About Us
The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana[5] and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regional capital is Bolgatanga, sometimes referred to as Bolga. Other major towns in the region include Navrongo, Paga, Bawku and Zebilla
Location and size
The Upper East Region is located in the north-eastern corner of Ghana and bordered by Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. It lies between longitude 0° and 1° West, and latitudes 10° 30′N and 11°N. The region shares boundaries with Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, Upper West Region to the west, and the Northern Region to the south. The Upper East Region is divided into 15 districts, each headed by a district chief executive.
Tourism
- Paga Crocodile Pond
- Sombo Bat Sanctuary
- Jafiiri Sacred Royal Python Sanctuary
- Recreation areas
- Tongo rocks
- Bongo Rocks
- Tono Dam
- Historic sites
- Naa Gbewaa's shrine
- Navrongo's mud-built church
- Pikworo Slave camp
Festivals
The region plays host to many festivals throughout the year, most of which are either to bring a good planting season or celebrate the harvest.
Samanpiid festival
Damba Festival (Mamprusi)
Gologo Festival
Fao Festival
Paragbiele Festival
Willa Festival
Zumbenti Festival
Feok festival builsa
Zekula festival, By Bissa people
Boaram Festival
Bolgatanga International Craft and Arts Festival Organized by TradeAID Integrated*
Tengana festival, By the people of Balungu, Winkongo and Pwalugu
Ndaakoya festival, by the Frafra, Talensi and Nabdam speaking Communities.
Population
The center of population of the Upper East Region is located in its capital of Bolgatanga.
The population is primarily rural (79%) and scattered in dispersed settlements. The rural population was 87.1 percent in 1984 and 84.3% in 2000. There was, thus, a 2.8 percentage point reduction in the rural share of the population between 1984 and 2000 and a further 5.3 percent reduction between 2000 and 2010.[3]
With only 21 per cent of the population living in urban areas, the region is the least urbanized in Ghana. In fact, together with Upper West, they are the two regions with a less than 20 per cent urban population.
Ghanaian citizen by birth, childhood or parenthood constitute 92.5 percent of the population of the Upper East region. Naturalized Ghanaian citizen constitute 5.3 percent.
Upper East Region has a total population of 1,301,221 in the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
