Anomabu, also spelled Anomabo and formerly as Annamaboe,[2] is a town on the coast of the Mfantsiman Municipal District of the Central Region of South Ghana.
[4] According to oral tradition, the origin of the name “Anomabu” was first established when a hunter from the Nsona[5] clan first discovered the area and decided to settle there with his family, eventually starting his own village as time passed.
[5] The hunter allegedly saw some birds atop a rock, and proclaimed the area “Obo noma,” which became the town's original name.
The Anomabu fort became the center of British involvement in the Atlantic slave trade along the Gold Coast until it was abolished in 1807.
[5] In the same year, a small garrison successfully resisted the entire Ashanti army, although the city suffered greatly from the attack.
[5] In the later 19th century, it exported in palm oil, ivory, gold dust, peanuts, and Guinea grains in exchange for considerable imports of manufactured goods.
[2] Originally a small fishing village, Anomabu eventually became one of the most important trading ports on the Gold Coast.
According to 19th century colonial official George Macdonald, Anomabu was “The strongest [town] on the coast on account of the number of armed natives that it contained: The whole land round was well populated besides being very rich in gold, slaves, and corn”.
[4] According to an anthropological study in 2016 by Patience Affua Addo, the fishing industry in Anomabu is highly gendered and prevents ascension for women due to the patriarchal society that it exists under.
Sanitation is not adequate in the community, and due to lack of public toilets, most residents use the beach, which has resulted in contaminated gutters.