‘Safe’ and ‘welcoming’ are two words visitors use to describe Accra, Ghana, making it the perfect place for Black people to visit. Accra, the capital and largest city in Ghana, is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in western Africa. Named “Africa’s capital of cool” by the New York Times, Accra is known for its colorful textiles, contemporary art, popular nightlife and entertainment scenes.

Accra has served as Ghana’s capital since 1877 when it was transferred from Cape Coast. The city’s name derives from the Akan word Nkran meaning “ants,” a reference to the many anthills found in the countryside around Accra. From the 1500s until Ghana gained independence in 1957, Accra was the site for settlers from Portugal, The Netherlands and England. European settlers battled one another for centuries seeking control of the region as an outlet for trade, primarily of enslaved Africans.