Agortime-Kpetoe Kente Town

Agortime-Kpetoe, usually called simply Kpetoe, is a small town and the capital of the Agortime-Ziope District in the Volta Region of Ghana. It sits about 22–25 km east of Ho, the regional capital, along the Ho–Aflao highway, and is known for cross-border trade and, above all, for kente. The town has the Kpetoe Market, a bridge known as the Kpetoe Bridge, and the River Tordze, which rises at Hanyigbatodzi in Togo. The Agortime Traditional Area is headed by a Paramount Chief; Nene Nuer Keteku IV has been named as Konor (Paramount Chief) of Agortime-Kpetoe.

For visitors, the draw is weaving. Kpetoe is described as one of Ghana's two best-known kente centres, alongside Kumasi, and as the ancestral home of Ewe kente weaving, with a tradition in the area reported at more than 400 years. A Kente Weaving Centre was created by 30 weavers who formed a cooperative, and in 2010 an NGO established an eco-tourism centre. Finished kente is sold directly at the weaving centre, and visitors can watch weavers at work. A separate Kente Village weaving centre was under construction at Kpetoe by the development initiative 100K for Ghana, reported in December 2021 and intended to raise wages and increase production.

The local weaving centre is a roofed, open-air building where up to 25 weavers work and display their products. Visitor facilities are limited, with further amenities in the planning stages: the centre has pit toilets but no running water. Cold beverages are available in the village, chop bars offer street food, and village stores include Israel Trading Inc. on the main road, plus Bowman Kente Weaving and Desiadenyo Kente Store off the main street.

There are no official opening hours. Weavers are generally active from dawn to dusk, Monday through Saturday, and generally do not work on Sundays. Kpetoe lies on the main road between Ho and Aflao, with frequent public transport in both directions. Listed visitor activities, including visiting the weaving centre and wandering the adjacent village of Abenyinase, are rated easy. No information on step-free or wheelchair access was found.

The town's annual Kente Festival, Agbamevorza, has been held since 1995, usually between September and October. The 2025 edition was launched at Aflao on 21 June 2025, with the main celebration scheduled for 10–17 August 2025 under the theme "Woven Together Kente; Agotime's Creative Gift to the World". Speakers described Agortime Kpetoe as the origin of authentic kente cloth and noted that kente has been registered as a UNESCO cultural heritage item. For district enquiries, the Agotime-Ziope District Assembly can be reached at P.O. Box AP 47, Kpetoe, on 0362196143 or [email protected], Monday to Friday, 9:00–15:00; no dedicated contact for the weaving centre itself was found.