by VISION
To be the best school both locally and internationally.
GOALS
The school was established to educate the whole person, not just the intellectuals, since the goal was to prepare elite citizens to lead Ghana instead of sending them to Britain, as was the custom at the time.
The School’s goals and objectives are as follows:
1. The optimal utilization of our bodies and minds, endowed by God.
an equal chance at schooling for males and girls.
2. Respect for everything that the Old African culture, beliefs, and methods of life truly and enduringly value.
3. Willing and humble service of the educated for the uneducated.
4. Mutual understanding and co-operation between Christians of all dominations, and the growth of the spirit in which the churches shall one day be united again.
5. Friendship, respect, and cooperation between all races on equal terms.
6. The belief on which all else rests, in Jesus Christ as the revelation, for all people of the love of God, and as the guide and patterns of our lives
A BRIEF HISTORY
The school was founded by Sir Gordon Guggisberg, the Governor of the Gold Coast from 1919 until 1929. He felt the Gold Coast needed a school whose calibre was on par with that of any international high school. It was intended to be a model school that would generate the nation’s intellectual capital from students selected from all throughout the nation.
With the help of its courses, Achimota aimed to produce a whole person—a full product—who, upon graduating from the school would possess a strong moral and ethical foundation, practical hands-on abilities, and a profound understanding of African values.
The land was purchased in 1923 by surveyor Guggisberg, who paid four thousand pounds (£4,000) for it outright.
The building’s construction got underway in 1924. With the enrollment of sixty students in lower elementary courses, the school held its official opening in January 1927. The government training college in Accra sent its pupils to the college a year later, and the first upper primary and secondary department opened its doors in 1929.
The estate is more than a thousand and nine hundred yards in circle. The original buildings were opened by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, who also gave his name to the college and school. The College of Prince of Wales:
Rev. A.G. Fraser served as the first principal, while Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey served as the first vice principal. Together, they travelled the nation educating the public about the benefits of the system and persuading them to send their kids to Achimota. The interpreter was Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey, the first Vice Principal. As an illustration, Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, King of Akyem Abuakwa, sent his daughter, Susan Ofori Atta, to Achimota, where she graduated as a girls senior prefect in 1933 and went on to become Ghana’s first female physician.
Christian ideals served as the foundation for the school. The triumvirate, or founders of the institution, are Governor Sir Gordon Guggisberg, First Vice Principal Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey, and First Principal Rev. A.G. Fraser. As a result, the institution observes its annual Founders’ Day on the first Saturday in March.
- MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT OVER THE YEARS
Over the years the school has chalked a lot of success in the SSSCE and WASSCE. In national competitions such as the National Science and Maths quiz, the school had been on two (2) occasions first and second on other occasions.
The sons and daughters of the school had and are still serving the country in many ways. Many have made their mark as judges, lawyers, doctors, engineers, chiefs, administrators, top civil servants, diplomats, company directors, bankers, economists, vice chancellors, lectures, soldiers, journalists, writers, musicians etc.
Vice Chancellors of Universities of Ghana
1st Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana – Prof. A.A. Kwapong is an Achimotan.
2nd Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana – Prof. Adjei Bekoe is an Achimotan.
3rd Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana – Prof. Akilakpa Sawyerr is an Achimotan.
4th Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana – Prof. George Benneh is an Achimotan.
5th Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of University of Ghana – Prof. Addae Mensah is an Achimotan.
