Place:Bolgatanga

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Bolgatanga (Frafra: Bɔlegataŋa), colloquially known as Bolga, the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal and the Upper East Region of Ghana.[1][2] It shares a border to the north with Burkina Faso. The town lies in the Red Volta Valley, 161 km (100 mi) north of Tamale, with the White Volta and the cliffs of the southern Gambaga escarpment forming the southern boundary of the Upper East Region.[3] Some ethnic groups native to Bolgatanga are the Frafra, Daghati, Akan, Ewe, and Ga-Adangbe.[4] The current mayor of the town is Rex Asanga.[5]

History

Formation

The name Bolgotanga is derived from the gurene words for migrant (Bolba) and pyramid, or gathering rock (Tanga) respectively. Historically, the town was located close to the Trans-Saharan trade route. Siddharth Kara writes that Bolgatanga served as a market where captives from the Sahel were sold to Hausa merchants as a part of the African slave trade.[6] Because many trade routes crossed the Gurensi region, by the end of the 19th century the area had grown into an important trade hub In 1910, Bolgatanga was connected with the rest of Ghana with the addition of a road.[7]

Administration

The town has a mayor–council form of government. The mayor (executive chief) is appointed by the president of Ghana and approved by the town council, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly. The current mayor of Bolgatanga is Roland Atanga Ayoo Nyaaba.[8]

Demographics

The majority of the town is religious, making up 97.3% of the town's population, while the biggest religions in the town are Christianity (57.6%), traditional religions (22.3%), and Islam (17.1%).[4]: 32  Majors ethnic groups who lived in Bolgatanga are Northerners (mainly Frafra), Kassena, Kusasi, Akan, Ewe, and Ga-Adangbe.[4]: 3  As of 2021, the town has a population of about 142,509 people, with women (74,659) representing 52.4 % of the population with men (67,850) constituting the remaining 47.6 %.[9][10]

Transportation

Street in Bolgatanga

There is public transportation from Bolgatanga to major cities such as Accra, Kumasi, Mim, Ahafo, Cape Coast, Sunyani, Tamale, Tema, Ho, Wa, Elubo, Aflao, and Techiman. The most popular form of intracity transport is a covered rickshaw popularly referred to as 'candoos'.[11][12] For the transportation of goods, an uncovered tricycle popularly known as "motor king" is used. Though the use of Donkey Carts for carrying goods has been part of the life of the people of Bolgatanga it is scarce due to rapid development.[13]

In 2016, a $141 million project was underway to help increase the quality of transportation of the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom Road. Originally supposed to be completed sometime in 2018, due to some unresolved issues it was push back to late-2024.[14]

Culture

File:Sumbrungu Painted Building in Bolgatanga, northern Ghana.jpg
Sumbrungu Painted Building in Bolgatanga

Bolgatanga is known as the crafts centre of the Upper East Region, with a large central market. Apart from items found elsewhere in the Upper East Region, the so-called "Bolga hats" are made and sold in Bolgatanga. Bolgatanga and its surrounding suburbs also contain the largest producers of leather goods, straw baskets, and smocks. The artists sell their works at the Bolgatanga Market, which is open every third day. There is also a museum in the town, which houses objects of historical importance of the Upper East Region.[15]

Geography

The Municipal occupies a land size of 334 km² with a population density of 418.7 people per square kilometer. The district borders the Bongo District to the north, the Talensi and the Nabdam district towards the south and east and the Kassena-Nankana Municipal District to the west. The town's landscape is described by gentle slopes mixed with rock outcrops and uplands.[4]: 1, 3 

Climate

The town has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh), experiencing a rainy season and a dry season per year. In Gurene, these seasons are regraded as "Oone" and "Sioo". The rainy season usually spanning from May to September, while the dry season is long and ranges from November to March. Rainfall amounts are often lackluster and ranges from 800 to 1,200 mm (2.6 to 3.9 ft).[16]

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Economy

The major economic sectors of Bolgatanga are agriculture, hunting, forestry, and industry. Regrading agriculture, about 80% of the population is engaged in the sector in which some of the crops cultivated are millet, maize, guinea-corn, rice, beans, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes during the rainy season and irrigation farming of onions, tomatoes, and peppers during the dry season.[4]: 4 

Human resources

Healthcare

The primary hospital is the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital. In 2020, a rehabilitation project began, consisting of a four-story building consisting of 39 apartment rooms for the hospital's staff along with other facilities. Since then, the hospital has undergone multiple renovation.[18]

Aside the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, the municipality has several clinics and private hospital facilities that offer health care to residents.[19]

Education

Bolgatanga has a mixture of both government and private educational institutions from basic school to tertiary school.[20]

Bolgatanga Library

The Bolgatanga Library is a notable design of award-winning American architect J. Max Bond Jr., who was influenced by Le Corbusier. Bond lived in Ghana for four years in the 1960s. The Bolgatanga library was his first major project while working for the national construction company. The design features perforated walls and an "umbrella"-shaped roof, so the structure remains cool and well ventilated.[21]

The following is a list of schools in Bolgatanga:

Senior high schools
  • Bolgatanga Senior High School (Mixed)
  • Bolgatanga Girls' Senior High School (Girls)
  • Zamse Senior High/Technical School (Mixed)
  • Bolgatanga Technical Institute-BOTECH (Mixed)
  • Bolgatanga Central Technical Institute [Formerly women’s training Institute] (Mixed)
  • Bolga Sherigu Community Senior High School (Mixed)
Colleges/Universities

Notable People

Communities in Bolgatanga

  1. Tanzui[28]
  2. Zorbisi[29]
  3. Sokabisi[30][31][32]
  4. Yikene[33]
  5. Dorongo
  6. Sherigu

See also

  • Gurunsi people

References

  1. ↑ "Upper East Regional Police Command acquires 3 motorbikes to increase patrols" (in en-gb). Daily Graphic (Accra, Ghana). https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/upper-east-regional-police-command-acquires-3-motorbikes-to-increase-patrols.html. 
  2. ↑ Adeaga, Favour (2021-01-27). "The Upper East Region districts and their capitals in Ghana" (in en). https://yen.com.gh/181132-the-upper-east-region-districts-capitals-ghana.html. 
  3. ↑ "Ghana » Upper East Region » Bolgatanga Municipal". Bolgatanga Municipal. 2014-03-12. http://www.bolga.ghanadistricts.gov.gh/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 2010 census
  5. ↑ "Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly approves Rex Asanga as MCE". Ghana News Agency. 30 September 2021. https://gna.org.gh/2021/09/bolgatanga-municipal-assembly-approves-rex-asanga-as-mce/. 
  6. ↑ Kara, Siddharth (2025). The Zorg: A Tale of Greed, Murder and the Abolition of Slavery. London: Transworld Publishers Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 9781529964325. 
  7. ↑ Cristofaro, D. (2020). "From Caravans to Lorries: Shifting Patterns of Mobility and Colonial Roadmaking in Northern Ghana (1896-1936)". The International Journal of African Historical Studies 53 (3): 289–314. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45381039. Retrieved 20 August 2024. 
  8. ↑ Smith, Mark Kwasi Ahumah (2025-04-07). "Bolga Central’s longest-serving Secretary, appointed MCE - A1 Radio Bolgatanga" (in en-US). https://www.a1radioonline.com/73592/bolga-centrals-longest-serving-secretary-appointed-mce/index.html. 
  9. ↑ "Bolgatanga_Municipal". https://statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/pressrelease/Bolgatanga_Municipal.pdf. 
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named World Gazetteer
  11. ↑ "Tricycle operators urged to comply with traffic regulations - A1 Radio Bolgatanga" (in en-US). 2021-12-22. https://www.a1radioonline.com/48101/tricycle-operators-urged-to-comply-with-traffic-regulations/index.html. 
  12. ↑ "Bolga Cando drivers mull over increment in transport fares - A1 Radio Bolgatanga" (in en-US). 2022-05-11. https://www.a1radioonline.com/52966/bolga-cando-drivers-mull-over-increment-in-transport-fares/index.html. 
  13. ↑ "Feature: Authorities must focus on training tricycle operators - A1 Radio Bolgatanga" (in en-US). 2022-05-03. https://www.a1radioonline.com/52776/feature-authorities-must-focus-on-training-tricycle-operators/index.html. 
  14. ↑ Polkuu, G. (14 June 2024). "Amendment issues on Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road resolved – Minister". Ghana News Agency. https://gna.org.gh/2024/06/amendment-issues-on-bolgatanga-bawku-pulmakom-road-resolved-minister/. 
  15. ↑ "Upper East Region Attractions - Ghana Tourism Homepage". Touringghana.. http://www.touringghana.com/regions/uppereast_region.asp. 
  16. ↑ Anaafo, D. (12 December 2018). "Between science and local knowledge: improving the communication of climate change to rural agriculturists in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Ghana". Local Environment 24 (3): 5,6,9. doi:10.1080/13549839.2018.1557126. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13549839.2018.1557126. Retrieved 20 August 2024. 
  17. ↑ "World Weather Information Service". World Meteorological Organization. https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=2970. 
  18. ↑ Agbey, G. (20 August 2024). "President Akufo-Addo inaugurates Bolgatanga Regional Hospital". Daily Graphic (Accra, Ghana). https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-president-akufo-addo-inaugurates-bolgatanga-regional-hospital.html. 
  19. ↑ COMPOSITE BUDGET FOR 2021 - 2024 PROGRAMME BASED BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR 2021 BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY. 
  20. ↑ COMPOSITE BUDGET FOR 2021 - 2024 PROGRAMME BASED BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR 2021 BOLGATANGA MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY. 
  21. ↑ Uduku, O. (2008). "Bolgatanga Library: Adaptive Modernism in Ghana 40 Years on". The Challenge of Change: Dealing with the Legacy of the Modern Movement. doi:10.3233/978-1-58603-917-2-265. https://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/29583. Retrieved 20 August 2024. 
  22. ↑ Tengma, Evelyn (2023-12-17). "The life story of Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo" (in en). https://3news.com/news/the-life-story-of-bolgatanga-central-mp-isaac-adongo. 
  23. ↑ "Ghana Business News — Ghana’s Premier Business News Portal" (in en-US). 2026-05-09. https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/. 
  24. ↑ "Economic Research & Foreign Direct Investment Analysis - Oxford Business Group" (in en-US). https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/. 
  25. ↑ "Dr. Maxwell Ayindenaba Dalaba | staff directory". https://directory.uhas.edu.gh/Profile/asempah-1. 
  26. ↑ "Dr. Maxwell Ayindenaba Dalaba | staff directory". https://directory.uhas.edu.gh/Profile/asempah-1. 
  27. ↑ Dalaba, Maxwell Ayindenaba. "Dr Maxwell Ayindenaba Dalaba | RSTMH". https://www.rstmh.org/dr-maxwell-ayindenaba-dalaba. 
  28. ↑ I-TRVL. "Nsamini Guest House, Tanzui" (in en-US). https://ghanatrvl.com/where-to-stay/tanzui/nsamini-guest-house/. 
  29. ↑ "Zorbisi - A1 Radio Bolgatanga" (in en-US). 2022-07-17. https://www.a1radioonline.com/tag/zorbisi. 
  30. ↑ "Where is Sokabisi? Bolgatanga Municipal District, Ghana coordinates & map 2026" (in en). https://orti.se/en/country/ghana/upper-east-region/bolgatanga-municipal-district/sokabisi. 
  31. ↑ I-TRVL. "Sokabisi Guest House, Bolgatanga" (in en-US). https://ghanatrvl.com/where-to-stay/bolgatanga/sokabisi-guest-house/. 
  32. ↑ "Sokabisi Clinic on Africa Directory Services" (in en-US). https://www.africadirectoryservices.com/upper-east/sokabisi-clinic. 
  33. ↑ I-TRVL. "Mama" (in en-US). https://ghanatrvl.com/where-to-stay/yikene/mama. 
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  • Culture and tourism: Upper East in focus.
  • Bolgatanga travel guide from Wikivoyage

[ ⚑ ] 10°47′N 00°51′W / 10.783°N 0.85°W / 10.783; -0.85

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