Kibi

Kibi, also called Kyebi, is the traditional capital of Akyem Abuakwa, an Akan state in the forest country of the Birim basin. Here stands the Ofori Panin stool, the seat of the Okyenhene, ruler of the state. The nearby Atewa hills and the river valley formed part of a country known for gold and the routes that carried it through the forests.

The origins of Akyem Abuakwa are traced to Adanse in the seventeenth century. Under Ofori Panin, its people established themselves at Banso beyond the Atewa hills; after 1727 the capital was moved to Kyebi in the Birim valley. Control of gold-producing districts and trade routes helped the kingdom grow wealthy and powerful, while its position brought it into the changing politics of the neighboring Akan states.