Tamale is the capital city of the Northern Region of Ghana. It is Ghana’s third largest city, with a population of 371,351 people (as of 2010). The city has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing cities in West Africa. Tamale is located in the Kingdom of Dagbon, Ghana’s oldest Kingdom. Major ethnic groups who resided in Tamale are Dagomba, Gonja, Mamprusi, Akan, and Dagaaba.
The city grew from a small village to an important economic center in the Northern Territories after the British had established administrative headquarters in the area. It became the capital of the Northern Region in 1960. The biggest economic sector of Tamale is agriculture, followed by trading, teaching, and manufacturing.
Tamale boasts a thriving artistic and literary scene, evident in its numerous art studios, poets, and musicians. Numerous art studios are scattered throughout the urban landscape. Annual festivals are celebrated all around the city, such as the fire festival, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid Adha, and the Damba festival.
Historically ruled by a rural agriculture system, Tamale’s economy in recent times has diversified into many different sectors. Most of Tamale’s population is employed in agriculture, although the common droughts in the region have threatened this sector. Other popular sectors include trading, teaching, and manufacturing. Even though the economy is considered diverse, Tamale suffers from a high unemployment rate and high rates of poverty. There is also a small number of NGOs operating in the city.
Some prominent attractions that you should visit whenever you are in Tamale include:
- The Mole National Park
Mole National Park, one of Ghana’s seven national parks, is the country’s largest wildlife refuge. The park is located in the Savannah region of Ghana. The Park is 24 km from Damongo, the district capital, 146 km south east of Tamale, the Regional capital. The park is 700 km from Accra and 430 km from Kumasi. The park’s entrance is reached through the nearby town of Larabanga. It covers an area of about 4,577 square kilometers of fairly undisturbed Guinea savannah in the northern part of Ghana. The Levi and Mole Rivers are ephemeral rivers flowing through the park, leaving behind only drinking holes during the long dry season. This area of Ghana receives over 10 mm per year of rainfall. A long-term study has been done on Mole National Park to understand the impact of human hunters on the animals in the preserve.
The park is also Ghana’s most developed tourism site in terms of tourist amenities. The reserve has West Africa’s first luxury safari lodge nestled in the heart of the Mole Forest. Zaina the country’s premier ecolodge provides world-class hospitality service with a unique touch.
- Larabanga Mosque
The Larabanga Mosque is a mosque built in the Sudanese architectural style in the village of Larabanga, Ghana. It is the oldest mosque in the country and one of the oldest in West Africa, and has been referred to as the “Mecca of West Africa”. It has undergone restoration several times since it was founded in 1421. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has contributed substantially to its restoration and lists it as one of the 100 Most Endangered Sites.
The mosque has an old Quran, believed by the locals to have been given as a gift from heaven in 1650 to Yidan Barimah Bramah, the Imam at the time, as a result of his prayers. The mosque, built using West African adobe, has two tall towers in pyramidal shape, one for the mihrab which faces towards Mecca forming the facade on the east and the other as a minaret in the northeast corner. These are buttressed by twelve bulbous-shaped structures, which are fitted with timber elements.
The mosque is located in the Islamic town of Larabanga, close to Damongo in the West Gonja District of the Savannah Region of Ghana. The town is situated about 15 kilometers north of Damongo, and 4 kilometers south of the Mole National Park entrance.
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