| Pokuase | |
| Settlement Type: | Suburb |
| Pushpin Map: | Ghana |
| Coordinates: | 5.7°N -0.302°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Ghana |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Greater Accra Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ga West Municipal Assembly |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Pokuase,[1] [2] [3] also spelled Pokoasi, is a suburb of Accra, the capital city of Ghana[4] [5] and spans the area from Pokuase, leading off the Accra-Kumasi motorway (or the old Nsawam Road) on the right coming from Accra central; and leading off the motorway at Pokuase Junction and rising to ‘Okai Kwei Hill’, on the left coming from town. It is a mixture of lively retail shopping areas, with local stores, bars or 'drinking spots', bus/taxi stations, and a market. It also has many hotels, guest houses and rental apartments- such as the eco-chic Legassi Gardens Apartments-, and 'high-end' developing residential estates, such as Ofankor Hills Estates and Franko Estates, amongst many others;[3] as well as the long-established executive gated community of ACP Estates.;[6] and HFS Estates which borders the erstwhile Gua Koo Sacred Grove in Pokuase.
Pokuase Junction is one of the busy bus stops for public transport, including buses (trotros) and shared-taxis, along the Accra-Kumasi motorway. The large bus station just at Pokuase Junction provides frequent transport to all sides of Accra, and transport runs as far as Medina, Tema and Spintex Road.[7] Accra is the 11th-largest metropolitan area in Africa. Pokuase will soon be linked, by the completion in October 2020 of the 4-tier Pokuase Interchange, to Kwabenya, and Ritz Junction; and will be more accessible for Academic City University, Webster University Ghana Campus, The University of Ghana Legon, Ajiringano and East Legon, which will then be a short drive away.
There are also a number of schools in the area, including The Hill Top Academy, Disciplined Child School, and The Spelmore Institute on College Lane- just off the Pokuase Interchange. The Spelmore Institute is an international school for children aged 5–16, teaching the British Curriculum and preparing students for International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations.
The American founded NGO The Women's Trust has its head offices in Pokuase Town,[8] as does the Ghanaian/American NGO Ghana Sustainable Aid Project.[9] The Village of Hope Orphanage and Vocational Training college are also located off Pokuase Junction at Ayawaso.[10]
Okai Kwei Hill leads down to Ayawaso, the traditional homeland of the Ga people, the historical custodians of the land of the capital city of Accra. Okai Kwei Hill was named after the last Ga King to rule that region. Okai Kwei was reputedly an astute statesman, as seen by his relationship with the Europeans and his African neighbours. But he finally fell from power in 1680. Okai Kwei had many wives, courtiers and musicians at his court, and lived an opulent life.
At the Greater Accra Region Homowo Festival in Ayawaso there is still cultural dancing and displays,[11] the regalia of durbars honoring the Ga chiefs, and traditional worship at the Ga sacred shrines around Okai Kwei Hill.
There is a train station on the hill-side at Pokuase Junction, and Pokuase is one of the stops from the line starting at Nsawam and heading into central Accra.[12]
Pokuase is also found at a central point in a multi-sided star of roads leading to different parts of central Accra, and other major towns. From Pokuase you can drive or take local transport:
-To central Accra, along the Accra-Kumasi motorway, passing Achimota and Kwame Nkrumah Circle[13]
-To Kumasi, along the Accra to Kumasi Motorway
-To Mallam,[14] along the Awoshie-Pokuase dual-carriageway,[15] a section of the ECOWAS Highway, and onto Cape Coast. President John Evans Atta Mills[16] cut the sod on 22 March 2012 for work on this road to begin, and has been substantially completed to join the Pokuase/Ayawaso road leading to Pokuase Junction. The road was designed to have service lanes, walkways and bicycle lanes. It is funded by the African Development Bank,[17] French Development Agency and Government of Ghana.
The Accra–Kumasi motorway is one of the major arterial roads in Ghana, going from Accra to beyond Kumasi and on to the Northern areas of Ghana, then to Burkina Faso. The stretch of this road from Nsawam to Ofankor, passing Pokuase, is a 4-lane dual carriageway; then from Ofankor to Achimota, it is an 8-lane motorway, with 4 'express' centre lanes, and 4 'local access' lanes. The road from Ofankor also has 9 feet wide pavements for pedestrian shopping.
The completion of this motorway has brought new housing estates and 'gated community' developments to the area, as well as shopping complexes, which are under construction along the route.
The Ghana section of this major motorway, linking west Africa, is now underway, with the construction of a 200 feet, multi-lane highway passing through Pokuase, along Okai Kwei hill, and across the Accra–Kumasi motorway, on through Kwabenya-Madina-East Legon, and joining Tema.
The 'local' shopping mall is at St Johns, the Achimota Retail Park, with many international stores including Shoprite, Palace, and Mr P; amongst many international eating places, including KFC, pizza parlours, ice-cream parlours, coffee shops and more.
There are places of historical and cultural interest, telling the personal history of communities in Accra, all around Pokuase: