Ho, Ghana

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 subgroup of Bankoe.

There is more to Ho that just the geographical area, census figure, or city with one name. The city is a central hub of political, economic, and cultural affairs of the Volta Region, serving the role of the region's main city for these purposes. The area started as a village or small community in the Ewe ethnic group and through time transformed into a main administrative center before eventually evolving into its present-day configuration.

Education and Healthcare are the two pillars of development in this town. The municipality is a leading educational center in the whole of eastern Ghana. Besides its many teacher training colleges andsenior high schools, it proudly houses several tertiary institutions among which are the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho Technical University to mention but a few. Healthcare for the citizens of this town and neighboring districts is Mostly taken care of through the Ho Teaching Hospital alongside the municipal hospital and various private clinics.

The economy of the area is rather mixed with commerce, civil sector, agriculture and light manufacturing forming the primary sources of income to the inhabitants:

• Buying and Selling: At Ho Central Market, which is among the busiest in the region, traders can find almost any item they like for purchase or selling. There they buy and sell farm goods, textiles, and other everyday commodities.

• Farming: In the countryside where majorly farming is done by the inhabitants who have access to the land, people grow staple crops such as cassava maize yams, plantains, and vegetables as their main sources of food and cash.

• Artisan work and Industries: Artisans in the local communities create traditional goods like hand-woven Kente cloth (with emphasis on nearby towns like Agotime-Kpetoe) that has been the pride of Ghana for centuries, pots and jars of various shapes and materials, and beautifully carved wooden statues.

Ho has an extensive road system, the main roads of which are direct links to Accra, Eastern Region, and the northern region of Ghana. Besides the road transportation, Ho is also well equipped with Ho Airport. The airport was planned to facilitate the domestic flights thereby also promoting the growth of tourism and business in the Volta Region.

Transport services like taxis and commercial buses (known as trotros) bring Ho in touch with the bigger Ghanaian cities such as Accra and Tema as well as the surrounding villages.

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 University of Health and Allied Sciences which was established in 2015 is located in Ho.

Ho maintains a varied local market economy. The main central market aside, many shops, small workshops of craftsmen, and stalls of food vendors are visible on the streets. In the less urbanized parts of the municipality where the farmers are the major means of sustenance for their households, the cultivation of staple crops like cassava maize yam, and plantain remains to be their main source of farm income.

The Ho Sports Stadium is located in the town.

While the roads in the central parts of Ho are paved, the roads outside are not.^[6] An airport was completed in 2017 to serve Ho, although it was not opened to commercial traffic until 2021.^[11][12]

Ho's sister cities is of the following:

• Gainesville, Florida (2022)^[20]

• British Togoland