History of Jackson Park
A football match at Jackson Park, 1942. From PRAAD Kumasi
A major concern for colonial Kumasi was the lack of playing fields for the inhabitants, especially Africans. At the time, the only space available for recreational activities was the field in front of the Kumasi Fort. The field posed its own challenges: it was far from the residential areas and officials insisted sporting activities would deplete the general aesthetic of the precinct.
The Kumasi Public Health Board (KPHB) shared these concerns with the then Chief Commissioner of Asante, Sir F W F Jackson. A committee was subsequently formed to advise and suggest fair opportunities for the people of Asante.
A football match at Jackson Park, 1942. From PRAAD Kumasi
The committee upon a comprehensive land survey and inspection settled on a strip of land at the heart of a planned new town. The land had served as a Muslim cemetery. Compensation was paid by the KPHB and work commenced to change the land into a park.
The park was opened to the general public in 1937, and was inaugurated with the name Jackson Park in honour of the Chief Commissioner. The park remained the sole recreational park in the city, up until the construction of the Kumasi Stadium in 1958 by the United African Company.
A football match at Jackson Park, 1942. From PRAAD Kumasi
In 2007, as part of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, the government renovated the park, changed its appearance from a bare laterite soil pitch surrounded to its present look with spectator stands, a paved parade ground, and cemented walls. It was at this time that the name Jackson Park was officially changed to Jubilee Park to signal the park’s association with Ghana’s Golden Jubilee.