Longitude 0 at Somanya - Where the world crosses the Prime Meridian from East to West

The Prime Meridian Line, technically referred to as Longitude 0, which divides the world into two equal parts, passes through Somanya in the Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region. 

The Prime Meridian Line is located opposite the Somanya main cemetery, known as Awudome, on the main Somanya to Akuse Junction road.

It bears a monument with the inscription: “To the Glory of God, this monument was donated by the Land Surveying Division of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors under the chairmanship of Surveyor John Christian Acquah (FGHIS) to commemorate the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the institution on August 27, 2019”.

The monument of the Prime Meridian Line was commissioned by the then Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, assisted by the President of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Maame Ama Edumadze Acquah.

The other members of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors include Kingsley K.O. Boateng, Michael K. Ntiamoah Adu, Benjamin Benyi Acquah, Phyllis Owusu-Ensaw, Robert Hackman Antwi, Felix Odum Boadu, Beatrice Kom, Vincent Tetteh Anim, Stephen Tetteh Djaba and Amos Koranteng Oman, the Assemblyman for the Okornya Electoral Area. 

Meridian Line

In an interview with a member of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Stephen Tetteh Djaba, who also hails from Somanya, said, “We as Ghanaians and the people of Somanya are fortunate to be part of the Meridian Line that divides the world into two parts, either East or West.

A signpost welcoming visitor to the place

He said their organisation was very much interested in the issue of the Meridian Line which makes Ghana almost the centre of the world, hence the monument erected at Somanya. He said that just as the one in London was named Greenwich Meridian, that of Somanya would be named Somanya Meridian.

Mr Djaba said the Ghana Institute of Surveyors had in mind to make the place one of the tourist centres in the country and it would be developed to that level, adding, “This is the first part of it.” 

Caretaker  

According to a 52-year-old farmer, Thomas Katako, who is a voluntary caretaker of the place, since the commissioning of the monument in 2019, the place has become a tourist centre on almost a daily basis, especially on weekends.

He said his efforts had however not been rewarded by anybody, especially the authorities in the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly in Somanya.

Mr Katako said if the assembly took proper care of the place, it would generate income internally for the assembly rather than the way the monument was now.

“Since 2019 when the monument was erected, I have been buying agriculture chemicals to spray to make the place look neat so that when the visitors come, the place will be nice and attractive to them, but I have not received any reward from anyone.

“I can say on authority that the place has become a tourist attraction and a centre which attracts a lot of tourists from all over the country including foreigners. The tourists come to the place almost every day most especially on public holidays.

I don’t know what the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly is waiting for to develop the place for their own internally generated funds,” the caretaker queried.

He said during the commissioning of the place in 2019, it was announced by the officials that day that the monument at Somanya was the main centre of the Prime Meridian Longitude 0 which needed to be treated as such.

Streetlights

A member of a family very close to the monument, Bernard Nertey, 29, was very worried about the way the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly was handling the facility. He explained that the place looked very dark in the night, which made the location very scary, and as such nobody would like to risk getting near the facility in the evenings.

He, therefore, called for street lights at the place.

He further explained that the municipal assembly needed to erect either sheds, summer huts or pavilions there to make the place attractive, even though because of its location near the main road, the place was attracting people.

He concluded that if the assembly developed the place, it could create jobs for the youth, as people would be selling water and other food items to the tourists, adding “This can reduce the unemployment we are talking about day in and day out.”

Two other occupants of the house, Gifty Teiko Anim and Gifty Tawiah who also spoke to the Daily Graphic shared the same sentiments, saying “We are more or less caretakers of the place and we know the number of visitors to the place daily and the assembly must be serious.” 

Assembly’s response

A member of the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity said “Our assembly is not serious with revenue generation.”

The person explained that the assembly was aware of the revenue that would be generated if it had developed the facility, but it was careless; meanwhile, it needed money for its activities as a municipality.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Eric Tetteh, when contacted said some private individuals have expressed interest in the project.