Tamale

Tamale is the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. With a population of over 300,000, Tamale is the third-largest city in Ghana.

 Central Tamale, looking to the south-east along Bolgatanga Road.

(February 2008)

Mostly consisting of the Dagomba people, the population of Tamale is largely Islamic. Reflecting this, Tamale has many mosques, most notably the central mosque, or baobab, which is possibly the largest in Ghana.

Tamale's central mosque, reputed to be the largest in Ghana.

 (January 2007)

Tamale is a hub for tourists traveling throughout the northern reaches of Ghana, and to popular tourist sites such as Mole National Park. Accordingly, Tamale has a variety of accommodation & entertainment options.

The regional capital's name derives from Dagbanli words Tamayili & Tamani, which literally means 'place of shear-nut fruits', which are one of the Northern Region's principle trading goods. Tamale is currently administrated by N'Yaba Dakpiemah.

Ghana-pedia You Tube video clip of Tamale, capital of the Northern Region of Ghana. The clip begins with a tro-tro ride heading south along Bolgatanga Rd, heading into the centre of the city. The second sequence is was filmed from the roof of Giddipass/Crest Bar & Restaurant, and shows the main street, and in the panning shot, the central mosque is clearly visible.

(February 2008)

Amongst Tamale's new & modern facilities include the newly-constructed Tamale Stadium, replacing the city's former principle football pitch, Kaladan Park, with a world-class venue.

 A view of Tamale, heading towards central Tamale along Bolgatanga Road.

(February 2008)

Indeed, many improvements to Tamale's infrastructure occured in the period leading up to the 2008 African Cup Of Nations tournament, in which the new stadium was constructed. Further improvements were made, particularly to Tamale's road system.

 Bolgatanga Road in the centre of Tamale. The mass of vehicles in the plot immediately behind the T-junction is a taxi stand.

(February 2008)

The centre of Tamale is located along the busy Bolgatanga Road, and it is along this roads and it's subsiduaries that the regional branches of Ghana's financial institutions are located, along with eateries and bars, as is the Forsmuel Shopping Centre, Tamale's only such structure.

 The Forsmuel Shopping Centre along Bolgatanga Road in central Tamale.

(February 2008)

While most people access Tamale by road, by either private vehicle, tro-tro, Intercity/STC bus service, the 600km trip is estimated to take approximately 8-10 hours by any of these modes of transport from Accra, although travelling in a private vehicle may reduce the amount of travel time. The road journey is undertaken generally via Kumasi-Techiman-Kintampo, although in rare cases, travellers chose to travel via the more remote Hohoe-Jasikan-Yendi route.

To the north, Tamale is approximately 160km from Bolgatanga, and 200km from the Ghana-Burkina Faso border checkpoint at Paga.

However, Tamale is serviced by two domestic airline companies, CiTylink & Antrak Air, which have regular services between both Accra & Tamale, and Kumasi & Tamale. While considerably more expensive, the time-conscious traveler can cover the distance between Accra & Tamale very quickly, with a flight time of approximately one hour.

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