Pikworo Slave Camp

Pikworo Slave Camp is a poignant historical site located in Paga, Upper East Region, that served as a major transit camp during the transatlantic slave trade. The site features underground chambers where enslaved people were held, a bathing pond, punishment stones, and a massive baobab tree used for torture and executions. Today it stands as one of Ghana's most significant heritage sites, offering visitors a sobering glimpse into the brutal realities of the slave trade in northern Ghana.

Established in the 15th century, Pikworo served as a collection and holding point where captured Africans from across the savannah regions were detained before the long march to coastal slave ports like Salaga and eventually to Elmina and Cape Coast. The camp was strategically located near the present-day Ghana-Burkina Faso border, making it a key node in the northern slave route. Enslaved people were kept in underground chambers to prevent escape, with the site's baobab tree serving as a grim execution and punishment post for those who resisted.

• The underground chambers could hold dozens of captives in cramped, inhumane conditions while slave traders assembled groups for the southward journey
• A sacred baobab tree at the site was used to chain and punish rebellious captives, with some executed and buried at its base
• The bathing pond was where enslaved people were washed before being presented to buyers or marched to the coast
• Pikworo is part of the northern slave route network that connected to major slave markets like Salaga in the Savannah Region
• The site has been preserved as a memorial and educational center, managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board