From the 16th century, Salaga was one of the leading market centers in West Africa.
Situated in the woodland-savannah ecotone, Salaga was strategically located, marking the southern boundary for the use of beasts of burden such as donkeys.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Salaga served as a key market town, particularly for the busy regional kola trade, and controlling Salaga gave a monopoly over trade to the north and south.
Salaga was founded by the Mande leader Dyakpa Nde wura in 16th century Gonja kingdom before being overrun by Asante forces in 1744.
Asante emerged as a confederation of matrilineal chiefdoms at the beginning of the 18th century, and its defeat of Denkyira in 1701 marked the cohesion of this new polity.
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The 18th century witnessed the territorial expansion of Asante (by the early nineteenth century Asante exceeded the size of present-day Ghana) and the centralization of power in the capital of Kumasi.
Asante’s northward expansion in the second quarter of the 18th century led to the annexation of the eastern part of Gonja and the neighboring state of Dagomba.
This northern contact brought Islamic influences into Asante. The northern chiefdoms of the Asante confederation, especially Mampong, were among the first to be exposed to Muslim influence.
Asante’s designation of the Muslim trading town of Salaga in eastern Gonja as the entrepot for north-south trade and the main market for Asante kola nuts, in huge demand in the West African Muslim savannah and sahel lands as a stimulant, underpinned Salaga’s economic and urban growth.
Kola, beads, ostrich feathers, animal hides, textiles and gold were among the goods traded in the market.
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Situated in the southernmost reaches of the Sahel, Salaga was referred to as "the Timbuktu of the south" for its cosmopolitan population and varied trade.
Gonja, a powerful warrior kingdom, ruled Salaga and several other towns. The Salaga market served as a transit point through the northern Sahel and the southernmost coast of the 'Sahel', as well as through the Dagomba towns of Kpabia and Yendi.
This gave rise to the transport of cattle and groundnuts from Yendi via the Salaga market.
It also was the transit point through which kola was transported from modern day Ghana to northern Nigeria.
Ghana Month Series - Salaga Slave Market: A dark chapter in Ghana's history
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The Salaga Slave Market
However, in the 18th century, the market became a key center in the trading of humans.
Salaga was the most prominent market in precolonial Ghana for kola and slaves.
During the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, Salaga also served as an important market from where slaves were transported to the coast for export.
People from the Upper west, Upper East and Northern Regions served as sources for slaves. At the market, there were various stands for slaves, cattle, sheep, and merchandise.
Slaves would be inspected and bargained for a price. A variety of people benefited from slavery at the market as it became a commercial venture.
For example, local chiefs benefited through the sale of slaves.
Slaves were kept in a warehouse with a mud roof during rainy days. In modern times, the roof is protected by an aluminium roof to protect from unexpected weather changes.
Wells located around the market are, according to oral tradition, associated with slave labour although the water management system pre-dated the slave trade.
There is also a stream that is often associated with the well said to have been the bathing place of slaves, known as wanka bayu.
The drinking wells were dug by the slaves, so that they were able to survive during the dry season.
Abdulai and our tour guide told us that the wells were often a space to hide, where the slaves could express their self agency.
The primary reason for bathing was to make the slaves look presentable and healthy, using shea butter, before reaching the market for potential buyers.
During the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in 1874, the British defeat of the Asante ended the Asante rule over Salaga.
However, this coupled with the British abolition of slavery in the Gold Coast in 1874 - 1875 did not end the Salaga Slave market practices in the Gold Coast.
There were frequent caravans of slaves from Salaga to Kintampo slave market, then to southern or coastal areas, however it was abolished in 1896.
The defeat of the Asante also had subsequent effects on the slave trade in later years, as there was a shift from Salaga as the main slave market to other markets.
Following the interview with Alhaji Yakubu, we ventured to the site of the actual Salaga Slave Market, which is now an everyday market.
This was the final experience that we had of unfinished attempts to commemorate the devastating past of slavery and the slave trade.
We think that the history we are learning about is very significant, and we really hope that in the future these sites will be completed so that a wide range of audiences can learn about this as well.
It’s surprising that people in the area are less interested in these important past material remains of the slave trade and Slavery.
Recent Developments and Commemoration
Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Hon. Andrew Egyapa Mercer, remarked that the commissioning of the Salaga Slave Market and Heritage Site is more than a commemoration of the past; it is an acknowledgment of the significant role slavery played in shaping the world today.
The site, an 18th-century slave market, was a key location where enslaved people were transported to the coast for export during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade era.
Hon. “Let us seize this opportunity to promote tourism in the Savannah Region and across Ghana,” he urged.
The ceremony, held in Salaga to launch the 2024 Emancipation Day Celebration, was attended by esteemed dignitaries, including the Lepowura, representing the Kpembewura, the Municipal Chief Executive, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr.
In his address, the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, emphasized the significance of the Salaga Slave Market and Wells to the nation’s heritage tourism offerings. He stressed the need for Ghanaians to acknowledge the past while working toward a future of healing and unity.
In modern times, the Salaga Slave market was abandoned by the East Gonja District Assembly and the Ghana Tourism Authority.
It had been reduced to a parking space or used mainly for business activities. However, recently through initiatives such as the 2024 Emancipation Day celebration, the Ghana Tourism Authority has decided to refurbish the slave market and the slave wells.
The effort is to transform the market and the wells into a top class cultural and tourist destination. Doing so would serve as a learning experience to build a more inclusive and equitable society.
The town is served by Salaga Senior High School, established in 1976.
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