In 1874, Berekum, under the leadership of Nana Pampraw, joined the Asantes in a war which came to be known as the Fanti war (Fanti sa). During the war, Berekum lost 300 men.
Oral tradition has it that after the war, the Asantehene organized a thank-you delegation with all kinds of paraphernalia, including a new umbrella to be delivered to the Berekumhene in appreciation of the assistance Berekuman had given him. However, it is alleged that the items were intercepted by the Bantamahene, who exchanged the umbrella and other gifts for an older umbrella and other inferior items.
When the Berekumhene received the items, he was hurt and interpreted the gesture as one of ingratitude on the part of the Ashanti Kingdom.
In 1900, the Asantes again fought in what was to be known as the Yaa Asantewaa war.
Oral tradition again has it that this time, Berekuman refused to join the Asantes. Their reason was the perceived act of ingratitude handed to them by the Asantes after they had fought alongside them in the Fanti war discussed above.
With the benefit of hindsight, the decision Berekumman took turned out to be a good omen.
The Asantes lost the war and the British adversary, without knowing the true reason for the refusal of Berekumman to join the Asantes in the war, awarded the Berekumhene a medal. He was given the title “Knight of the British Empire (KBE).
The British, who were to become the colonial masters, also awarded Berekuman with the status of a Paramountcy. This meant that they had broken free of their servitude under the Asante Kingdom.
After the Yaa Asantewaa war, a period of great turmoil transpired in the Ashanti Kingdom during which Nana Prempeh 1 was exiled to the Seychelles Island for a number of years. He finally returned to Kumasi in 1924. The colonial masters at the time insisted that he reigned only as Kumasihene and not as Asantehene.
In 1935, however, for the purpose of administrative convenience, the British Government decided to restore the old Asante confederacy with the Asantes as head. They, however, stressed under this arrangement that no king could Lord himself over the other members. This confederacy spread as far as Drobo, Dormaa, and Techiman.
Over the course of time, however, tensions arose in the confederacy with many of the members alleging that the Ashantes tried to bully and intimidate them. Eventually, Techiman and Dormaa broke away along with some others.
The early 1950s saw an upsurge in partisan politics in the Gold Coast and the emergence of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on the political scene. Things came to a head in the 1956 election when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP promised the Brongs a region of their own if they won the elections. Eventually, the CPP was voted into power, and the Brong Ahafo region was also created.
The first CPP MP for the Berekum electoral area was Mr. I.G. Awuah in 1956. Mr. Awuah died, and Mr. I.W. Benneh won the bi–election for CPP. There was a military takeover in 1966, and the 1954 constitution was abrogated.
The country again returned to civilian rule in 1979 with Dr. Hilla Liman as the president. Mr. S.H. Addae contested the Berekum seat with Dr. Ohene Djan and won the 1969 general elections.
Berekum came under the administration of Sunyani throughout the Nkrumah days; both the Urban and District councils were under the then Sunyani District. The present fire service premises and the former District Assembly buildings were the Local council and urban council, respectively.
The emergence of the Gen. Akyeampong regime introduced the West Bono District Assembly. The purpose of this creation was to amalgamate Berekum, Drobo, and Dormaa into a single District. He wanted the headquarters of the West Bono District Assembly to be situated in Berekum, with the residence of the District Secretary in Dormaa.
However, the residents of Berekum at the time objected to this idea of citing the residents of the Assembly in Dormaa. This led to the formation of a pressure group called. “The Berekum Youth Association. The youth came to the forefront to fight for the residency and for the Assembly to be situated in Berekum. They consulted the then Chief of Drobo, Nana Adinkra Kosopre. The chief agreed to the idea and decided not to join Dormaa but Berekum. This empowered the youth to write to Gen. Akyeapong, the then military ruler, who sent an envoy to tour and do feasibility studies on Berekum, Dormaa, and Drobo.
Before that, Akyeampong had been told that Dormaa was the largest, most beautiful, and most organized among the towns. After the tour, it was realized that Berekum was bigger and better organized than Dormaa.
Col. Rtd. Victor Koka Appiah was at the helm of affairs of the Bono Ahafo Region. The youth, with Mr. Kwabena Kyere as the president, Mr. SA Addae as the secretary, Mr. J.E.A Amankona, Nana Henneh Ababio, Nana Kofi Yeboah, the Ex – Ankobiahene of Berekum (A.K. Tawiah), Yaw Barimah (Retired teacher), Mr. Kwadwo Asoma (a retired teacher), Dr. Ali, Osibisa, Opani Koo Fordjour, Madam Takyiwaa, as well as the late Kwasi Nketiah, among others, were supported by the traditional council.
Partly by their effort, the idea of the creation of the West Bono District was defeated. This led to the creation of the Berekum, Jaman District Council and Dormaa District Council.
The first Chairman of Berekum / Jaman District Council was lawyer Adjei Mensah, a native of Jaman. The first administrative officer was Arta Tay in 1974.
In 1978, the Supreme Military Council (SMC) was formed to establish the constituent Assembly. Berekum and Jaman were represented by Mr. Kwabena Kyere and Mr. Adjei Mensah, respectively.
Later on, the then government created the Jaman District Council as a separate unit from Berekum.
When the 1979 coup came, during the PNDC regime, Mr. J.H Owusu Acheampong was spotted by the then chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), FL. LT. Jerry John Rawlings was made Bono Ahafo Regional Secretary, and Mr. Kwabena Kyere was made PNDC D/S for Berekum.
That same year, the country returned to civilian rule, and Dr. “Hilla Liman” was elected as the president. The following are the District Secretaries/Chief Executives in succession.
1. Mr. Asiedu from Jamdede (was later dismissed)
2. Mr. Kusi Abora (Acting)
3. Mr. Kyere Bediako
4. Mr. Kwabena Kyere (1990 – 1993)
5. Mr. I.B Kyere (was dismissed)
6. Madam Mary Boakye
7. Mr. Kwabena Kyere Yeboah (2000 -2008)
8. Mr. Lord Oppong Stephen (2008-2013)
9. Mr. Opoku Yiadom-Boakye (2013-2017)
10. Mr Kofi Adjei (2017-2025)
11. Hajia Fatima Binta Abubakar (2025-Date)
In 1993, Mr. J.H. Owusu Acheampong contested and won the Berekum parliamentary seat after the restoration of the 1992 republican constitution. He was made the Minister of Agriculture and later the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
In 1996, Mr. J.H. Owusu Acheampong contested against Mr. Adusah of the N.P.P. and won for the third time. During the 2000 elections, Cpt. Rtd Nkrabea Effah Dartey contested with Mr. J.H Owusu Acheampong and won for N.P.P. Hon. Cpt. Rtd. Nkrabea Effah Dartey again contested and won when he stood with Mr. Lord Oppong Stephen for the second time during the 2004 general elections.
Again, Mr. Kwaku Agyenim Boateng of the N.P.P won the parliamentary seat when he beat Mr. Lord Oppong Stephen during the 2008 general elections.
In 2012, the constituency was divided into two—Berekum East and Berekum West- Dr Kwabena Twum Nuamah won at the East, and Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng won at the West in the general election.
Following the 2012 division, both constituencies remained key battlegrounds, with the New Patriotic Party maintaining a firm grip on the parliamentary seats for over a decade.
In the 2016 elections, the New Patriotic Party consolidated its hold on both seats amid a national wave that brought Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the presidency. For Berekum East, Dr. Kwabena Twum Nuamah successfully retained his seat, beating his National Democratic Congress challenger. In Berekum West, Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng also retained his seat, overcoming a spirited challenge from Dickson Kyere-Duah of the National Democratic Congress.
The 2020 elections brought structural changes to leadership within the New Patriotic Party camp in Berekum East, though the party ultimately retained both seats. In a highly competitive party primary, Dr. Kwabena Twum Nuamah lost the ticket. Nelson Kyeremeh became the new face of the party and went on to win the parliamentary seat in the general election, securing 27,731 votes against Elder Simon Ampabeng Kyeremeh of the National Democratic Congress, who obtained 17,305 votes. Meanwhile, Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng secured another term in Berekum West. He won a tight race with 11,245 votes, narrowly defeating Dickson Kyere-Duah, who pulled 10,296 votes.
The 2024 elections marked a historic political realignment in Berekum's history, as the opposition National Democratic Congress managed to flip both constituencies. This ended a long-standing dominance in the enclave. In Berekum East, Simon Ampaabeng Kyeremeh avenged his previous loss, claiming victory with 23,476 votes to defeat the incumbent Member of Parliament, Nelson Kyeremeh, who obtained 14,356 votes. In Berekum West, Dickson Kyere-Duah successfully unseated Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng on his third consecutive attempt. He secured 13,869 votes against the 8,651 votes of the incumbent, effectively ending a 16-year monopoly over the Berekum West area.
Consultation:
Mr. Kwabena Kyere (Late)- Former Deputy Minister of Education
Electoral Commission
