BRIEF HISTORY
The West Gonja Municipal is one of the 7 administrative assemblies in the Savannah region of Ghana. It was established on the 23rd of December 1988 by PNDC Law 207. In 2004 however, the Central Gonja District was carved out of it with the passage of a new legislative instrument (L.I.1775). Also, the North Gonja District was carved out of the West Gonja District in 2012 by (L.I. 2069). In January, 2020, the West Gonja District Assembly was declared a Municipal Assembly under a declaration of Municipality instrument (L.I. 2398) which was signed on 27th January, 2020 by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo-Addo. On 12th February, 2019, Damongo was declared the capital of the newly created Savannah Region with the coming into force of the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 105, which was signed into force by the President.
HON. KARIMU MUSAH KUSUBARI
MCE FOR WEST GONJA MUNICIPAL
VISION
The vision of the West Gonja Municipal (Assembly) is to develop the (Municipality) to the status of a World class Municipality with a healthy, well informed and law abiding citizenry.
MISSION
The West Gonja Municipal Assembly exists to improve the standard of living of the people by coordinating the activities of all stakeholders to ensure improved service delivery.
CORE VALUES
The core values of the West Gonja Municipal are in line with the Local Government Service of Ghana. These are: Accountability, Client-oriented, Creativity, Diligence, Discipline, Equity, Integrity, Innovativeness, Timeliness and Transparency.
LOCATION AND SIZE
West Gonja Municipal is located in the Savannah Region of Ghana. It lies on longitude 10 51 and 20 581 West and Latitude 80 321 and 100 21 North. It shares boundaries in the south with Central Gonja District, Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Districts in the West and North Gonja District to the North. It has a total land area of 4,715.9km2
RELIEF AND DRAINAGE
The topography is generally undulating with altitude between 150-200 meters above sea level. The only high land is the Damongo Escarpment located north of the Municipal capital. The Mole River from the northern boundary joins the White Volta to the east of the Municipal capital and joins the Black Volta around Tuluwe in the Central Gonja District. The White Volta forms the Eastern boundary of the municipality. The scarp at the outskirts of Damongo if developed could serve as an alternative ground for picnicking. The river that washes the boundaries of Mognori and Murugu offers a great potential for fish farming and dry season irrigation farming necessary to keep farmers in employment and income generation.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
Temperatures are generally high with the maximum occurring in the dry season, between March/April and the lowest between December/January. The mean monthly temperature is 27℃. The dry season is characterized by the Harmattan winds which are dry, dusty and cold in the morning and very hot at noon. Evaporation is very high causing soil moisture deficiency. Humidity is very low resulting in dry skin and cracked lips in humans especially within the Harmattan period. Rainfall is bimodal with the average annual precipitation being 1,144mm. The rainfall pattern is erratic, beginning in late April and ends in late October. The peak of rainfall is in June/July with prolonged dry spell in August. The rains are stormy and torrential up to 300mm per hour. Erosion and floods are common due to the torrential nature of the rains. The climatic condition here has major influence in economic activities especially farming. Seasonal cereal crops like maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts, soya beans and cowpea perform well but needs to be properly targeted to avoid crop failure with the start of the rainy season.
BIO-DIVERSITY AND GREEN ECONOMY
West Gonja Municipal has six protected areas. These are the Mole National Park, Kenikeni Forest Reserves, Damongo scarp forest reserve, Nyembong Forest reserve, Bombi and Damongo Town Plantation with a rich array of flora and fauna. All the forests are natural except Bombi and Damongo Town forests which are artificial. Mole Park which is located about 23km North-west of Damongo, is the largest Protected Area in the country and one of the best managed game and wildlife parks not only in Ghana but Africa, south of the Sahara desert. The park covers an estimated area of about 4,577sq km and is a major tourist attraction not only for the North, but nationally and also of significant conservation value at sub-regional and international level.
SOIL
The Municipal is situated in an old geological area. The rocks are mainly of Voltaian gold. There are mudstones and sandstones in the Alluvial Damongo Formations. The extreme western part of Damongo is composed of granite material of low fertility. Rich alluvial sandy deposits occur around Damongo and the Kenikeni Forest Reserves. The soil around Kotito is said to be fertile and suitable for cereals, legumes and root crops including livestock production. Site selection to meet good crop yield is therefore of critical importance. Underground water potentials are limited due to the Voltaian Formation. This affects water supply situation leading to water shortage especially in the dry season.
VEGETATION
The natural vegetation is classified as Guinea Savannah Woodland, composed of short trees of varying sizes and density, growing over a dispersed cover of perennial grasses and shrubs. The vegetation consists predominantly of grassland with clusters of drought-resistant trees such as baobabs or acacias.
POPULATION SIZE AND DISTRIBUTION
The total population of the Municipality is 41,180, comprising 50.2 percent of males and 49.8 percent of females. Along the urban-rural divide, the populations are 21,188 persons and 19,992 persons respectively. It is observed that, the male dominate in the Municipality which is at variance with the national and regional pattern where females are more than males. Nonetheless, this is not peculiar to the West Gonja Municipal as districts such as Bole and East Gonja Municipal have demonstrated similar patterns. The municipality has a youthful population with 42.9 percent of the population aged below 15 years. Persons within the age group of 15-64, that is the working age population, forms 53.0 percent of the population. Persons aged 65 and older constitutes only 4.1 percent of the population. (2010 Census)
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Ethnicity
There are 22 ethnic groups in the Municipality. The major groups include Gonja, Hanga, Kamara, Dagomba, Tampulma, Frafra and Dagaaba. The lack of ethnic homogeneity among some of the groups tends to constrain socio-cultural organization and development. However, there is inter-ethnic marriages and peaceful co-existence, which points to unity in diversity.
- Festivals
The West Gonja Municipal shares similar festivals with other districts in the Northern Region. Prominent among these are Damba and Fire festival (Jintigi).
- Religion
There are four major religious groups in the Municipality following the 2010 census. These are Islam (41.7%), Catholic (26.3%), Pentecostal (8.0%) and Traditional Worshippers (5.4%). The most dominant religion in the Municipality is therefore Islam. Christianity and Traditional religion then follows.
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