Fort Amsterdam, one of Ghana's historical coastal forts, was originally built by the British between 1638 and 1645, and played a critical role in the commercial activities of the British during the Transatlantic Slave Trade era.

According to a tour guide at the fort, Joseph Kofi Kabraba, unlike other forts in the Central Region, Fort Amsterdam was not intended for slaves.

"This is the only fort which was not built for slavery. So, it never had slaves. The British people put up the fort here purposely for merchants; I mean for gold. So, they built this fort as a warehouse as compared to the others we have in the country. This is the smallest one," he told Host of People and Places on GhanaWeb TV, Etsey Atisu.

He recounted how the British lost the fort to the Dutch in 1664 during a war.

"They (the British) had a war with the Dutch; that was 1664. Then the Dutch defeated the British and took the fort from their hands," he said.

Never reoccupied, Fort Amsterdam remained as a ruin until its 1951 restoration by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.

It is presently open to the public.

The name of the fort was changed from Fort Kormantine to Fort Amsterdam by the Dutch when they took over.

The fort is also the first British fort in Africa.

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