Fort Orange

Fort Orange, known in Dutch as Fort Oranje, is a coastal fort in Sekondi, in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Area of Ghana's Western Region. It stands a few metres off Sekondi's harbour, beside the site of the English-built Fort Sekondi of 1682. The Dutch West India Company first established it in 1642 as a trading lodge; it served as a trading post during the 1670s and was enlarged into a full fort in 1690. After an attack by the Ahanta people in September 1694, it was rebuilt into a more heavily fortified structure by 1704, with its cannons mainly directed at the neighbouring English fort. It passed to British control in 1872 with the rest of the Dutch Gold Coast holdings, and has since been used as a lighthouse. It now serves as a naval base for the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

For a visitor, the fort's interest lies in that layered history: a Dutch trading lodge, a contested fortified post, a British-era lighthouse and a working harbour installation, all on one small site. It forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions", inscribed in 1979 under reference 34-008, and is listed as a National Monument under the National Monuments Instrument, EI 42, 1972. It is owned by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.

Practical planning should be treated cautiously. The GMMB page states opening hours of 9:00am to 4:30pm, while GMMB social posts describe forts, castles and museums as open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, so the closing time is not fully consistent across sources. Published GMMB entrance fees are GH¢ 0.50 for pupils from primary to JHS 3, GH¢ 1.00 for SHS students, GH¢ 2.00 for tertiary students with ID and GH¢ 5.00 for Ghanaian adults; foreign children USD 2.00, foreign students with ID USD 7.00 and adult foreigners USD 10.00, or the equivalent in Ghana cedis. GMMB notes these fees were reviewed in February 2013, so they may be out of date.

No direct on-site telephone or email for the fort was found. The listed contacts are GMMB's Central and Western Regions office at Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast (+233-3321 32529), and the head office at 2 Barnes Road, Adabraka, Accra (P.O. Box GP 3343, Accra; +233-303944028 / +233-303944030), with emails [email protected] and [email protected]. Because the fort functions as a naval base, access arrangements should be confirmed with GMMB before travelling.