Fort Patience (Dutch: Fort Lijdzaamheid or in 17th-century spelling Fort Leydsaemheyt) is a Dutch-built fort located in the township of Apam, in the Central Region of Ghana.
The fort which was first built as a stone trading lodge in 1697 at the request of the King of Acron, with whom the Dutch had a treaty, was situated between the kingdoms of Fante and Agona, with whom the British had a treaty.
The executives of the Dutch West India Company were quite skeptic to establish a fort in an area with minimal trade, and only consented on the condition that it would be built at minimal costs. The Acron were not happy with this, and frequently threatened the Dutch with expulsion if they would not extend the fortifications. As a result, it took the Dutch five years to complete the building, which is why they gave it the name Fort Patience.
By 1721 the lodge had been converted into a defensive fortification, which sat on a craggy peninsula just out from the township to the south, offering a commanding view of Apam’s harbour to the north, and the Gulf Of Guinea coast to the south, east, and west.
The original structure of the fort was a small two-storey stone lodge. The fort was reinforced by the Dutch between 1701-1721 into a demi-bastion on the northwest and the southeast. It served as a police station and a post office.
On April 9, 2008, The Apam Youth and Development Association were said to have made an appeal to the National Museums and Monuments Board, the Dutch Embassy in Ghana, Gomoa District Assembly and other stakeholders to take urgent steps to save Fort Patience from further deterioration.
Unfortunately there have been no records of the fort being worked on.
