he Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana, (NSEZ) has been touted as the rising star of the Tourism sector in Ghana. An anal-T

ysis of the Tourism and Cultural resources of the Zone, led by the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), reveals an enormous opportunities and investment potential in the tourism sector.

The Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana, (NSEZ) accounts for 54.4% of the total land space of Ghana, making it the largest half of the country. Its geographical jurisdiction covers 63 districts and spans from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions as well as parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions that are contiguous to the North.

The potential for economic transformation in the NSEZ is enormous with tourism as the game changer. Without a shred of doubt, a cursory look at its tourism endowments clearly showcases an unrivaled possibility in positioning the Zone as a Preferred Tourism Destination in Ghana as indicated below:

Potential Eco-Tourism Hub Potential Urban and Business Tourism HubPotential Waterfront and Nautical Tourism Potential Culture & History Circuit including the

main built heritage elements and cultural sitesThese opportunities have been grouped in circuits or

clusters from an integrated tourism development perspec-tive as follows:Tamale Tourism Cluster (Urban Tourism)

Nakpanduri Scarp- Potential for adventure tourism, paragliding development, abseiling, hiking, cable car, skiing, Eco Lodges, Art Galleries, Museum.

Makango Resort Development Project Salaga slave sites Meetings, Conferences and Events Special Events - Music, dance, festivals, carnivals Tourism & Hospitality Training School Project Smock production Theatre village Zoological garden Golf Courses Botanical Gardens Children Play Ground

Mole Tourism Cluster Mole natural park development Larabanga Mosque Bui National Park Development of the Daboya Smock production village

Bolga - Navrongo Tourism Cluster Paga & Zenga Crocodile Ponds Development

Promotion of Sahelian Tourism- Meeting,

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Conferences & Events Arts and Craft villages, basket, leather works Tongo Hills & Sirigu Women's Pottery Music, dance, festivals 4. Wa Tourism Cluster Gbelle Game Reserve Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary Gwollu Slave Walls Music, dance, festivals

SADA , in line with its mandate to facilitate a compre-hensive development of the Zone is encouraging both foreign and local investors to take advantage of existing opportunities to invest in the zone towards the overall transformational national agenda.

Investors are assured of plough back profits and returns on investments.

Research conducted by the NDPC in conjunction with a Singaporean Development Consultancy Firm, Surbana Jurong (S.J) during a comprehensive Master Planning exer-cise for the Zone, indicates the NSEZ owns the largest share of scenic eco tourism sites and clusters in the country.

Notable amng these sites include the Mole National Park, situated in Northern Region, which is famous for wild-life and attracts over 17,000 tourists annually. The Paga and Zenga Crocodile Ponds in the Upper East Region which are noted to house the friendliest crocodiles in the world, the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary in the Upper West Region and the Nakpanduri Scarps. Others include the Kintampo and Fuller Waterfalls, Bui Park, Didgya Forest, Chabobo Park, Mognori Eco Village, Gbelle Game Reserve and Makango Waterfront among a host of breath taking natural attrac-tions.

The zone is home to a rich and diverse culture and

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famous for the production of the prestigious smock fabric which is rapidly dominating the local and interna-tional fashion segments.

Northern Ghana has an array of interesting festivals which are steeped in history and revered by the locals and international tourists. Key among these festivals are the fire festival, Dambai festival and Feok festival among others. New Tourist Development

The Zone has over the past few years seen the devel-opment of accommodation facilities that targets the up markets. This include Zaina Eco Lodge, situated at the heart of the Mole National Park, Akayet Hotel, Bolga and the Jirapa Dubai , Wa and Modern City Hotel, Tamale just to mention a few.Opportunities for booming Travel and Tours Businessexs

The overwhelming attraction mix in the Zone is obvi-ously an incentive for a thriving Travel and Tour Sector in Ghana.

Travel and Tour Operators are encouraged to leverage resources and the increasing rate of inbound tourists to package tours into the zone. These may include but not limited to the following:

Adventure Tours Excursions and Day Trips Community walking Tours Educational Tours City Tours Fam Tours Cultural Tours Health Tours Bird watching Tours

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Positioning the Northern Savannah as a tourism hub

Eunice Afari-SADA

he Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana, (NSEZ) accounts for 54.4% of the total land space of Ghana, making it the T

largest half of the country. Its geographical jurisdic-tion covers 63 districts and spans from the Northern , Upper East and Upper West Regions as well as parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions that are contiguous to the North.

Indeed the potential for economic transformation in the zone is enormous with tourism as the game changer. Without a shred of doubt, a cursory look at its tourism endowments clearly showcases an unrivaled possi-bility in positioning the Zone as a Preferred Tourism Destination in Ghana as indicated below:

Potential Eco-Tourism Hub Potential Urban and Business Tourism Hub Potential Waterfront and Nautical Tourism Potential Culture & History Circuit including the

main built heritage elements and cultural sitesAn analysis of the tourism and cultural resources of

the Zone, led by the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, SADA, reveals an enormous possession of opportunities in tourism investments. These opportunities have been grouped in circuits or clusters from an integrated tourism development perspective as follows:1.Tamale Tourism Cluster (Urban Tourism)

Nakpanduri Scarp- Potential for adventure tourism, paragliding development, abseiling, hiking, cable car, skiing, Eco Lodges, Art Galleries, Museum.

Makango Resort Development Project Salaga slave sites Meetings, Conferences and Events Special Events - Music, dance, festivals, carnivals Tourism & Hospitality Training School Project Smock production Theatre village Zoological garden Golf Courses Botanical Gardens Children Play Ground2. 2.Mole Tourism Cluster

Mole natural park development Larabanga Mosque Bui National Park Development of the Daboya Smock production

village3. 3.Bolga - Navrongo Tourism Cluster

Paga & Zenga Crocodile Ponds Development Promotion of Sahelian Tourism- Meeting,

Conferences & Events Arts and Craft villages, basket, leather works Tongo Hills & Sirigu Women's Pottery

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Music, dance, festivals4. Wa Tourism Cluster

Gbelle Game Reserve Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary Gwollu Slave Walls Music, dance, festivals

SADA , in line with its mandate to facilitate a comprehen-sive development of the Zone is encouraging both foreign and local investors to take advantage of existing opportu-nities to invest in the zone towards the overall transformational national agenda.

Investors are assured of plough back profits and returns on investments.

Research conducted by the NDPC in conjunction with a Singaporean Development Consultancy Firm, Surbana Jurong (S.J) during a compre-hensive Master Planning exer-cise for the Zone, indicates the NSEZ owns the largest share of scenic eco tourism sites and clusters in the country.

Notable amng these sites include the Mole National Park, situated in Northern Region, which is famous for wildlife and attracts over 17,000 tourists annually. The Paga and Zenga Crocodile

Ponds in the Upper East Region which are noted to house the friendliest crocodiles in the world, the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary in the Upper West Region and the Nakpanduri Scarps. Others include the Kintampo and Fuller Waterfalls, Bui Park, Didgya Forest, Chabobo Park, Mognori Eco Village, Gbelle Game Reserve and Makango Waterfront among a host of breath taking natural attractions.

The zone is home to a rich and diverse culture and famous for the production of the prestigious smock fabric which is rapidly dominating the local and inter-national fashion segments.

Northern Ghana has an array of interesting festivals which are steeped in history and revered by the locals and international tourists. Key among these festivals are the fire festival, Dambai festival and Feok festival among others.

MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENTSThe Zone has over the past few years seen the develop-ment of accommodation facilities that targets the up markets. This include Zaina Eco Lodge, situated at the heart of the Mole National Park, Akayet Hotel, Bolga and the Jirapa Dubai , Wa and Modern City Hotel, Tamale just to mention a few.AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A BOOMING TRAVEL AND TOUR BUSINESS

The overwhelming attraction mix in the Zone is obviously an incentive for a thriving Travel and Tour Sector in Ghana.

Travel and Tour Operators are encouraged to leverage resources and the increasing rate of inbound tourists to package tours into the zone. These may include but not limited to the following:Adventure Tours

Excursions and Day Trips Community walking Tours Educational Tours City Tours Fam Tours Cultural Tours Health Tours Bird watching Tours

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Northern Savannah as Ghana’s Tourism 'Cash Cow’

A mix bag of opportunities

2

Mohammed Abu

he NSEZ (Northern Savannah Ecolo-gical Zone) Con-T

cept Master Plan provides a detailed study of the Tourism and Heritage potential of the NSEZ. The Master Plan also examines the immense economic advantages of the yet to be explored tourism sites.

The Northern Savannah (NSEZ) possesses as scenic natural environment, vast savannah plains, a rich local culture and stunning built heritage elements.

According to tourism statistics, there are very few visited and developed tourist sites in this part of the country, and the patronage of the tourist sites remains very low.

The figures regarding domestic and interna-tional tourists in Ghana show that the total percentage share of tourists who visited all the tourist sites in the NSEZ was only 4.58%. Whereas the south-western Brong Ahafo Region also

welcomes more than 9,000 visitors every year because of the picturesque water-falls and rivers around the City of Kintampo.Some of the key attractions to the North for tourism purposes are:

Mole National Park is undoubtedly the number one attraction in the NSEZ and one of the most important tourist places in Ghana with 8,900 domes-tic and 5,790 international visits in 2012. It is the largest national park in Ghana with an area of 4912 km2. The park is home to myriads of different species of mammals.

Larabanga Mosque: The nearby towns of Larabanga and Damongo possess precious cultural gems that are worth visiting, such as the Larabanga mosque, one of the oldest mosque in the country.

Paga Crocodile Pond: The Upper East Region is wel l known for the crocodile ponds near the town of Paga: Zenga Crocodile Pond, and Chief Crocodile Pond. It is recorded that 5,400-people

visited these attractions in 2012, they are part of the must-see destinations in northern Ghana in recent years.

Opportunities The tourism sector has

pos i t ive in f luence on economies, economies, generating revenue and creating jobs. The NSEZ possesses plenty of undevel-oped sites that can be tapped on all across the entire zone, in order to develop tourism development and diversify its economy.

Capitalise on its valuable tourism resources and assets. The NSEZ has the largest share of eco-tourist sites in Ghana, propitious to enhance nature oriented attractions. Many historic buildings, cultural sites and events could also help form the basis for tourism development in northern Ghana.

An immense opportunity to increase the number of international tourists' arrivals in Ghana and domestic visitors and to canalize the flow of visitors to the north of the country.

Tourism is a major source of job creation (direct and

indirect) to be taken with great consideration in the regional development and planning of the NSEZ. The National Tourism Development Plan (2013-2027) provides concrete analysis, framework and strategy to spur the tourism sector in Ghana.

Economic develop-ment in neighbouring countries and in the ECOWAS is an opportu-nity to expand the tourism market, develop regional tourism agreements, com-mon visas and comple-mentary growth strate-gies.

ConstraintsT h e T r a v e l a n d

Tourism Competitiveness Index published in 2011, Ghana ranks 108th out of 139 countries. However, tackling challenges and exploring new potential sites could spur develop-ment in the tourism sector. Constraints identified in t he Tou r i sm sec to r include:

Poor transportation linkages and the lack of transport companies, resulting in poor accessi-

bility to tourist sites in the NSEZ. The current road network and the quality of the road infrastructure are often insufficient to permi t convenie-n a c c e s s . T r a n s p o r t companies and travel agencies are lacking and mainly concentrated in the southern part of the country. Both international and domestic air connectiv-ity do not provide enough daily connections; and the rail connection to northern Ghana is still to be imple-mented.

Lack of accommoda-tion establishments and restaurants, unavailability of high-end tourist facilities with less than 30 hotels in NSEZ. In 2010, the number o f a c c o m m o d a t i o n facil i t ies for tourists available in the NSEZ accounted for only 14% of all hotels, hostels and guesthouses in the country (Fig.3.80).

The absence of five-star, four-star or three-star hotels, and the low number of one or two-star hotels also represent dramatic discouraging factors for tourism in northern Ghana. Accom-modation and hospitality capacities must be improved to e x p e c t m o r e arrivals.

Poor market-ing, planning, management and conservation of t o u r i s t s i t e s . Mole National Park is the only international re-nowned destina-tion in northern Ghana, interna-t i o n a l a n d national tourism marke t ing i s deficient. The lack of qualif

ied human resourcesi s demean ing the

t o u r i s m s e c t o r a n d provides a poor image of the country in addition to the lack of qual i ty infrastructure around tourist sites.

L a c k o f q u a l i t y infrastructure, support services and tourism agencies. The lack of proper infrastructure still c o n s t r a i n t s t o u r i s m development in the NSEZ. Many touristic sites have no or very l imited faci l i t ies to provide visitors with information, comfort and safety. The lack of access to energy and water supply is also a common issue, which decrease its a t t r a c t i v e n e s s . F e w tourism agencies provide tourists with services in the NSEZ, most of them being concentrated in southern Ghana.

Undeveloped tourist sites. Many potential tourist sites across the NSEZ have untapped potential to capitalise on. Cultural, historical and natural heritage gems are still to be introduced and revealed to the general public.

Tourism in the Northern Savanna Ecological Zone

SADA Master Plan Report - 2016

3

Damba Cultural Dance: A blend of Northern Culture and Islamic Prophetic birth day Celebration

ui and Mole National Parks in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region, Paga and Zenga Crocodile Ponds, the Zaina B

Lodge, Gambaga and Nakpanduri Scarps, Makango Resort Development Project, Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary, Zoological and botanical gar-dens, Gbelle Game Reserve, just to mention a fewHistorical/Monumental

The NSEZ's historical and monumental tourism resources includes but not limited to the following:

Salaga Slave Market, Larbanga mosque, Mystical stone, Sabali Mosque,,Naa-Jeringa Walls in Nalerigu, Gwollu Slave Walls, the Bolgatanga Museum which houses objects of historical importance of the Region and the Kulungugu Bomb Site, The archaeological treasures of the basin of the River Sissili, the Whistling and Drumming Rocks at Tongo in the Talensi District and Chiana in the Kassena Nanakana West; the

Contd. on Pg. 5

Tourism profile of NSEZ

Awologo-Tango at Bongo; Wall decoration at Tilli and Kandiga.Babatu's Grave

The grave of Mahama Dan Issah Alias Baba Ato's (“Babatu”) in Yendi is a historical site. Babatu was a notorious slave raider who together with Samori

thterrorised what is now the Northern Regions in the 19 century. He is said to have originated from a tribe in the modern day Niger. Some relics of his weapons used to enslave can be found in the family compound of some of his descendants at Yendi. His grave has been preserved by his descendants. German-Dagomba War Relics

Another site of significance is the Adibo Dale – Adibo. This is th site of the battle of Adibo fought between the Germans and Dagombas in 1897. Adibo Dale is the resistance to slave raiding in the North. It is stated that lots of spiritual events took place e.g. the hoof prints of the Kanbona-Kpema's (Chief warrior) horse, are still visible on boabab tree at Adibo near Yendi, since then.German Cemetry in Yendi

The German cemetery in Yendi, popularly called “German grave” is the location of interment of German and Dutch soldiers who died in their colonization efforts in a war with Dagombas preceding the establishment of German rule

Archaeological Sites There are numerous archaeological sites that has

been escavated in the SADA ZoneDaboyaExcavations in Daboya were carried out in the 1970s by British Archaelogist Peter Shinnie. Finds at the site include traditional burial mounds and comb-decorated pottery, as well as an extant mosque from the 16th or 17th centuryKintampo Culture Sites

Kintampo culture' has been named as a subdivision within the social structure of stone-age Ghana. There are more than 30 known Kintampo culture sites, 16 of which have been excavated; all of these are to be found in forest, tree savannah and grassland savannah country. Birimi

Birimi is situated in Ghana's Northern Region, between the towns of Gambaga and Nalerigu. The site was discovered by Francois Kense in 1987 during the first archaeological excavations ever attempted in the locality. Birimi appears to have been occupied in intensive iron working; suggested by the presence on

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site of a number of slag mounds and their corre-sponding iron furnaces. Evidence has also been produced of pearl millet cultivation. Besides this, there have been discoveries of pottery and of structures, supposedly lived in by ancient locals, built of densely spaced poles under coverings of fine clay.NteresoNtereso is located to the West of Tamale in savannah woodland on a ridge above the White Volta. The site was first discovered in 1952 by archaeologist Oliver Davies. When the area was excavated in 1961 and 62, finds included bone harpoons; stone arrowheads; fish hooks; and the remains of local animals such as antelopes, all evidencing a hunting community. It seems, in keeping with other Kintampo culture sites, that locals also farmed; the site contains evidence of early pastoralism dated to around 2000BC, including the bones and teeth of dwarf goats. Archaeologists also discovered terracotta figurines of animals such

as lizards and cowsThe Stone Circle Sites of Komaland, Northern Ghana

An Iron Age complex which flourished around the fifteenth to the seventeenth century AD is currently under investigation in Komaland, northern Ghana. The complex is known chiefly from its numerous burial sites characterized by stone circles and earth mound superstructures, and containing human and animal burials, domestic pottery, milling stones, metal implements and cast figures, together with ubiquitous and distinctive terracotta sculptures.Cultural/Community

Not only is the NSEZ rich in biodiversity but it is also rich in cultural diversity. Daboya Smock Production Village, Mognori Cultural Village, Local music, dance and cultural festivals most popular among which is the famous Damba and Fire ( Bugum) festivals which are celebrated among the

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Paga Crocodile Pond

The Indorrmitable Mystic Stone

Bongo Rocks

Gonjas, Wala, Dagomba, Mamprusi and Nanumbas.Agro-Tourism Opportunities

There are numerous agro-product related festivals such as the yam, guinea-fowl, etc., and these presents a good opportunity for agro-tourism products develop-ment and marketing .Israel is on record to be raking in substantial revenue from innovative agro-tourism events targeting popular agro-products as festivals .The age-long locally brewed beer(Pito) from sorghum or guinea corn could be one in the NSEZ. Investment Tourism OpportunitiesSmart Travel and Tour operators could also come out with tourism investment packages targetting potential investors interested in investment exploratory visits to

Tourism profile of NSEZContd. from Pg. 4

The pre-colonial 6th–14th century terracotta forms of Koma Land, Northern Ghana

the SADA Zone.The NSEZ abounds in investment opportuni-ties in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, hospitality ,ICT, Education, Banking and Finance among others.Turning Challenges into Opportunities

The foregoing expose on the immense tourism potential of the NSEZ has however for decades been embattled by numerous challenges . The lapse of many tourist attraction spots in the zone which are still in their raw state and poorly managed, while some well developed and managed ones are also being poorly advertised and marketed, are rather opportunities begging for investments.

SADA has since bemoaned the fact that accommodation facilities and leisure support services that complement tourism is almost non-existent and has urged that, a comprehensive plan should be developed to boost the tourism sector.

Aside these, SADA maintains, government has to develop a good transportation system that connects all the tourist sites to major road networks.

Indeed, governments must be forth coming with political and financial commitment in this respect. If a desert country like UAE is making billions annually from artificially created tourism attractions since natural eco-tourism resources are almost non-existent, in the country ,why can't the NSEZ be supported and well positioned to even do more than that for Ghana?.

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espite being located away from the economic powerhouse of Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi, the location of NSEZ on the north serves a D

strategic role in facilitating regional trade of Western Africa. The NSEZ is bounded by international borders with Burkina Faso on the north and west, as well as Togo on the east with direct road connectivity to the main urban centres of these countries. In view of the future expansion of the Trans-African highway network and enhanced regional connectivity, these transport corridors will further support the growth of cross-border trade beyond Ghana's direct neighbours.

The major cities and towns of the land-locked countries could serve as potential markets and the catchment area for trading of products that are devel-oped in NSEZ and other parts of Ghana.

Notably, Burkina Faso offers the largest potential with its capital city, Ouagadougou, of a sizable market of 1.6 million population located approximately 170 km from Navrongo in the Upper East Region of NSEZ. The capital is the main commercial and industrial centre of Burkina Faso and primary industries in food processing and textiles. Ouagadougou is also an important centre for trade with Mali and Niger. Hence, it is a critical

trading hub and transit node that helps in expanding the market area into the inland Sahel countries. Capitalising on the convenience that NSEZ has the closest and direct proximity to Ouagadougou, improv-ing trade and connectivity with Burkina Faso could be a strategic growth strategy for NSEZ.

Strategically located outside the periphery of Ghana and along the main roads connecting the two countries, Diébougou, a key market town is situated on the west of Burkina Faso and is connected to Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city. Pô is another town just located 20km from the border, and is the main city that leads to the

Kaboré Tambi National Park. It could potentially be a key centre that offers the opportunity for spillover cross-border tourism development with its direct connectivity to Ghana.

As an immediate neighbour, Togo also provides other potential markets and commercial partnerships. Located only 64km east of Bawku, Dapaong, the regional capital has a population close to 60,000 with a large livestock and agricultural market and similarly serves as a important urban and transit centre for

trade with Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger. Thus, with the close distance away from the growing urban centres in the Upper East Region, Dapaong could serve as a vital gateway to open up trading opportunities with the Ghana's neighbours on the east. The other key towns in North Togo including Mango and Bassar are also important trading nodes despite the small size of population. Kara with a large population size of close to 95,000 is a city that is located along the main corri-dor connecting from Tatale in Ghana to Djougou, Benin's largest city as well as an important market town in the north-western region.

Other major cities in Cote d'Ivoire also pose opportunities for NSEZ's export markets including Bondoukou, a sizeable city located just along the border and connected by the international highway on the east of Ghana, as well as Bouaké, the second largest city in the country with over 500,000 population.

Therefore, the growth of the ecological zone could plausibly take into account the prominence of these centres and with further enhancement of connectivity, this could spur economic development surrounding NSEZ.

Key Cities in the sub region within the context of NSEZ

5

s a wider SADA strategy for transforming the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone, the importance and relevance of the proposed A

Buipe Port City Project cannot be over emphasized.The CEO of SADA, Charles Abugre, captured this

very well during an interview with Citi FM in January this year. He said, “We can turn that place into more or less your future Dubai, but a much more pleasant Dubai. You can green the place, you can do industry in the place, you can build major shopping centres for the West African region in that place, and you can build warehouses, you can design a proper city that is clean, green, and vibrant”

To lend a word to Mr. Abugre's submission, Dubai by deliberate strategic design, wins the Worlds cleanest city Award every year. Even though a desert state, a strict clean city policy underpinned by aggressive greenification of the city made European tourists to generously bestow on Dubai, the enviable accolade ”Par-adise on Earth”

Mr. Abugre during the interview said, the intent is to develop a Long-Term Development Plan for the rapid transformation of the SADA zone. As part of the new initiatives, SADA he said has signed an agreement with a Singaporean company, Surbana Jurong to provide a comprehensive development plan for the SADA zone, transform urban centers and collect crucial data on the region for development.

He explained that, under the deal signed with Surbana Jurong, they are expected to “produce a concept plan, urban master plans for Buipe and Tamale, and build a data-base for the various MMDAs in the SADA zone”.

Mr. Abugre intimated that SADA intends to transform Buipe into a major port city that will become an important inland port within the West African sub-region, adding,“We are interested in making the Volta Lake an active water transport corridor, this will trigger tourism in the area, and encourage the bulk transport of cargo”, he

added.He further explained that an industrial city can be

developed on the back of Buipe being transformed into a port city, where there will be linkages between Tema and Buipe through Kintampo (the southernmost city in the SADA zone).

Surbana Jurong is also expected to develop for MMDAs a database and a system for managing their land and property taxes.

SADA had done a feasibility studies for an area of 20,000 hectares; 10,000 hectares is expected to be taken up before the end of year.”Envisioning Buipe as a Port City of the Savannah Zone by 2040

The Buipe Port City is envisioned to be the Thriving Green Port City of NSEZ accommodating about 230,000 populations by 2040. Buipe City is poised to transform from the existing small town into a major port and indus-

pointsBuipe enjoys strategic connectivity to growing

Regional markets, located strategically along the Lake Volta and central development corridor, connected to both southern Ghana and cross-border towards Burkina Faso.

It will also connect to ECOWAS Network via Tamale through Central Transport Corridor. There is the potential for Buipe to leverage on the lake transport to catalyse industrialization in the NSEZ.

Buipe will serve as the Industrial Hub of NSEZ since it is strategically Connected to Southern Ghana via Water Transportation Network Located along Lake Volta within Northern Ghana expe-diting Buipe Port Development. Buipe is also home Home to one of the Largest Cattle Market in Northern RegionBuipe Land Use

Buipe is a small town that spreads over an area of approximately 10km.At present; approximately 2% of existing land in the planning area is urbanized with urbanization taking place largely along the major road and close to the Black Volta River along the waterfront.

In response to the much larger planning area consid-ered for Buipe in future, both agriculture as well as unutilized land and open spaces constitute almost 70% of the existing land use. Significantly, over one fifth of Buipe planning area consists of nature areas including water protected areas, river, waterbodies, and forests. Existing Commercial & Industrial Developments

Commercial activities in Buipe are limited to informal and low value-added services activities that meet the day to day needs of the residents. This includes the wholesale markets for agriculture and livestock produce.

Positioned to be an industrial hub, there is a signifi-cant amount of land for new industries and port devel-opment including for cement, oil & gas industries.

Buipe Port – Vision to realityMohammed Abu

Buipe Port City Project

trial hub to catalyze the development of NSEZ as the gateway to Sahel Region

As the capital of Central Gonja District, Buipe is loca ted approx imate ly 100km south-west of Tamale. Though remaining largely as an agrarian economy with a small settlement. There is a huge potential for Buipe to leverage on the lake trans-port, its strategic location rela-tive to its regional neighbours and availability of land to catalyse industrialization, thereby generating economic growth, creating employment opportunities and improving living quality of the growing city.

Buipe's unique selling Contd. on Pg. 7

6

Existing Public Facilities Currently 6% of the total developed land areas in Buipe

are used for public facilities. In view of the projected growth of the city's population, the adequacy and accessibility to these facilities need to be further improved. Most of the existing facilities are basic education institutions and there is a lack of proper medical facilities.

Existing plans for Buipe by the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) are taken into consideration in the development process of the proposed Buipe City Structure Plan. There are a total of 4 detailed planning areas, covering a total land area of 10km being captured, and these planning boundaries are limited to the core area of the existing city development.

These existing planned areas will be subjected to review and rezoning according to the proposed Structure Plan and Zoning guidelines, while the unplanned areas will become the new design areas to be planned and designed for. Existing Nature & Agricultural Areas

Buipe consists of extensive open space that are not utilised for development. There are many water streams and scattered forest areas, together with large patches of low lying areas with seasonal wetland vegetation. Environmental issues are prevalent including frequent flooding and settlements encroachment into these nature areas.Existing TransportationBuipe is connected by the only national road (N10). An existing bridge of 150m crossing Black Volta with local road connection to Buipe Port. The lack of paved road in the city is a great challenge in improving accessibility. Water transport is important with the port strategically located at upstream of Lake Volta and functions to deliver bulk items and goods to Akosombo Port.Existing Infrastructure

Buipe is well-situated and strategically connected to the national grid of Ghana. Hence power to Buipe is supplied from the national grid through the 161Kv transmission line running through the planning area excitingly. However, there is still the lack of reliability and accessibility to drinking supply, drainage, sanitation infrastructure to support the growing population.

New Economic drivers for Job Creation:Buipe is envisaged to be twinned with Tamale to form a

SEZ to drive the services and industry sectors develop-ment in NSEZ. As the next fastest growing city with stra-tegic location along the main transport corridor and off Lake Volta, Buipe is anticipated to be the industrial hub of NSEZ in leveraging on its existing industries.

A specific set of key economic clusters are proposed to support economic restructuring of Buipe. These include heavy industry such as steel and iron goods, plastics, fertil-izers and cement, construction materials, logistics, and a broad array of river services including retail trade.

The city is to become the port and logistic hub, housing industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing and agric processing industries, and is to be the largest contributor of industrial employment and income generation in NSEZBUIPE Key Economic Clusters

They are envisaged to include Oil storage, distribu-tion/reefers, Transportation, Boat Building, Marine

Buipe Port – Vision to realityContd. from Pg. 6

Repairs, Ferry Service, Warehousing, Trade in Steel/iron goods, Plastics, Fertilizers and Cement. Others are Milling of Flour, oils production, Abattoir for Meat pack-ing, Cattle holding, Poultry production, Tiles, roofs, bricks, mortar and marble productsVisioning Buipe as a Thriving Port City in 2040

Increased employment opportunities and a access to social housing: Creating 1000 ha Buipe SEZ to generate 130,000 jobs in port, related Industries, and supporting services sector by 2040. The New Port-City Interface will enable coexistence of housing, workplace and leisure

The objective of the Inclusive City is to create 50,000 DU good quality affordable housing with integrated public facilities by 2040, help Buipe break out of the poverty cycle through local empowerment

As Waterfront City, Buipe will create a distinctive Waterfront Identity for residents and visitors, making Waterfront an Accessible Public Space

The Connected City: Buipe will achieve Transit-Oriented Development with 75% of the transport modal share by Public Transport by 2040. As an added attraction, Buipe will achieve the status of a Cycling & Walking City with 25% of the transport modal share by cycling and walking

The Green City: Buipe will achieve a Flood Free Forest City status by doubling the forest area by 2040 and creating flood control system. It will also achieve the status of a Clean and Environment- Friendly City with usage of renewable energy >20% total power supply and increase recycling rate to 20%.The North-South Way or Express Way

A North-south highway project projected to cost USD 1,2 Billion, SADA sources say, is proposed in anticipation of the growing number of vehicle on the road in the next decades due to the increase in affordability in Ghana in general as well as the increase in the volume of goods movement within Ghana and from Ghana to Burkina Faso.

While the existing North-South road is providing a good service at the moment, it may not be sufficient for cost effective and efficient traffic time management, safety and ride quality expectations.

Contd. from Pg. 6

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Shea tree

he importance of the Tamale City Master Plan that includes a Greater Metropolitan Area Structure Plan within the context of the T

SADA's Regional Concept Plan for the NSEZ could therefore be best appreciated against this background.

SADA launched a progressive initiative to prepare the Regional Concept Plan for the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ) comprising of 5 Regions; Detailed Master Plans for the Cities of Tamale and Buipe; and a Land Management System for Tamale City.

For this purpose, Surbana Jurong has been working closely with the Ghanaian professionals and stakeholders comprising of the Town and Country Planning Development, National Development Planning Commission, professional commissions and local authorities to deliver the respective tasks of the project.

Following the completion of the NSEZ Regional Concept Plan, the project has progressively reached Task 4 of preparing the city level Master Plan for Tamale. This involves existing context analysis, visioning, development of concept options, detailed land use and zoning plans, urban design as well as implementation plans. Planning for the future of Tamale

The importance of the Tamale City Master Plan that includes a Greater Metropolitan Area Structure Plan within the context of the SADA's Regional Concept Plan for the NSEZ could therefore be best appreciated against this background.

SADA launched a progressive initiative to prepare the Regional Concept Plan for the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ) comprising of 5 Regions; Detailed Master Plans for the Cities of Tamale and Buipe; and a Land Management System for Tamale City.

For this purpose, Surbana Jurong has been working closely with the Ghanaian professionals and stakeholders comprising of the Town and Country Planning

Development, National Development Planning Commission, professional commissions and local authorities to deliver the respective tasks of the project.

Following the completion of the NSEZ Regional Concept Plan, the project has progressively reached Task 4 of preparing the city level Master Plan for Tamale. This involves existing context analysis, visioning, development of concept options, detailed land use and zoning plans, urban design as well as implementation plans. Proposed TGMA Structure Plan

The Linear City Concept is chosen after a consensus with the stakeholders as the selected concept for the Structure Plan. This concept proposes to create a new identity from the radial pattern and recognizes the advantage of a linear corridor development as a more efficient organization of urban growth. The key development strategies include: Decentralize employment centres; Establish urban hierarchy of 2 CBDs; 3 regional centres and 3 sub-regional/ town centres; Compact transit-oriented development; Develop expressway and semi expressway and Natural ecosystem conservation & urban parks

Tamale – a sub-regional hub

Prior to the birth of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Tamale, the administrative capital of the Northern region of Ghana, had many a time been touted as the fastest developing town in the West African Sub-region.

Indeed, the actual economics and catch is, Tamale's geo-strategic location as the gateway to West Africa's woefully untapped Sahel Zone. This constitutes the city's

natural competitive edge just as its counterpart Dubai, in United Arab Emirates(UAE) is, the gateway to the Arab Gulf region.Socio Economic factors shaping Tamale's growth

Tamale Greater Metropolitan Area (TGMA) consists of Tamale Metropolis and Sagnarigu Municipal Administrative Districts and is the regional capital of the Northern Region. As the largest urban centre, the city has witnessed strong urbanization growth with increasing challenges as well as opportunities in the region, which the city can capitalize on to generate economic growth, create employment opportunities and improve the overall quality of living of the population. Tamale's unique position

Tamale is well positioned to enjoy the advantages of as the 4th largest City in Ghana. They include, Strategic connections within the ECOWAS region by Road & Air Transportation Networks, Strategic Connectivity to Growing Regional Markets, & as the fastest growing city in ECOWAS. In addition, Tamale is located at the heart of NSEZ, and along North-South Economic Corridor of Ghana. Tamale is also the largest Urban Center in NSEZ and home to 20% of urban population in NSEZ.

Located centrally along the important linkage that links Ghana's key cities along the North-South corridor and cross-border to Burkina Faso, Tamale has tremendous opportunities to serve as the key growth capital to catalyse the transformation of NSEZ as the gateway to the Sahel Region.

If the innovative plans and catalytic projects being proposed by SADA is fully carried through with government and private sector participation, Tamale like its counterpart Dubai, in the UAE could take full advantage of its geo-strategic location to maximise economic gains not only for the NSEZ, but the nation as a whole.

For SADA to realise this vision to make Tamale a city of beauty in comparative terms in its own right, there is a need to the need to invest in infrastructure for tourism, ports, commerce and transportation among others. The SADA Master plan has provided the idea. What is left is the political will o major decision makers in Ghana and the world.

Transforming Tamale into a city of Excellence

Sada Master Plan, 2016

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