Damongo is a town and the capital of West Gonja Municipal. It was declared the capital of the

Savannah Region The Savannah Region is one of the newest regions of Ghana and yet the largest region in the country. The creation of the Region follows presentation of a petition by the Gonja Traditional Council, led by the Yagbonwura Tumtumba Boresa Jakpa I ...

on 12 February 2019. Damongo is home to Bikunuto Jewu Soale I, the

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for a king or queen or the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a Chiefdom, chief-based system. This term is used occasionally ...

of the Gonja Kingdom. The languages spoken in Damongo include Gonja, Vagla, Hanga, Dagaare, Waale, Frafra, Kasim, Twi, Ewe, and Hausa. Damongo is renowned for hosting the prestigious Yagbon Skin.

History

The seat of the Gonja Kingdom was moved from Nyange to Damongo in 1944 by Yagbonwura Awusi Ewuntomah Bunyangso, who ruled from 1942 to 1975. At that time, Damongo was a small community with less than ten households. Nevertheless, it became the focal point of Gonja's leadership and heritage. During the colonial era, Damongo played a vital role as an administrative center for the colonial

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. Its strategic location facilitated communication and trade between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Economy

Although Damongo is classified as urban, much of its population still heavily relies on

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The primary crops cultivated include

cash crop A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsi ...

s such as corn, millet, yams, okra, and groundnuts. In some regions of Damongo, upland rice is also grown. Additionally, shea nuts are sourced from wild trees, and they serve both as a food source and as raw material for the production of oils and cosmetics through refinement processes. The traditional agricultural practices and cultivation of these crops continue to play a vital role in the community's sustenance and economic activities.

Notable people

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...

, 12th & 14th

President of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is John Mahama, who won the 2024 presidential elect ...

Alban Bagbin Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (born 24 September 1957) is a Ghanaian politician who is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana. He was the List of Mills government ministers, Minister for Health in the Ghana government from January 2012 ...

, the Speaker of Parliament *

Benjamin Kunbuor Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor was the Ghanaian Minister for Defence of the Ghanaian Ministry of Defence and a Ghanaian politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the Nandom constituency. Education Kunbour had his secondary education at Na ...

, former

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

* Michael Abu Sakara Foster, former presidential candidate of CPP * John Abdulai Jinapo, member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency * Adam Mutawakilu, former Member of Parliament for Damango Constituency * Samuel Abu Jinapo, member of Parliament for Damango Constituency

Education

The town of Damongo is the educational hub of the region. Aside from the many basic schools, Damongo has three senior high schools: the Damongo Senior High School, Ndewura Jakpa Secondary Technical High School, and St Annes Girls Senior High School. There is also the Damongo Agricultural College and the Damongo Health Assistant School.

Issues

There is a lot of problems plaguing the town, preventing further development in the region.

Water crisis

Damongo (and surrounding areas) have been dealing with access to clean water since being settled. Residents have resorted to hand digging wells and boreholes included with hand pumps to receive water. The district, with help from the Government of Ghana plans to begin work on a water system that would provide safe drinking water to the whole community.

Lack of infrastructure

The lack of proper infrastructure has led to an increase in crime in the town and a lack of protection to floods. The increase in crime could be blame for the lack of functioning street lights, which is leading to an increase in car crashes.

References

{{coord, 9, 05, N, 1, 49, W, display=title, region:GH_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in the Savannah Region (Ghana) Regional capitals in Ghana