Aflao is a border town in the Ketu South District in the Volta Region of Ghana on the border with Togo.[4][3] Aflao is the twenty-eighth most populous settlement in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 66,546 people (according to a 2012 estimate).[2] The current municipal chief of Aflao is Hon. Maxwell Koffie Lugudor.[1]
History
During the Atlantic slave trade, the town grew from interference from the Anlo, towards the west, and Little Popo (Aného) towards the east, located in present-day Togo. During this time, it change hands from the Danish to the British in 1850 due to slavery ending. In 1879, The British added Aflao into the Gold Coast after initially not being included.[5]
During the late twentieth century, the border became a site of reincurring tensions. At the peak of the 1982-83 revolution, the town was under consist surveillance as border
guards and cadres attempted to enforce a curfew. During this time, from 1986 to 1987, Togolese officers install a fence along the border's southern stretch after attacks from Ghanaian insurgents.[6]
Economy
Customs office in Aflao (1962)
The Diamond Cement Ghana Limited factory is located at Aflao.[7] In early 2014, a 2.5 km rail siding was completed to connect the cement works to the port of Lomé.[8] This siding crosses the border from Togo to Ghana and is of the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge. The total average annually volume of trade that goes through the border crossing, from data in 1996, is 24,876,651 kilograms (54,843,628 lb).[4]: 18
As of a 2012 estimate, Aflao has a population of 66,546 people.[2] Most of the population is religious, with the largest religion being Christianity. Other popular religions include Islam and traditional African religions. Historically, Aflao people believed in one universal goddess named Mawu, which is believed to be all powerful and everywhere.[3]: 32, 4 The majority of the population is Ewe, followed by the Akan and Ga-Adangbe people.[3]: 4
Aflao has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classificationAw), experiencing a wet season and a dry season annually whilst the dry season occurs from December to February. The wet usually lasts from April to July or from September to October. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 850 to 1,000 mm (2.79 to 3.28 ft) while the mean monthly temperatures are usually from 24 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F).[3]: 1, 2
Culture
Aflao is located in the Aflao traditional area[b] has Togbui Amenya Fiti V as its paramount chief.[12] He is the traditional ruler of the land and performs traditional administrative and ceremonial functions in the area.[13]
Transport
At the border crossing, the most popular mode of transportation is pushcarts, followed by trucks/cargo trucks.[4]: 11
Aflao is home to an port health unit, a facility under the Port Health Directorate (division of the Ghana Health Service) which helps to combat public health emergencies at Ghana's land border crossings.[14]
^Sources: 2000 census,[9] 2010 and 2012 estimates[2]
^In Ghana, the term 'traditional area' is used to describe an area in which all of its community members shared the same culture, and are under the same Omanhene (Paramount Chief)[11]
Mikhailov, E.; Garrard, J., eds. (2021). "11". Twin Cities across Five Continents: Interactions and Tensions on Urban Borders. Taylor & Francis. pp. 147–158. ISBN9781000479119.
