The Bono heartland — one of West Africa's great traditional markets and the ancient Akan kingdom that predates Ashanti
Techiman is the capital of the Bono East Region and the seat of the Techimanhene — the paramount chief of the Bono people, whose kingdom predates the Ashanti confederation by several centuries. The Techiman Market is one of the largest in West Africa, operating on a six-day rotation cycle and drawing traders from across the Sahel. The town sits at the edge of the Brong savanna, within a day's drive of Ghana's central forest reserves.
The Bono state (also spelled Brong or Bono-Manso) is considered one of the oldest surviving Akan kingdoms, established around the 14th century in the forest-savanna transition zone of what is now central Ghana. Techiman was the capital of Brong-Ahafo's traditional authority for centuries before the modern administrative region was drawn. The Bono people trace their origins to a founding ancestral lineage predating the Ashanti Empire, and their stool (throne) is among the most senior in Ghanaian traditional governance.