Tamale is the capital city of the Northern Region of Ghana. It is Ghana's third largest city, with a population of 758000. The city has been ranked as the fastest-growing city in West Africa. Tamale is located in the Kingdom of Dagbon, Ghana's oldest Kingdom.
Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II (1945–2002) was the King of Dagbon, the traditional kingdom of the Dagomba people in northern Ghana, from 31 May 1974 until his assassination on 27 March 2002. He was born in August 1945 in Sagnarigu, a suburb of Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana. Yakubu II was killed on 27 March 2002 at Yendi, the capital of the Kingdom of Dagbon, by unknown people when clashes broke out between the two feuding Gates of Dagbon Kingship. For 600 years the Abudu and Andani clans, named after two sons of the ancient Dagbon king Ya Naa Yakubu I, cordially rotated control of the kingdom centred in Yendi, 530 kilometres (330 mi) north of Accra, the capital of Ghana. A regent acted as sovereign of the kingdom until 18 January 2019 when a new ruler is chosen to occupy the revered Lion Skins of Yendi.
The Dagbamba or Dagomba are an ethnic group of Ghana, and Togo. They number more than 3.1 million people. The term Dagbamba is originally extended to refer to other related peoples who were unified by Naa Gbewaa including the Mamprusi and Nanumba. The Dagomba country is called Dagbon and they speak Dagbanli language. Dagbanli is the most spoken language of northern Ghana and second most widely spoken local language of Ghana. Dagbanli belongs to the Mabia (Mole-Dagbani) subgroup of the Gur languages, a large group of related languages in West Africa. The Dagomba practises both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of inheritance.
The Northern Region is one of the sixteen regions of Ghana. It is situated in the northern part of the country and ranks as the second largest of the sixteen regions. Before its division, it covered an area of 25,000 square kilometres, representing 10 percent of Ghana's area. In December 2018, the Savannah Region and North East Region were created from it. The Northern Region is divided into 16 districts. The region's capital is Tamale, Ghana's third largest city.
Naa Gbewaa is the founder of the Kingdom of Dagbon, in what is now northern Ghana. His sons and daughters are credited with founding several states, including the Mossi Kingdoms of Burkina Faso. He established a stable and prosperous kingdom. Naa Gbewaa's shrine is located at Pusiga, 90 km east of Bolgatanga. His descendants continue to pay respects at the shrine.
Yendi Municipal District is one of the sixteen districts in Northern Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as Yendi District, which was created from the former East Dagomba District Council, until it was elevated to municipal district assembly status on 29 February 2008 to become Yendi Municipal District; However on 28 June 2012, the western part of the district was later split off to create Mion District; thus the remaining part has been retained as Yendi Municipal District. The municipality is located in the central part of Northern Region and has Yendi as its capital town.
Savelugu is a town and the capital of Savelugu Municipal, a municipality in the Northern Region of north Ghana. Savelugu has a 2012 settlement population of 38,074 people. There are many villages under Savelugu kingship. Most of the villages are smaller.
The Damba festival is the largest festival in Ghana, celebrated by the peoples of the Northern, Savanna, North East, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana. In recent times, Damba has become a multinational festival, attracting visitors from all over the world. The festival is annually celebrated in Germany, USA, and UK.
Bimbilla is the capital town of Nanumba North District, a district in the Northern Region of Ghana. It is located in the East of the region, and is near the Oti River. The location is situated within the range of 8.5° north to 9.25° north latitude, and between 0.57° east to 0.5° east longitude. It borders five municipalities: Yendi Municipal to the north, Mion Municipal to the northwest, East Gonja Municipal to the west and southwest, Nanumba South Municipal to the south and east, and Zabzugu Municipal to the north-northeast.
Nyankpala, with the appelation Beyom Yili, is a town located about 10 miles south-west of Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. The University for Development Studies (UDS) has its premier campus located in the town. This campus is the first of the university's campuses, the first to be established in northern Ghana.
The Dagbon Empire (Dagbaŋ) is the oldest and one of the most organised traditional Empires in west Africa founded by the Naa Gbewaae (Dagbamba) in the 15th century. During its rise, it comprised, at various points, the Northern, Upper West, Upper East, Savannah Region and North East regions of present-day Ghana. It also covered portions of Burkina Faso, North East Ivory Coast and North West Togo. Since Ghana's independence in 1957, the Kingdom just like all of Ghana's kingdoms and ethnic states has assumed a traditional, customary role.
Yendi Senior High School(YESS) is a coeducational secondary school in Yendi in the Northern Region of Ghana. The school was established in 1970, first as a middle-boarding school to enable access to basic education for communities in the Eastern Corridor enclave, before being upgraded in September of the same year to the status of a secondary school. For the first academic year, the school had only a total student population of 77, with 70 boys and seven girls. The first headmaster of the school was Cletus Bernard Teviu. He headed the school for nearly a decade, spanning between 1970 and 1979, and one of the hostels in the school has been named in his honour. In the year 2020 when the school celebrated its 50th anniversary, the total student population was 2,724 and the number of teachers was 121. The school operates as a boarding school, but few students attend as day students.
Bukali II, known as Gariba II, is the current Yaa Naa, traditional ruler of the Kingdom of Dagbon in Northern Ghana.
The Yaa Naa is the title of the king of Dagbon, the Kingdom of the Dagomba people, located in the Northern Region of present-day Ghana. The current Yaa Naa is Mahama Abukari Gariba II. He was enskinned on Friday, January 25, 2019.
Gbewaa Palace is the seat of the Yaa Naa of the Kingdom of Dagbon. Located at Nayilifong along the Yendi-Saboba road in Yendi, Gbewaa Palace was named after the patriarch of the Mole-Dagbani people of Ghana. In 1896, The Gbewaa palace was burnt down and plundered during the German invasion of Dagbon. On March 4, 2023, Gariba II cut sod for the redevelopment of the palace.
The Kuga Naa is an elder in the court of the Yaa Naa, in the Kingdom of Dagbon in northern Ghana, and head of a four-member committee that constitute the kingmakers of Dagbon. The current Kuga Naa is Abdulai Adam II. The Kingmakers of Dagbon are the ultimate custodians of the Dagbon constitution, with the Kuga Naa acting as the mouthpiece for the oracle that chooses a new Yaa Naa. The other Kingmakers are Tugurinam and Gomli; who are also courtiers at the Gbewaa Palace, and Gushei Naa; the chief of Gushegu. The first Kuɣu Naa was Naa Sitobu’s younger brother. After him, unlike the other courtiers, this office has been hereditary.
Gundonaa Hajia Samata Abudu is the Paramount woman Chief of the Dagbon traditional area in the Northern Region of Ghana. All women Chiefs in that area are subordinate to her. She heads the Gundogu skin, the female equivalent of the Yendi skin, which is headed by the Yaa-Naa. The Gundonaa is the only Chief, be it male or female, who is able to veto the Yaa-Naa's word. She is assisted in her duties by the Kpatunaa, a female Chief of the Kpatuya clan.
Kasuliyili is a community under Tolon District in the northern region of Ghana. Most inhabitants of Kasuliyili community are farmers, including women. There are four basic schools, two Junior High Schools, and one Senior High School in the town. It has a clinic for health delivery. Kasuliyili is ruled by the Kasul Lana, who is enskinned by the King of Dagbon, the Yaa Naa.
Moliyili also known as University of Moliyili was a historical centre of learning and craftsmanship in the West African kingdom of Dagbon. Presently, it is located within the Yendi Municipal District. Moliyili Flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, and played a significant role in the kingdom's intellectual and cultural development. It had a clerical hierarchy administering educational centres led by the Yidan Moli. Today, the Yidan Moli is the head clergy officiating the Damba festival of the Yaa Naa, the king of Dagbon, who resides in the Gbewaa Palace of Northern Ghana.
