Bawku is a town and is the capital of the Bawku Municipal District, district in the Upper East region of north Ghana, adjacent to the border with Burkina Faso.[2][3][4] It is located approximately between latitudes 11o 111 and 100 401 North and longitude 0o 181w and 0o 61 E in the north-eastern corner of the region. The municipality has a total land area of about 257 km2.[5] The Municipality was established by Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2103.[5] The municipality has a total land area of about 257 km2.[5] Bawku has a 2021 settlement population of 119,458 people.[1][6] Hon. Ayariga Mahama is the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency.[7]
Cultural and tourist sites
Naa Gbewaa Shrine
The "tomb" of, Naa Gbewaa, the founder of the Mamprusi, Dagomba, and Nanumba tribes, is located just a few kilometers from Bawku in Pusiga in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Legend states that Naa Gbewaa never died but simply vanished into the ground. The shrine was thought to have been built in the 14th century in commemoration of Naa Gbewaa, and is today a place of spiritual reverence.[8]
Bawku Chieftaincy Conflict
The illegal enskinment of an imposter Mr. Seidu Abagre as Bawku Naba in 2023 by the Nayire of Nalerigu[9] resulted in a disagreement which resulted in a conflict.[10] He has subsequently been exiled since his enskinment.
On 22 October 2024, the Ministry of Interior in Ghana imposed a curfew from 10pm to 4am each in Bawku Municipality due to rising tensions from a chieftaincy dispute.[11] There was a total ban on all persons in the afore-mentioned communities and their environs from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapons. Another curfew was imposed on 28 October 2024 until further notice.[12][13][14]
2024
On 28 October 2024, an attack on the Bolgatanga-Tamale highway near Gbimsi, close to Walewale in northern Ghana, led to the deaths of eight travelers.[15] Armed assailants had reportedly set up roadblocks in both Gbimsi and Walewale town, stopping vehicles to question passengers.[16] Eyewitnesses stated that the attack lasted over an hour, during which two vehicles were set on fire. The incident raised security concerns in the region, with reports indicating a possible link to the ongoing Bawku chieftancy conflict, which had recently resurfaced after a period of calm.[17][18]
On November 3, 2024, Hassan Ayariga, the Presidential Candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), expressed concerns about the escalating Bawku conflict, which has resulted in over 21 deaths and threatens the 2024 elections.[19][20] He urged the government to take swift action and called on community leaders to advocate for peace. The violence, intensified by the return of a rival chief, has led to school and business closures[21][22].
On 15 November, 3 people died as a results of rising tensions surrounding the Bawku conflict.[23]
^"Upper East Region". List of All MMDAs in Ghana. A Public - Private Partnership Programme between Min. of Local Govt., Rural Dev. & Environment & Maks Publications & Media Services. 2006. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
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