Bolgatanga (<small>Frafra</small>: <span lang="gur" dir="ltr">Bɔlegataŋa</span>), colloquially known as Bolga, the capital of the Bolgatanga Municipal and the Upper East Region of Ghana. It shares a border to the north with Burkina Faso. The town lies in the Red Volta Valley, north of Tamale, with the White Volta and the cliffs of the southern Gambaga escarpment forming the southern boundary of the Upper East Region. Some ethnic groups native to Bolgatanga are the Frafra, Daghati, Akan, Ewe, and Ga-Adangbe.

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. 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.

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.

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%). 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.

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.

Culture

thumb|210px|[[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.

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.

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.

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

Education

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

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.

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

  • Bolgatanga Nursing Training College (Mixed)
  • Bolgatanga Midwifery College
  • Bolgatanga Technical University

Notable People

  • Isaac Adongo
  • Rex Asanga
  • Roland Agambire
  • Dalaba Maxwell Ayindenaba

Communities in Bolgatanga

  1. Tanzui
  2. Zorbisi
  3. Sokabisi
  4. Yikene
  5. Dorongo
  6. Sherigu

See also

  • Gurunsi people

References

  • Culture and tourism: Upper East in focus.