A BRIEF PROFILE
WEST MAMPRUSI DISTRICT
LOCATION AND SIZE
The West Mamprusi District is one of the Districts in the Northern Region with Walewale as its capital. The District is located within longitudes 0® 35w and latitudes 9® 55N and 10® 35N with a total land area of 5,013KM. West Mamprusi shares boundaries with eleven districts, East Mamprusi and Gusheigu Districts to the East, West Gonja, Tolon/Kumbongu , Savulugu/Nanton and Karaga Districts to the South, Builsa, Kassena/Nankana and Talensi/Nabdam districts (Upper East) to the Northern and Sissala East and Wa East District (Upper West Region)m to the west.
Administratively, the District lies within the Northern Region although it has strong economic and functional linkages with some major settlements in the Upper East Region like Bolgatanga and Fumbisi.
GEOLOGY, CLIMATE AND RAINFALL
The District has a generally undulating terrain characterized by gentle slopes from North-East to South-West. There are however, a few isolated visible outcrops and up lands of not more that 10% slope. Isolated hills which break the monetary of the land scape can be found around Karimenga, Shelinvoya and the out skirts of Wulugu. Like most of the Northern Districts, West Mamprusi too is characterized by a single rainy season which starts in late April with little rainfall, rising to its peak in July/August and declining sharply and coming to a complete halt in October/November.
The dry season is characterized by Hamattan winds which blows warm and dry winds from across the Sahara desert causing significant loss of soil moisture. Maximum daily temperatures are recorded between March/April of about 45® c while minimum night temperatures of about 12® have been recorded in December/January. The humidity levels between April and October can be as high as 95% in the night, falling to 70% in the day. Night humidity for the rest of the year ranges between 80 and 25%.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
According to the 1984 population census, the West Mamprusi District recorded 79, 130 people. The District’s population in the 2000 population and Housing census puts the fight at 115,025. The estimated population in 2005 was however fixed at 131,650, a projection from the 2000 PHC. Forty-nine (49%) percent of the district population is Male with the remainder 50.13% being female. Twelve (12%) percent of the population live in Walewale, the District Capital. The District annual population growth rate is 2.4%. However the 2010 PHC provisional figure shows that the District population has rising to 157, 817 people with 51% being female and the remainder 49% being male.
SETTLEMENTS, POLITICAL, CULTURE AND ETHNICITY
The District has one Hundred and Thirthy-Nine communities made up of two constituencies, fourty-three electoral areas with Walewale, Janga, Wungu, Gbimsi and Nasia being the largest communities. Other large communities are: Kparigu, Yagaba, Logri No. 1,Kpasenkpe, Kubori, Tantala and Yizesi. The Mamprusi are the major ethnic group in the District even though other ethnic groupings like the frafras, Kasinas, Bimobas, Fulanis and Ewes also reside in the District.
A typical social hierarchy in a Mamprusi community shows the Chief, the Wudana who is also the linguist in the village and leader of the elders, the Kpanadana, the elder of the community and advisor to the chief, the tindana, in charge of the Gods (chief priest), the chief warrior, the Nachinaa/Samare, youth leader, the Poanaaba (Queen Mother) the Magazia, women’s leader and the Fongu Kpamma, section heads.
There are four main paramountcies in the District all answerable to the king of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, These are the Wulugu paramountcy, headquartered in Kpasenkpe, the Soo Traditional area headquartered at Janga, Wungu traditional area with headquarters at Wungu and Kurugu, headquarters at Kurugu.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
A community Bank Known as Banmarigu Community Bank, a branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank and also Agricultural Development Bank are located in Walewale serve the district and its immediate environs
