Tamale, Ghana

Tamale(Dagbani:[ˈtamali]) is thecapital cityof theNorthern RegionofGhana. It is Ghana'sthird largest city, with a population of 371,351 people (as of 2010).The city has been ranked as the fastest-growing city inWest Africa.Tamale is located in theKingdom of Dagbon, Ghana's oldest Kingdom.Major ethnic groups who resided in Tamale areDagomba,Gonja,Mamprusi,Akan, andDagaaba.
The city grew from a small village to an important economic center in theNorthern Territoriesafter theBritishhad established administrative headquarters in the area. It became the capital of the Northern Region in 1960.The biggest economic sector of Tamale isagriculture, followed bytrading,teaching, andmanufacturing.
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 fire festival,Eid ul-Fitr,Eid Adhaand theDamba festival.
The area of Tamale used to consist of small villages, which were under thekingdom of Dagbon. it was a popular destination of cattle trails in the region.In 1907, theBritishdecided to establish administrative headquarters in the area with help from theDakpemaafter German officials have taken overYendi. With the addition of a road in 1920, nicknamed the 'Great North Road', Tamale turned into an important center of business in theNorthern Territories.
Throughout the 20th century, the population of Tamale was growing rapidly of people looking for abundant water supply and electricity. This have resulted in massive amounts of land used for infrastructure, threatening residents ability to farm. During this time, a series of disputes between the Gulkpe Naand the Dakpema for power in Tamale occurred. This is in part due to the British incorporatedindirect rulein the town, resulting in the imbalance of power between the chiefs. Although local councils were introduced and indirect rule was discontinued, tension between the chiefs continues even to this day.
In 1960, Tamale became the capital of the Northern Region after the region had separated from the rest of the north.
On 13 February 2022 at approximately 1:00 p.m.,Ghana Policeofficers clashed with youth inLamashegu, a community in Tamale, due to them driving off after allegedly riding in an unregistered vehicle. This resulted in one person, Abdul Hakim Yakubu, being killed and 8 others getting injured.
Historically ruled by a ruralagriculturesystem, Tamale's economy in recent times have diversified into many different sectors. Most of Tamale's population is employed in agriculture, although the commondroughtsin the region have threatened this sector. Other popular sectors includingtrading,teaching, andmanufacturing. Even though the economy is considered diverse, Tamale suffers from a high unemployment rate and high rates ofpoverty. There is also a small amount ofNGOsoperating in the city.
As of the 2010 census, Tamale has a population of 371,351 people, a 60.6% increase from the last census.The city is made up of many different ethnic groups with the majority being theDagombas. Other groups who lived in the area include theGonjas,Mamprusis,Akan,Dagaabasand other groups from theUpper East Region. 90.5% of the population are Muslims, followed by Christians, spiritualists and traditionalists.
Although Tamale doesn't have a mayor on its own, the municipal has amayor–council form of government. The mayor is appointed by thepresident of Ghanaand approved by the town council, theTamale Metropolitan Assembly. Although, suggestions have been made by residents to increase accountability of the office by having the mayor elected. The current mayor of the municipality is Hon. Sule Salifu.
Tamale is home to a culture center which showcases arts and tribes from all over the region. The Dagomba people performed dances such as the Baamaya and Tora, with each having its own meaning behind it.Some annual festivals celebrated in the city are the fire festival,Eid ul-Fitr,Eid Adhaand theDamba festival.
The first education institution in the city was ateacher training collegein 1944 followed by a secondary school in 1951. Due to the British wanting to keep the Northern Territories strictly agricultural and pastoral, education growth in the city was hindered. Besides that, Tamale eventually became the educational hub of Northern Ghana.Education Ridge, a suburb in Tamale, is known for being the location of multiple schools crammed into a small area of 3 km(1.2 sq mi).
The following is a list ofsenior high schools,colleges, anduniversitiesin Tamale:
Tamale is served byTamale International Airport. Located about 11 km (6 nmi; 7 mi) from downtown Tamale, the airport is mainly used by commercial airlines such asAfrica World AirlinesandPassion Airwhich are the only operational companies as of 2024. They run regular flights between Tamale and Accra'sKotoka International Airport, along with other regional capitals.
There are public transports from Tamale to major cities such asKumasi,Accra,Mim, Ahafo,Cape Coast,Sunyani,Takoradi,Tema,Ho,Wa,Bolgatanga,Elubo,Aflao, andTechiman. They are operated by Tamale'sbus rapid transitsystem,tro-tro,MetroMass,STC Bus Lines, and other privately owned bus companies.
Taxisin the past used to be one of the most popular means of getting around Tamale for visitors to the town until the arrival of the tricycles, popularly called 'Mahama-Cambuu' or 'yellow-yellow'. It rise to popularity due to being cheaper than the taxi despite being more dangerous.The popular means of travel for locals however is bymotorbike.Motorbikes are the most used means of transport for the locals. In 2024, a record of 600,032 locals possess motorbikes. Another means of transport are huge buses such as intercity STC, VIP, VVIP among others and these buses are being used every day.
Tamale is located inTamale Metropolitan District, which has an area of about 647 km(250 sq mi). The district bordered theSagnarigu Districtto the west and north,Mion Districttowards the east,East Gonja Districtto the south and theCentral Gonja Districttowards the southwest.
Tamale has atropical savanna climate(Köppen climate classificationAw). The metropolis usually only experiences one rainy season a year, effecting staple crop farming. During the rainy season, it comes with tiny sunshine with heavy thunderstorms.The mean monthly rainfall is about 89 mm (3.5 in) within 95 days of rainfall in the form of tropical showers. The mean monthly temperatures is on average around 34 °C (93 °F) while the minimum monthly temperatures are around 23 °C (73 °F).The relative humidity in the city is usually the lowest between December and March at 30% while around August it is the highest at 70%.
Climate changeis threatening the livelihoods of Tamale residents due todroughts,floods, andheatwavesbecoming more common. This hinders farmers ability to farm because they need consistent rainfall for their crops to survive. There are national policies and intervention from NGOs to make sure that the impact from climate change in the area is minimal.
The city is home to theTamale Teaching Hospital, which helps to handle health related issues for the whole region. It is the 3rd largest hospital in the country. It also offers undergraduate and graduate programs in medicine, nursing, and nutrition.
Tamale is home toReal Tamale Unitedalong with other smaller clubs. They played at theAliu Mahama Sports Stadium(formerly Tamale Sports Stadium), which was the location of some of the matches played during the2008 African Cup of Nations.Due to the state of the stadium,FIFAandCAFhave prevented international matches to be play at the facility.
Since the 1970s, modern communication in Tamale is rapid with it being operated by 6 mobile telecommunication companies. There are 11FM radiostations located in the city.
The following shows the cities that Tamale istwinedwith:
*Numbers in date column list the year of twinning.