About the Council

The Upper West Region

Location and historical perspective

The Upper West Region is one of the sixteen (16) regions of Ghana. It has 11 political districts: Wa Municipal, Wa West, Wa East, Jirapa, Lambussie, Lawra, Nandom, Nadowli-Kaleo, Daffiama-Bussie-Issah, Sissala East and Sissala West. It also has the same number of constituencies.

The region was carved out of the then Upper Region in April 1983. The Upper Region had itself been created out of the Northern Territory in July 1960, when the country had gone through a serious economic downturn. The subsequent adoption of the democratic decentralised system of governance for Ghana offered a window of opportunity for rapid socio-economic development and poverty reduction in many deprived areas. Infrastructure to date has not been developed enough to befit the status of a region. Even though human, financial and material resources have been sent to the districts for development by Central Government, NGOs, donor communities and private individuals, only marginal improvements have occurred in the provision of infrastructure and poverty reduction.

The Upper West Region is situated in the north-western part of Ghana. It is bordered to the south by the Savannah Region, to the north and west by Burkina Faso, and to the east by the Upper East and North East Regions. The region covers a geographical area of 18,476 sq. km.

There is a strong socio-cultural relationship among the border communities, and people move extensively across the boundary. This has health implications in terms of disease epidemiology, health service utilisation, management and others. The region's strategic location within the country and its ready access to neighbouring ECOWAS markets (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and others) offer great potential for trade promotion and joint development, especially in shea nuts and shea butter, mangoes and similar products, to enhance the growth and development of the Upper West Region.

Demography

The population of the region as enumerated in the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) is 904,695, with 48.8% (441,799) males and 51.2% (462,896) females. The region has a fairly young population, with 53% below 20 years of age. This implies a huge potential labour force for the future. However, the current economically active population is overburdened, as there is a high dependency ratio of over 91 (per hundred of the population in the working group). This partly accounts for the unacceptable poverty levels and child labour in the region. Generally, over 60% of the population, comprising children, women and the aged, are socially and economically vulnerable and need to be protected. The regional population density is 49.0 persons per square kilometre, an increase from 38.0 persons per square kilometre in 2010.

Climate

The climate of the Upper West Region follows a general pattern identified with the five regions of northern Ghana. It has a single rainy season from May to September, with average annual rainfall of about 115 cm. This is followed by the Harmattan, a prolonged dry season characterised by cold and hazy weather from early November to March. Intensely hot weather then follows and ends only with the onset of the early rains in May, and lately in June as a result of the impact of climate change. The mean monthly temperature ranges between 21°C and 32°C. Temperatures sometimes rise to a maximum of 40°C just before the onset of the rainy season, and fall to a minimum of 20°C in December during the Harmattan, which is brought about by the north-east trade winds.

Drainage

Altitudes vary from 200 m (Black Volta) to 350 m for the ridge that stretches from Wa in the south to the Burkina Faso border in the north. This ridge forms the watershed between the Black Volta in the west and the Kulpawn River and White Volta in the east. The Upper West Region has both high and low-lying areas with well-drained land. The highest point in the region is the cone-shaped, granitic Ombo-Wura (north of Wa), at an altitude of 435 m. A number of water bodies flow through the region. The two major rivers are the Black Volta River and the Kulpawn River, which flow along the western and eastern ends of the region respectively.

Vegetation

The Upper West Region can be divided into two agro-ecological zones: the Guinea savanna zone in the southern part and the Sudan savanna zone in the northern and north-eastern part. The determining factor for this division is the rainfall pattern. The borderline between the two zones runs approximately halfway between Jirapa and Nadowli.

The Sudan savanna is characterised by scattered trees and a sparse ground cover of grasses. The trees found include baobab (Adansonia digitata), dawadawa (Parkia clappertoniana), shea (Butyrospermum paradoxum subsp. parkii), Acacia albida and species of Albizia.

In the Guinea savanna, the vegetation is characterised by a higher density of pro-climax tree species. The predominant trees are Isoberlinia doka, Isoberlinia dalzielii, Daniellia spp., mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) and other Khaya spp., and ebony (Diospyros mespilliformis), as well as dawadawa and shea trees. The last two are very common, as they are protected for their economic value. In the more densely populated areas they are almost the only wild trees to be found. During the wet season, the south has a cover of bunch grasses, notably Andropogon and Cymbopogon spp., and forbs (Soil Conservation and Water Management Division, UWR, unpublished).

As a result of annual bush fires, the vegetation has been degrading in both areas. In the northern part of the region, where slopes are steeper and population pressure is higher, severe soil erosion is becoming a problem. However, primary vegetation can still be found in the south of the region, especially east of the Kulpawn River.

Tourism in the Upper West Region

Tourism potential

The region has a huge potential for tourism, but this is underdeveloped. It includes festivals, historic and scientific sites, and eco-tourism sites. Specifically, the Wa Naa's palace and the hippopotamus sanctuary in Wechiau are significant tourist attractions in the region. The footprints of the legendary Chief Naa Bayong in Ullo on a tree, the wall in Gwollu, which protected the people from the notorious slave raiders, the mysteries of Dogtara on the rocks at Gbare, the Wulling stones (in the Jirapa Municipality), the natural spring at Brifor-Cha and the Eremon crocodile ponds are also worth visiting.

However, these sites are poorly developed and need improvement to attract tourists. Tourism offers one of the greatest potentials for the economic development of the region. Conscious efforts must be made to upgrade, renovate and develop these sites.

Festivals

For example: Kobine, Dumba, Kakube, Kalibi, Paragbelle and Kurkurbagr.

Historic and scientific sites

For example: the Gwollu slave defence wall, the Wa Naa's palace and the Bulenga hanging rocks.

Eco-tourism sites

For example: the hippo sanctuary and the crocodile ponds.