Treaty of Butre The Treaty of Butre between the Netherlands and Ahanta was signed at Butre ( historical spelling : " Boutry " ) , Dutch Gold Coast on 27 August 1656 . The treaty regulated the jurisdiction of the Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company over the town of Butre and the surrounding country of Upper Ahanta , creating a Dutch protectorate over the area . The treaty lasted until the Dutch departure from the Gold Coast in April 1872 . Background . The country of Ahanta , in what is now the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana , comprised a regional power in the form of a confederacy of chiefdoms which had come in early contact with the European nations settling on the Gold Coast for the purpose of trade . In the middle of the seventeenth century the two European competitors in the area were the Dutch West India Company and the Swedish Africa Company . The Dutch had been active in Athana and resident in neighboring Axim since 1642 , and the Swedish from Butre , had established a trading post in 1650 . The European powers allied themselves with African states and chiefs in order to gain a sustainable dominance in the area . In their efforts to dislodge the Swedish from Butre , the Dutch struck up different tactical alliances with the chiefdoms of Ahanta and the state of Encasser , a political entity of which little is known . After the Dutch had driven the Swedish out of Butre , the director general of the Dutch West India Company , with headquarters in St . George d ' Elmina in the central Gold Coast , decided that it would be beneficial to negotiate a treaty with the local political leadership in order to establish a peaceful long - term relationship . The Ahanta leaders found it equally beneficial to enter into such an agreement . The 1656 treaty signalled the definitive switch in European jurisdiction in the area until 1872 . The treaty and the terms of the protectorate turned out to be very stable , most likely in part because the Dutch never had the intention to interfere in the affairs of the Ahanta states . That is , except for the town of Butre , where they built a fort ( Fort Batenstein ) . The treaty could be interpreted as a treaty of friendship and cooperation , rather than as a treaty establishing a Dutch protectorate . The Dutch worked in close cooperation with the local chief , who was also second in line in the political leadership of what became known as the Kingdom of Ahanta and had its capital at the nearby seaside town of Busua . In 1837 the king of Ahanta , Baidoo Bonsoe II ( Badu Bonsu II ) , rebelled against the Dutch government and killed several officers , including acting governor Hendrik Tonneboeijer . The Dutch government used the treaty as the basis for military action and an expeditionary force was sent to Ahanta . In the war that followed King Baidoo Bonsoe II was killed . The Dutch reorganised the Ahanta state , after the rebellion , appointing the chief of Butre as regent , keeping the country under close control with an enlarged military and civilian presence . When the Dutch transferred their possessions on the Gold Coast to the British on 6 April 1872 , the treaty of 1656 was still in effect , having regulated political relations between the Dutch and Ahanta for more than 213 years . The treaty was one of the oldest and one of the longest functioning treaties between an African and a European state . With the Dutch possessions , the British took over all legal obligations including the existing treaties and contracts . After the transfer the British started to develop their own policies towards the now united Gold Coast possessions . Ahanta resisted the British take - over , with the result that the British Royal Navy bombed Butre in 1873 to achieve a political submission . In 1874 Britain declared the entire Gold Coast – including Ahanta – a Crown Colony , " de jure " and " de facto " ending all former diplomatic and legal obligations . Content . Title . The treaty is titled " Dedication of Upper Ahanta and Butre " ( " Opdracht van Hooghanta ende Boutry " ) , which immediately indicates the nature of the contract , namely the establishment of a protectorate . Location and date . The treaty was signed by both the Ahanta and the Dutch delegates at Butre on 27 August 1656 and took effect immediately . Contracting partners . The contracting parties on the Dutch side were : the Dutch West India Company , for itself , and by way of its director general representing the States General , the sovereign power of the country , for the Republic of the United Netherlands . Signatories were Eduard Man , fiscal , and Adriaan Hoogenhouck , commissioner in the service of the Dutch West India Company . The contracting partners on the Ahanta side were Cubiesang , Aloiny , Ampatee and Maniboy , " chiefs of the Country Anta " . They were also the signatories of the treaty , together with Ladrou , Azizon , Guary , and Acha . Harman van Saccondé , Menemé , and Rochia , " captain of Boutry " are mentioned as additional parties in the treaty , and they ratified the treaty , together with Tanoe . Terms . Being a dedication , the treaty is rather unilateral in its terms . Ahanta declared that in view of former good relations with the Dutch government established in the past at neighbouring Axim , and in view of the adverse circumstances caused by the war with Encasser , it was decided to invite the Dutch director general at Elmina to come to Butre and " accept possession of that what was offered him " . Ahanta placed itself under the protection of both the States General of the United Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company . This was done on the condition that the Dutch fortified and defended the places under their protection , and kept the Ahanta free from the dangers of war .