The name Abruquah constitutes a household name of a highly religious Christian family hailing from the coastal town of

Saltpond Saltpond is a town and the capital of the Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region of South Ghana. Saltpond has a population of 24,689 people. Economy History Saltpond was in a state of economic decline since the landing beach was a ...

in the Central Region of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

. Although Saltponders are Fantis, who are a part of the bigger

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people *Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan * Central Tano languages, a language group ...

tribe, the name ABRUQUAH is purported to have its origins from the

Akyem The Akyem are an Akan people. The term Akyem (Akem, Akim or Aki) is used to describe a group of four states: Asante Akyem, Akyem Abuakwa, Akyem Kotoku and Akyem Bosome. These nations are located primarily in the eastern region in south Ghana. ...

s who are thought to have migrated from the Eastern "

" Region of

to their present location at the coast, where they integrated well into the Fantis; hence, the other name of Saltpond, Akyemfo, meaning "peapole from Akyem". The name can therefore be found in the Eastern Region of

but spelt differently as ABROKWAH, although these two may share the same ancestry.

Joseph Wilfred Abruquah

One of the renowned sons of the ABRUQUAH genealogy was

Joseph Wilfred Abruquah Joseph Wilfred Abruquah (1921 – 6 November 1997) was a Ghanaian novelist and educationist. Early life and education Abruquah was born in 1921 in the Gold Coast. He had his secondary education at Mfantsipim School and his tertiary education a ...

. J. W. Abruquah is probably the most well-known headmaster of

Mfantsipim School Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and ...

, the first and oldest second cycle institution in Ghana, then called

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

. He was the headmaster from 1963 to 1970, when The School, as he often referred to Mfantsipim School, rediscovered its pride as the first and best secondary school in Ghana. As an old student of Mfantsipim, he authored "''The Catechist"'' in 1965 and "''The Torrent''" in 196

and was well known for always correcting his peers that the name is "Mfantsipim School" and not "''Mfantsipim Secondary School''". He was a father to all his students and most of the current leaders of Ghana who passed through his hands, notably

Mohamed Ibn Chambas Mohamed Ibn Chambas (born 7 December 1950 in Bimbilla, Ghana) is a Ghanaian lawyer, diplomat, politician and academic Ghana who has served as an international civil servant since 2006. He last served as the United Nations Special Representativ ...

, still remember him for his motivational speeches.

References

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