Kpenoe Village

Kpenoe (pronounced “penway”) is a traditional Ghanaian village located about 4 hours drive north of Accra in the Volta Region of Ghana. The population of the traditional section is about 1,000 people. Local government consists of a Paramount (head) chief, a queen mother, elders or sub chiefs, and linguists. The chief has a great deal of authority over most village matters. He can be advised by the elders and the queen mother but the final authority to make decisions rests with him.

In Kpenoe the elders consist of the chiefs of the various clans in the village. The linguist sits in front of the chief in formal meetings and all spoken communication passes through him. In this type of meeting the chief speaks to the linguist and the linguist speaks to the public. If someone wishes to speak to the chief he or she will address the linguist and the linguist will speak to the chief.

Kpenoe is largely an agricultural subsistence village. Crops are grown to be consumed by the farm family, with some of the crop sold at the outdoor market in Ho. Income is extremely limited and often there is none left for such items as school fees, school uniforms, and school supplies, let alone conveniences and toys. If not for the scholarships awarded by Amenyo Foundation, students would rarely attend high school or go on to post secondary education.