Mfantsipim School

• Name — Mfantsipim School • Motto Translation — (Think and Look Ahead) • Location — Cape Coast • Address — Aboom Wells Road • Region — Central Region • City — Cape Coast • District — Cape Coast • Postal Code — 101 • Country — Ghana • Religious Affiliation — Christian • Denomination — Methodist • Category — A • Affiliation — Methodist Church, Ghana • Head Label — Headmaster • Head — Very Rev. Ebenezer K. Aidoo • Chaplain — Rev. Samuel • Staff — 147+ teachers • Avg Class Size — 55 • Gender — Boys • Lower Age — 16 • Upper Age — 20 • Houses — 8 • Schooltype — Public secondary/high school mission • Enrollment — 2500+ • Language — English • Song — "For all the Saints" (MHB 832) • Motto — Dwen Hwɛ Kan • Sports — Basketball Football Hockey Track and field etc. • Nickname — Kwabotwe • Rivals — * Adisadel College • St. Augustine's College • Colours — Crimson crimson and black black • Yearbook — Botaepa • Alumni — Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA) • Free Label — School anthem • Free Text — "Dwen Hwɛ Kan" • Sister School — Wesley Girls High School

The idea of establishing a collegiate school to raise educational standards in the [(central region) |Gold Coast] was first mooted in 1865 but was not realized until 1876 when the Wesleyan High School was established in Cape Coast with donations from local businessmen and the support of the Methodist Missionary Society in London. The school was originally intended to be situated in Accra, owing to a decision by the British Government to move the capital of the Gold Coast from Cape Coast to Accra by 1870. However, due to local agitation and the urgency to implement the idea, it was finally established in Cape Coast, although there were initial plans to later move it to Accra, a relocation that never happened. On 3 April 1876, the school was established as Wesleyan High School.

Mfantsipim School was established in 1876 as Wesleyan High School in Cape Coast, primarily to train teachers with an initial enrollment of 17 pupils. The idea of establishing a collegiate school in the Gold Coast dates back to 1865, but it took eleven years to realize this vision. The school's location was chosen amidst local agitation and the urgent need to start the institution, despite initial plans to establish it in Accra. The first headmaster was James Picot, a young French scholar, who was only 17 years old at his appointment. Despite his youth and relatively limited experience, Picot played a crucial role in the school's early days.

In 1905 a graduate of the school, John Mensah Sarbah, founded a rival school named Mfantsipim; the name derives from "Mfantsefo-apem", literally meaning "thousands of Fantes" but actually meaning "the gathering of hosts of scholars for change" originally by the Fantes. In July of the same year, the two schools were merged under the supervision of the Methodist Church, keeping the name Mfantsipim.

Originally built on the premises of the Cape Coast Castle, Mfantsipim was later moved to its current location on Kwabotwe Hill in northern Cape Coast in 1930. This move marked a significant phase in the school's expansion and development.

The school celebrates annual events such as the Speech and Prize Giving Day, which dates back to 1908, initiated by Rev. W. T. Balmer. The school anthem, Botae Pa, sung at various events, encapsulates the school's history, values, and aspirations.

Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, popularly known as Kwabotwe or simply Botwe, gallantly defended its title when it beat St. Augustine's College, Cape Coast, and Opoku Ware School, Kumasi, at the grand finale of National Science and Mathematics Quiz (NSMQ) 2025 held in Cape Coast. At the end of the fiercely contested final, Mfantsipim School lifted the trophy for the second consecutive time with 56 points, while St. Augustine's College followed in second place with 42 points and Opoku Ware School had 29 points to place third.

• Ernest Addison, former governor of the Bank of Ghana • Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, former vice president of the Republic of Ghana • Kofi Annan, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Secretary-General of the United Nations • Kow Nkensen Arkaah, former vice president of the Republic of Ghana • Raphael Armattoe, scientist, nationalist, writer • Albert Adu Boahen, academic, historian and politician • Kofi Abrefa Busia, political leader, academic and Prime Minister of Ghana (1969–1972) • Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former president of ECOWAS commission • Joseph W.S. de Graft-Johnson, former vice president of the Republic of Ghana • Joe de Graft, writer, playwright and dramatist; first director of the Ghana Drama Studio • J. E. Casely Hayford, journalist and politician • Kobina Arku Korsah, first chief justice of Ghana • John Mensah Sarbah, diplomat, prominent lawyer and political leader in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) • Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief (Omanhen) of the Essikado (British Sekondi) Traditional Area in the Western Region of Ghana • Alex Quaison-Sackey, diplomat, first black president of the UN General Assembly • Kobina Sekyi, lawyer, writer, nationalist • Tsatsu Tsikata, academic and lawyer • Arthur Wharton, England's first black professional footballer • Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, former vice chancellor of KNUST