Fort Ussher

Fort Ussher was built by the Dutch in 1649 and originally served as a trading post and slave dungeon. From the harbor of Jamestown, the slaves were shipped to the Americas. In the 19th century, it became a police post and was used as a prison until 1993. The most prominent inmate was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was sentenced for his political advocacy towards independence in 1951. He served one year in prison and became the first prime minister and then president of Ghana in 1957. After the coup d’état in 1981, political prisoners were incarcerated there under cruel conditions. After 1993, it was put to yet another use: refugees from Liberia and South Sudan were detained there. These international migrants, fleeing from civil wars, were resettled to other places in Greater Accra, for example to Budumburam. Once a small community in Greater Accra Region. Budumburam was turned into a refugee camp with the help of the UNHCR and now hosts a population of almost 20.000 migrants, mainly from Liberia. Fort Ussher is one of the many places for involuntary transit in Ghana. Despite its state of decay, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses a museum of slavery.