The Lambussie District is one of the eleven districts in the Upper West Region of northern Ghana. It was established in 2007 through a Legislative Instrument (LI 1849) by splitting from the Jirapa-Lambussie District Assembly and was officially inaugurated on February 29, 2008. Located in the north-western corner of the Upper West Region, Lambussie shares borders with the Jirapa District to the south, the Sissala West District to the east, the Lawra and Nandom Districts to the west, and Burkina Faso to the north, making it a key gateway to Burkina Faso.
The district’s capital is Lambusie. It comprises 58 communities, with major towns including Hamile, Samoa, Billaw, Piina, and Karni.
The district’s strategic location near Burkina Faso offers the potential for enhancing cross-border trade and fostering mutual development through the exchange of ideas.
However, this proximity also presents challenges, such as the influx of foreigners, including Fulani herdsmen, the spread of diseases, and cross-border crime.
The position of Lambussie District Chief Executive has historically been held by teachers since the district’s inception.
The inaugural District Chief Executive, Yelviel Baligi, served from February 2008 to January 6, 2009. A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a teacher at the time, he hailed from the Karni Zone and was appointed by President Agyekum Kufuor. During this period, Hon. Alice Boon, also a teacher by profession, represented Lambussie as a Member of Parliament under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket.
From 2009 to 2012, the late Clement B. Benin, may his soul rest in peace, was appointed District Chief Executive by President Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
Mr. Benin, who was a teacher and later a Circuit Supervisor, hailed from the Suke Royal family in Suke, within the Somoa Zone. During this period, the late Hon. John Doughr Balooro, may his soul rest in peace, served as a Member of Parliament representing the New Patriotic Party.
Hon. Balooro, a contractor by profession, was a member of the Lambussie Royal family.
Hon. Bom Kofi Dy-yaka served as District Chief Executive from 2012 to 2016, appointed by President John Dramani Mahama. A teacher by profession, Hon. Dy-yaka enjoyed a unique political alignment, as a Member of Parliament at the time,
the dynamic Hon. Edward Kaale-Ewola Dery, was also from the same political party.
For the first time in Lambussie District’s history, the President, Member of Parliament, and District Chief Executive all belonged to the National Democratic Congress. This period marked a significant development in the district, with the Lambussie District Common Fund being effectively utilized, making it a notable chapter in Lambussie’s political history.
From 2017 to January 2021, Hon. Iddrisu Wiekana Braimah was appointed as District Chief Executive by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Hon. Braimah, a former teacher, comes from the Lambussie Royal family in Lambussie.
During this period in Lambussie’s political history, the dynamic Hon. Edward Kaale-Ewola Dery served his second term as a Member of Parliament. Hon. Dery, who hails from Kpare in the Karni Zone, has expertise in finance, accounting, and insurance.
From 2021 to 2024, Mr. George Gerald Naluri is serving as the District Chief Executive, appointed by President Nana Akufo-Addo. Mr. Naluri, a former teacher, hails from the Piina Royal family in Piina.
Hon. Dr. Bright Bakye Yelviel Baligi served as the Member of Parliament for Lambussie until he lost to the NDC Candidate, Professor Titus Kofi Beyuo.
Dr. Baligi comes from the Kpare Royal family in Kpare, a town within the Karni Zone.
On December 7, 2024, the National Democratic Congress secured a resounding victory in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. President John Dramani Mahama emerged triumphant in the presidential race. Meanwhile, Professor Titus Kofi Beyuo, a physician and Associate Professor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University of Ghana Medical School, won the parliamentary seat. He defeated Dr. Bright Yelviel Baligi, a lecturer at the University of Development Studies (currently on a leave of absence) and the incumbent Member of Parliament for Lambussie.
As mandated by law, President John Dramani Mahama is required to appoint Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
The selection process often involves significant input from Members of Parliament, as well as traditional leaders of the respective areas. In the Lambussie District, lobbying efforts for the District Chief Executive position have already begun, with various names emerging from the zones within the constituency.
Below are the interested persons for the DCE position:
1. Basingbie Ireneous Naawulle: Mr. Naawulle is a teacher by profession and the current constituency secretary of the NDC. He hails from Gbingaala, a community in the Piina Zone. He works with the Ghana Education Service in the Jirapa Municipal. Mr. Naawulle is an elderly person who can handle matters maturely.
2. Mr. David Boon: Mr. Boon is a teacher by profession and the Head of the Mathematics Department at Hilla Liman Senior High School in Gwollu. He is relatively young and has recently come into the political limelight. His uncle was the first MP, Hon. Jacob Boon Baawiine, for the Lambussie Constituency and served two terms as the DCE for the former Jirapa/Lambussie District. His uncle’s wife, Hon. Alice Teni Boon, was also the MP for Lambussie from 1998 to 2009.
3. Shakiru Kamil: Mr. Shakiru is from Samoa in the Samoa Zone and is currently the deputy youth organizer for the Lambussie NDC. He is a member of the Samoa Royal Family. A teacher by profession, he teaches at Piina Senior High School. He defected from the NPP to join the NDC not long ago. He is also relatively young.
4. Tahiru Halidu: Mr. Halidu is a teacher by profession and teaches at Holy Family Senior High School. He is the deputy secretary for the Lambussie Constituency. He hails from Hamile in the Hamile Zone.
5. Emmanuel Kanban: Dr. Kanban is from Kohuo in the Lambussie Zone. He is a retired veterinary doctor who resides in Tamale after retiring in the USA.
6. Hon. Banuosin Latif: Hon. Latif is a strong NDC member. He is a two-time failed constituency organizer aspirant, having lost to Mr. Alipo Nyuzaghl, the current Constituency Youth Organizer aka Constituency Executive at Large, in both 2018 and 2022.
7. Candidate X: Candidate X is a mature NDC member and a former assembly member.
In conclusion, the Lambussie District needs someone who is matured and has a good reputation; someone credible who can resolve challenges without external interventions. It should be someone who relates well with the people and is accepted by all.
The individual should be able to attract sponsors to the district and promote peace, unity, and harmony among the various tribal groups in the district.
Drafted by Dr. Paul Aazagreyir Lieber (Ph.D., MSc, BSc)
Former Research Assistant to Hon. Edward Kaale-Ewola Dery, Former MP for Lambussie, and Chief Executive Officer of Bemane Fuzzy Consult.
