It was built by the Royal African Company of England (RAC) as a trading post for both gold and slaves in 1673,[1] where it joined the Dutch Fort Crêvecœur (1649), and the Danish Fort Christiansborg (1652) along the coast of the then Gold Coast.

Along with other castles and forts in Ghana, Fort James was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 because of its importance during the European colonial period.

[citation needed] The fort stands next to Jamestown Lighthouse and from the colonial era up to 2008, served as a prison.

[3][4] Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was imprisoned from 1950 to 1951 with common criminals in Fort James.

[6] James Fort is in a fairly good condition.