Ho is the capital of the Ho Municipal District and the Volta Region of Ghana.[2] The city lies between Mount Adaklu and Mount Galenukui or Togo Atakora Range, and is home to the Volta Regional Museum, a cathedral, and a prison.[3] The city is the capital of unrecognised Western Togoland.[4] It was formerly the administrative capital of British Togoland now part of the Volta Region. The population of Ho Municipality according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census is 177,281 representing 8.4 percent of the region's total population. Females constitute 52.7 percent and males represent 47.3 percent. The population in Ho grew up to 180,420 National Population Census. About 62 percent of the population resides in urban localities. The Municipality shares boundaries with Adaklu and Agotime-Ziope Districts to the South, Ho West District to the North and West and the Republic of Togo to the East (see Figure 1.1). Its total land area is 2,361 square kilometers (912 sq mi) thus representing 11.5 percent of the region's total land area.[5]
History
Ho was a part of the German colony of Togoland until World War I, when it was occupied by the British. Ho later became the capital of the League of Nations mandate of British Togoland until that entity's incorporation into the British Gold Coast colony, which subsequently became Ghana.[6] The town was initially inhabited by the people of Hegbe (now Heve), followed by the people of Banakoe (now corrupted to Bankoe). These two groups lived alongside each other with individual chiefdoms. The first known chief of the Bankoe people was Afede Asor I, known in his private life as Akorli. The chief of Heve was Anikpi I, who was known in his private life as Amexo Doh (Adzah Doh). The Ahoe and Dome joined the settlement at a later stage but came to play leading roles in its development. The people of Dome(of Akan origin) became the ruling class until the emergence of modern-day chieftaincy which they ceded to the Bankoe people. The people of Hliha are a sub-group of Bankoe.
Culture
The traditional festival in Ho is the Asogli Yam Festival, which is celebrated around September of every year.[6] Ho has a lively and huge open market that attracts people from all over the Volta Region and migrants from Togo.[6] There are numerous churches in the Ho municipality, including the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ho.[6] The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana has its headquarters in Ho. The church is predominantly in the Volta Region, the capital of which is Ho. The University of Health and Allied Sciences which was established in 2015 is located in Ho.
Geography
Topography
Side view of Mount Adaklu. It is located about 12 km (7.5 mi) from Ho.
The town is situated at the southern edge of the Akwapim Hills (also known as the Togo mountains).[7]
Climate
Ho, along with the municipality, has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classificationAw), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature relatively being hot year-round. The yearly mean temperature usually ranges from 16.5 to 37.8 °C (61.7 to 100.0 °F) while the mean monthly temperature is between 22 and 32 °C (72 and 90 °F). The maximum average yearly rainfall was 2,103 mm (6.900 ft) whilst the minimum was 1,168 mm (3.832 ft). The rainy season usually begins from March to June while the dry season is from
July to November. The relative humidity can reach 80% on average.[8][5]
Climate data for Ho (1991-2020, extremes 1946-present)
In central parts of Ho, the roads are paved, the roads outside are not.[6] An airport was completed in 2017 to serve Ho, although the airport was not opened to commercial traffic until 2021. [11][12]
Human resources
Health
The town's primary health clinic is the Ho Poly Clinic. Also, it has the Ho Municipal Hospital which serves as secondary health facility while the Ho Teaching Hospital which was established in 1999 and upgraded to its current status is affiliated to the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and provides service not only patients from the municipality but also ones from Benin, Nigeria, and Togo.[13]
Education
There are many private and public basic schools in Ho.[14] A list of tertiary institutions in Ho follows:
Ho currently has one of the best innovation hubs in Ghana. Node Eight is a digital innovation hub that invests in young African innovators and startups building the future. Over the past few years, Node Eight Hub through the help of partnership program has been able to develop a couple of resources.
^"Ho Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
^"Klimatafel von Ho / Ghana"(PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
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