was a native of the Volta Region (although not from Hohoe itself). The statue is a little hard to spot, wedged in between a series of stalls, although it is located almost across the road and slightly to the east of the Majestic Club.

As Ghana has embraced ecotourism, the town has, and will continue, to benefit from it’s unique proximity to some of the major tourist destinations within the region, such as the waterfalls, rainforests, wildlife sanctuaries, and the Agumatsa range that includes Ghana’s highest mountain, Mt Afadjato.

The town has several banks, including a large branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank prominently located on the main road, which accepts Traveler’s Cheques, but does not deal in foreign currencies. Recently, Barclays Bank Of Ghana Ltd has constructed a new branch in the township, which is located on the main road to the St Francis College, which now provides the town's only ATM facility.

Hohoe’s weather is typically warm, humid tropical weather that is distinctly slightly more harsh than in Accra, although the area is often subject to heavy downpours. In October 2007, a severe rainstorm, hit parts of the Hohoe District, destroying 34 houses, leaving 129 people displaced.