Sanniquellie
©
Sanniquellie

Sanniquellie

Nimba County capital known for the 1959 Sanniquellie Declaration, a precursor to the African Union.

Africa > Liberia > Sanniquellie

Sanniquellie is the capital of Nimba County in northeastern Liberia, a small inland town with an outsized place in African history: in 1959, presidents William Tubman of Liberia, Sékou Touré of Guinea and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana met here and signed the Sanniquellie Declaration, the first concrete step towards what became the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) in 1963.

The town itself is modest — a single main road, a small market, the Sanniquellie Declaration Monument commemorating that 1959 summit, and a handful of administrative buildings. Most travelers come through Sanniquellie on the way to or from the bigger sights of Nimba County: the iron-ore town of Yekepa about 60 km north, Mount Nimba on the Guinean border (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the Nimba National Forest which protects the remnant rainforest on the lower slopes.

The Mano and Gio (Dan) people are the dominant ethnic groups here, and the area has a strong tradition of mask-making and forest medicine — masks from Nimba County are among the most recognised in West African art. Sanniquellie is the practical base for exploring this corner of Liberia, though facilities are basic and almost everything requires a willingness to improvise.

The road from Monrovia runs via Gbarnga; plan on a long day's travel each way, longer in the rains.

Guide

Getting There

Sanniquellie is a long day's road journey from Monrovia — around 380 km via Gbarnga and Ganta. The first part of the road is in reasonable shape; the last stretch beyond Ganta is rougher and slower, especially in the rainy season (May–October).

Shared taxis run from Monrovia's Red Light junction to Ganta throughout the morning, with onward shared transport to Sanniquellie from there. The trip will typically eat the whole day. A 4x4 with driver is the comfortable option if you can afford it. There is no scheduled air service to Sanniquellie or Nimba Airport at present.

For crossings to Guinea, the border at Lola is reachable from Yekepa, but visa formalities should be sorted out before arrival.

Guide

Things to Do

Sanniquellie itself is small — the main sight is the Sanniquellie Declaration Monument marking the 1959 summit of Tubman, Touré and Nkrumah that paved the way for African unity. Beyond town, the real attractions of Nimba County are within reach: the planned mining town of Yekepa with its strange mix of abandoned LAMCO modernism and active iron ore operations, the dramatic ridge of Mount Nimba on the Guinean border (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), and the surviving rainforest of the Nimba National Forest on its lower slopes.