Overview

The Nabdam District was established by the Local Government instrument (L.I. 2105). It was carved out from the then Talensi-Nabdam District in 2012. The district is in the Upper East Region of Ghana with its capital at Nangodi. It is bordered to the North by the Bongo District, South by the Talensi District, to the East by the Bawku West District and to the West by the Bolgatanga East District. The district occupies a land area of 251 km2 and lies between latitudes 100 47 and 10057 North and Longitudes 0031 and 1015 West.

The 2024 projected population from the 2021 Population and Housing Census is 56,698 with males constituting 49.3% and females representing 50.7%. The district has a household population of 33,576 with a total of 9610 households. The average household size in the district is 5.9 persons per household.

political and traditional administration

The inhabitants of the district are mainly Nabit and Guruni-speaking people. They both belong to the Nabdam ethnic group. The district is divided into three area councils namely, Nangodi, Sakoti and Zoliba, with thirteen electoral areas under one constituency with eighty-four (84) communities. The district comprises two paramountcies namely, the Nangodi and Sakoti with each having its divisional and sub-divisional chiefs. The Paramountcies are governed by Paramount Chiefs, elders and the tindanas of the respective communities. Within the Nabdam traditional area, custom, norms, values and taboos are greatly revered by the people. Many things are kept sacred, adored and prohibited by the people of the district. Many custodians of the traditional practices derive their livelihood from these sacred places as they serve as community-based healing and psychologically relieving centres and most recently ecotourism sites. One such developed tourist site is the Spiritual Renewal Centre at Kongo, which is patronized for spiritual purposes. The District has some customary practices and festivals that are celebrated annually and are widely patronized. Some precede the planting season and others occur after the harvesting of crops. The notable ones include Tenlebgre, which is observed in the Nabit speaking areas, while Tungama is observed within the Guruni Speaking areas. There are other festivals and cultural performances that are localized in nature to foster closer community and family ties.

schools and health facilities

There are thirty-two (32) health facilities in the district. These include One private hospital, three (3) health centres (one owned by CHAG) and twenty-four (28) functional CHPS zones. There are fifty-eight (58) public educational institutions in the district. This is made up of one (1) SHS, twenty (20) JHS, seventeen (17) KG&primary schools, ten (10) independent primary and ten1(10) independent KG. Also, there are currently 14 private schools of which one is a JHS and the rest are KG & Primary.

water and sanitation

The main source of water in the district are boreholes, other sources are protected-well and pipe-borne water. Apart from a few KVIPs, Pit latrines and some few flush toilets in households, Majority of the population have no toilet facilities and practice open defecation in the bush or open fields regardless of the health and environmental consequences.

relief and drainage

The topography of Nabdam District is dominated by relatively undulating lowlands and gentle slopes with some isolated rock out and uplands slopes. The district has evidence of the presence of minerals like gold.

climate

The climate of the district is tropical with two distinct seasons. The rainy season is erratic and runs from May to October each year and the dry season is characterized by warm and hazy weather with hardly any rains stretching from October to April each year.

livelihood

The district is predominantly an agricultural-based economy. The primary sector is dominated by agricultural and small-scale mining activities. The Agricultural sub-sector is the source of cash and food crops as well as producing raw materials for the small-scale manufacturing industries. A greater proportion of the households in the district are engaged in the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals The road network of the district is made up of feeder roads linking communities in the district. There is one major road that passes through the district. However, the condition of other roads linking communities is bad and hard to reach.