Wa, Ghana

Wa is a town and the capital of the Wa Municipal District and the Upper West Region of Ghana. It has a population of 200,672 people according to the 2021 census.

The town is a transportation hub for the Upper West region, with major roads leading north to Hamile, and northeast to Tumu and the Upper East Region. There is also a small airport, named the Wa Airport.

History
The Lobis were originally the first settlers of the area (now Wa). It grew into a important center of trade due to being situated near the Black Volta.

Under the Northern Protectorates, the town experienced slow infrastructure development due to neglection by the colonial administration.

Demographics
In 1880 it is estimated that Wa had about 8,000 people. This number is thought to have fallen to 2,000 by 1900. In 1921 the census found the population to be 2,806. The population had risen to 5,207 by 1931. In that year the Wa district of the Wala Native Authority had a population of 13,025. In 1948 Wa had a population of 5,128 while the district had 15,827 people. In 1960 the population was 14,406. In 1970 the population had risen to 21,393.

In 1984 Wa had a population of 36,000. In 2012, it had a population settlement of 102,446.

In the 1880s Wa was said to have a population that was entirely Muslim. The Ahmadiyya began gaining converts here in the 1930s. Recent estimates place the overall population of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wa as about 5% Catholic, but how much this is in Wa and how much in other areas under the diocese is not clear. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established a branch in Wa in mid-2017, making it so that every region in Ghana had at least one official congregation of the Church.

Transportation
There is public transport from Wa to major cities such as Accra; Kumasi, Mim, Ahafo; Cape Coast, Sunyani; Tamale; Tema; Ho; Bolgatanga; Elubo; Aflao, and Techiman.

Geography
Wa is located in the north-western part of Ghana. It has a size that covers a total land area of 579.86 km². The average land height of the the town sits between 160 mm and 300 mm above sea level. The municipal share surrounding borders Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District to the north-west, Nadowli-Kaleo District to the north-east, Wa East District to the east and to the west and south the Wa West District.

Climate
Wa has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature being hot year-round. The wet season usually occurs between March to July while the dry season can happen from September to November. The mean maximum temperatures can range from 34–40 C whilst the mean minimum temperatures can reach 29 C. The average monthly relative humidity stands around 40.67%.

Economy
Despite its urban status, Wa is in many ways still an agricultural community with the majority of the town's population engaged in small scale farming. Main crops grown include corn, millet, yams, okra and groundnuts. The town also grows cash crops, which include soya beans, and groundnuts, bambara beans.

Education
Wa Senior High School (formerly, WASSEC), can be found in the town. WASSEC had somhard s times in the past due to mismanagement and indiscipline which decreased the school's standards. However, the school has recently been recording major improvements in students' general discipline and performance in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.

Wa also has St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary, built in the 1960s.

The University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) is one of the university in Ghana and has it campus is situated in Wa with the following faculties and schools:


 * 1) Business Studies
 * 2) Integrated Development Studies
 * 3) Planning and Land Management
 * 4) Education
 * 5) School of Law
 * 6) School of Social Science and Arts
 * 7) Public Policy and Governance
 * 8) Information and Communication Technology

Schools in Wa

 * Islamic Senior High School
 * Jamiat Al-Hidayyat Al-Islamiat Girls Senior High School
 * Northern Star Senior High School
 * St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary
 * Wa Senior High School
 * Wa Senior High Technical School
 * Wa Technical Institute
 * T. I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School
 * Nusrat Jahan College of Education
 * Nursing Training college, Wa
 * Wa Technical University (formally Wa Polytechnic)

The Damba Festival
The Damba festival was the main traditional event of Wa. It was typically held in late September to correspond with a harvest in Wa. The highlight of the year was a ceremony in which the Wa-na stepped over a small cow lying on the ground. According to traditional belief, if any part of the Wa-na or the Wa-na clothing touched the cow, the Wa-na would probably die within the year. If on the other hand, the Wa-na stepped over the cow successfully, the Wa-na was guaranteed a successful coming year.

Food and cuisine
The staple food of Wa is known as sao or Tuo Zaafi in the local dialect, which is often abbreviated TZ or T-Zed in English. Tuo Zaafi means "very hot tuo" in Hausa. It is a thick porridge of corn flour eaten by tearing off a chunk and dipping into a soup, usually of okra.

Other foods common to the Waala people are Kapala (a widely consumed food in Ghana, more commonly known as Fufu), Kuon-tulu (literally translated as "hot water" in Waale, a breakfast food commonly known as Kooko or Hausa Kooko) and Kpogulo (beans powder made into paste, wrapped in Cocoyam or Taro leaves and served with a side of tomato stew).