UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

THIRD TRIMESTER FIELD PRATICAL PROGRAMME

A REPORT ON THE COMMUNITY PROFILE OF MOGNORI

A COMMUNITY IN THE UPPER EAST PART OF GHANA

By
HALIDUSALMA - BBE/0511/19
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Almighty God for the life of my family and for keeping us safe during
this trying times. I will like to acknowledge the university authorities for taking dynamic practical
approach in order to fulfil the mandate spelt out by the law for undertaking the usual third trimester
field practical programme. I appreciate the effort put in place by the various TTFPP directors to come
to this alternate for of the usual TTFPP, I say God bless you.

My appreciation goes to my family for the maximum support showed to me in enquiries and given
out sensitive information vital to this report writing. My appreciation hoes to the Assembly member,
Mr. IDDRISU who released vital information to me and being available any time to provide necessary
information needed.
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Mognori is a community in the bawku municipality , located within latitude 9'23''3'N and longitude
0°40"19' W . A community i was botn and currently living in, my selected community for the 2020 third
trimester field practical programme.

In accordance with the mandate spelt out under the PNDC law 279 section 3, an alternative dynamic
form of TTFPP that assigned students to interact with the people to acquire practical and real life
experience in living and working in rural communities and to help gather first -hand information relative
to the lifestyle of the people, potentials of the community and problems that hinder their development.
Students are encouraged to adhere to COVID-19 prevention protocols and use methods that will not
exposed them to the Coronavirus to fetch required information .

Due to the practical and interactive nature of the research ,I employ various methodologies and
techniques such as transect walk, key informant interviews, family discussion,prepared questionnaires,
participatory observation and secondary data.

The potentials in the community include availability of vast land, electricity and a conducive
environment. The major problems in the community includes, lack of public toilet, lack of health
facilities, lack of capital for agricultural purposes and lack of teaching and learning materials. We hope
that the information in the report will aid government agencies, non-government organization (NGO),
policy makers and other stakeholders in their contribution towards the development of mognori
community
 INTRODUCTION

By a way of fulfilling its mandate of blending academic work with that of the community, the
University for Development Studies has adopted practically oriented methodologies to teaching
and learning, research and outreach services to ensure constructive interaction between academic
and community work. In operationalising this mandate, students spend seven weeks in selected
communities in Ghana during the Third Trimester every year for the first two years of their
education in UDS to participate in the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP).

In the first year, students are introduced to aspects of community studies. They practise
community entry and community diagnosis using participatory approaches. Emphasis is placed
on techniques of needs assessment, culminating in the assessment of the problems and potentials
of the community using a variety of complementary techniques, as well as suggesting
tentative/possible interventions.

As part of the requirement for completing the 2019/2020 academic year, you would have
undertaken the TTFPP in an assigned community in a selected Municipality or District in a
selected region in Ghana. However, in order not to expose students to the imminent risks of
contracting COVID-19 virus, the University has taken a decision not to send students into
communities but rather adopt an alternative approach to TTFPP this year.
General objective of year one TTFPP
The main objective is to expose students, practically, to the nature of the development problems
of their resident communities.
Specific objectives of year one TTFPP are to:

1. Equip students with the basic tools, techniques and skills required for community studies.
2. Introduce students to community studies through living in the communities.
3. Introduce students to the need to blend traditional knowledge with scientific knowledge
in their community studies.
4. Assist students to apply the methods and experiences acquired to community reports.
METHODOLOGIES

1. TRANSECT - WALK

Information such as landmarks, coordinates(location ) other features of the community such as water
and sanitation among others was gathered by this method.
2. DEMONSTRATIVE OBSERVATION

This method is used in knowing the steps involved in Shea butter making, dawadawa processing and
charcoal burning.

3. INTERVIEW

Interviewing family members, the assembly member and the Chief helps in getting information making
this report factual and more accurate.

4. PREPARED QUESTIONAIRES

This aid I'm getting more information from family, Chief and Assembly member within a short period.

5. SECONDARY DATA.

Information from the Internet, the district assembly website were useful in getting accurate
vegetation and climate data.
 CHAPTER 1

NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

LOCATION

Mognori community is located in the Bawku municipality Ghana. The community is located between
latitude 9°23’3”N and longitude 0°4’09”W. The community is sixty (60) km from the regional capital,
Bawku, and is also located along burikina border road. The relief of Mognori community is basically low
lying but undulating..

CLIMATE
There are two main distinct seasons in the district which includes the dry season and the wet season.
The wet season starts from April/May and ends in October. Also, the dry season starts in early
November and ends in March/April. The area also has hot and cold seasons. The cold season which is
characterized by hazy harmattan weather begins in December and ends in late February or early March.
This is immediately followed by the hot weather.

VEGETATION
The community finds itself in the interior (Guinea) savannah woodland which could sustain large scale
livestock farming, as well as the cultivation of staple food like rice, ground-nut, yams, cassava, maize,
cow pea and millet. The trees found in the area are drought resistant and shed their leaves during the
long dry season. Most of these are of economic value and serve as important means of livelihood
especially for women.

Notable among these are the Shea tree in which the seeds are used for making Shea butter and
dawadawa which is also use for condimental purpose. The vegetation is depleted by human activities
such as farming activities, bush burning and tree felling among others.

Due to the community’s location in the guinea savannah zone, the soil is mostly sandy with parts of
gravel and sand. The farmlands are predominantly loamy which is favorable for the cultivation of staples
like rice, groundnuts, yams, cassava, maize, cowpea and millet.
 PLANTS
Some of the Economic and wild trees in the community include, dawadawa, Shea tree, neem tree,
mango tree and cultivated crops include, beans, rice, maize, groundnut etc.

TREES USES

The seeds are used for the production of Shea

butter
Shea tree

Dawadawa tree This is used for the preparation of food and it

is also use with the combination of other herbs
for treatment of diseases

This is used for the cure of fever and malaria.

The stems are also use for charcoal burning.
Neem tree

ANIMALS

There are both aquatic and terrestrial animals in mognori community. Some of the aquatic animals
includes, mud fish, tilapia, tortoise etc. And some of the terrestrial animals include dogs, cats, fouls,
goats, sheep, cattle, donkeys and rabbits.

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF NATURAL RESOURCES

1. Availability of economic staples like rice, millet, cowpea, maize, groundnut, cassava, yams etc. create
an employment for the people in the community through farming.
2. Destruction of the vegetation mainly through human activities like bush burning, indiscriminate
felling of trees and many others have collectively affected the soil fertility.
3. The trees serve as windbreaks
4. The presence of rich varieties of grass serve as pasture for the community livestock.
5. The soil is fertile and it is favorable for agricultural purposes
 6. Availability of natural resources such as dawadawa trees, Shea nut trees, and neem trees create
income, food, and also serve medicinal purposes

CHAPTER TWO

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

RELIGION

There are three (3) religious groups in the community, these include;

1. Islam
2. Christianity
3. Africa Traditional believers

ETHNICITY

The various ethnic groups in the community are,

1) Bissa
2) kusaasi
3) mossi
4) hausa

TABOOS

Taboos in mognori community includes,

1. Whistling at night
2. Having sex in the bush
3. Cutting of trees near the dam
4. Not going to the farm on Fridays
5. Eeating whiles taking
EDUCATION SECTOR

S/ LEVEL OF EDUCATION YES NO PRIVATE PUBLIC

N

1 Cresh/Nursry/  

Kinderdgarten

2 PRIMARY  

3 JHS 

4 SHS 

5 Vocational/Technical 

6 Tertiary Institution 

POTENTIALS OF THE EDUCATION SECTOR

1. Available adequate vast land for enlargement of the school.
2. School feeding programme to encourage the pupils.
3. There is a toilet facility to improve sanitation.

CHALLENGES OF THE EDUCATION SECTOR

1. Inadequate teaching and learning materials.
2. Lack of commitment on the part of some parents to send their wards to school.
3. Inadequate furniture for effective teaching and learning.
4. Seasonal schooling.

HEALTH
 HEALTH STATUS
Mognori community has no health facility. However, people seek health assistance from the traditional
herbalist in the community but whenever the case get worse they then go to Tamale teaching hospital.

PHAMACEUTICAL FACILITIES
There is no pharmaceutical facility in the community. However, drug hawkers always come to the
community from time to time to sell medicine and some community members are also into drug
retailing.

PREVALENT DISEASES IN MOGNORI

Malaria

Rheumatism/joint pains

Typhoid fever

Skin disease

Worm infection

Gonorrhea

Piles

Diarrhea

TRADITIONAL HEALTH FACILITIES

There are four (4) traditional healers and three (3) traditional birth attendants in the community.

MEDICINAL PLANTS
DISEASES MEDICINAL PLANTS PARTS USED

MALARIA NEEM TREE LEAVES

DIARRHOEA BAOBAB LEAVES

STOMACHACHE MAHOGANY BARK

HEADACHE SHEA TREE AND DAWADAWA COMBINE THEIR ROOTS AND BOIL.

POTENTIALS OF THE HEALTH SECTOR

Availability of traditional health personnel.

The community is located along a main road which makes it easy to get access to the nearby health
center.

Availability of medicinal plants.

CHALLENGES OF HEALTH SECTOR

Lack of health facility in the community.

Lack of formal training on the part of traditional health personnel.

Some traditional healers prepare and store their medicine under unhygienic conditions.

HOUSING

Generally the nature of houses in Mognori community is land crate and thatch with strong foundations
of stones and with small windows and few with weak walls.

HOUSING PROBLEMS IN THE COMMUNITY

Housing system coupled with poor ventilated rooms can leads to outbreak of diseases.

Lack of toilet facility in various houses which result into free range can lead to outbreak of diseases.

Improper drainage systems of bathrooms and this serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
WATER

The main source of water in Mognori community is the dam. Also, there are some wells in the
community which are used for domestic purposes but they get dry quickly. The major problems of water
supply are shortage of water during the dry season and lack of treated water for consumption.

SANITATION

There are no communally agreed ways for waste disposal. Also, there are no properly constructed places
of convenience and no place for refuse dumping. Water from bathrooms becomes stagnant forming
breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Also, the community does not have any public disposal containers and
sewage systems like gutters and other water channels.
 CHAPTER THREE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

OCCUPATION GENDER

AGRICULTURE Both Male and Female

INDUSTRY Female

COMMERCE AND SERVICE Both sex

AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

It was observed that majority of the people are into crop farming, livestock and poultry, followed by
people into crop farming and livestock and lastly by people who are into crop farming and poultry.

POTENTIALS AND CHALLENGES IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

POTENTIALS

Availability of vast land for more agricultural production

Availability of human labour

Indigenous knowledge in farming

Technological advancement in farm tools

CHALLENGES

Inadequate capital for agricultural expansion

Erratic rainfall

Inadequate storage facilities

 INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES

The main types of industrial activities in the community are Agro-based industry, forest/wood based
industry, service-related industry and traditional textile industry.

TYPES OF THE INDUSTRY AND PEOPLE EMPLOYED

TYPE INDUSTRY COMPOSITION CONSUMPTION TYPE

Service-related industry Dress making, Driving and Commercial purposes

Corn-milling business

Agro-based industry Dawadawa processing and Household use and

Shea butter making commercial purposes

Traditional textile Smock making Sold

industry

SOURCE OF ENERGY

The main source of energy for industrial and household use includes, charcoal, fire wood and
electricity. The main source of energy in the community for cooking is charcoal and firewood. Electricity
and torchlight are their source of energy for light.

PROBLEMS IN THE INDUSTIAL SECTOR

Inadequate financial support

Lack of protective clothing

Poor marketing of product

Low patronage of product

POTENTIALS IN THE INDUSTIAL SECTOR

Availability of trees help sustain the charcoal industry.

There is the presence of Shea trees and dawadawa trees.

CHALLENGES IN THE INDUSTIAL SECTOR

Lack of skilled labor.

Use of manual labour force in production.

COMMERCE AND SERVICES

MAJOR COMMERCIAL AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES

The major commercial activity is trading. With regards to findings in the community, the major service
activities performed includes, dress making, corn mill business and driving.

POTENTIALS OF COMMERCE AND SERVICES SECTOR

Availability of vast land for setting up business

CHALLENGES OF COMMERCE AND SERVICES SECTOR

Poor marketing

Lack of financial support

Low remuneration

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

TRANSPORT

There is a main road that links the community to the market. There is easy movement since taxi and
other vehicles ply on the road. Others have motor bikes and motor king (tricycles) for transport.

COMMUNICATION

The community use playing drum to assemble the community members to convey massages to them
locally and may also appoint two or three people to move around and convey the massage to us .
 CHAPTER FOUR

HISTORICAL AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE

HISTORY OF MOGNORI COMMUNITY

Before the people of the current day Mognori inhabited the land, it was inhabited by a moshei man
hunter who hailed from Burkina faso a country to the north of Ghana, was the first to settle in Murugu
in the early 1800s. forced by the circumstance at the time. he later moved and settlte in mognori were
he farmed, fished and assisted people travelling through the forest. This farming village, relatively closed
to the sourth -east border of Mole National parkis rich with the tradidition of Ganga clan, while it
remains govern by the old and wise Basumu chief. Monori which translate into the river bank, site at the
center of the eco-tourism entertainment, 15km from mole national park headquarters and about 20km
from Larabaga in west Gonja district. The current residents are descendants of moshi who settled on
morogo land before sabatu and Bagtu salve raids during 18th centry. Later, during the 1940s Tindana
Abudu Gundaa migrated from murungu to settle on the beautiful plain of Mognori. The people of this
community speak the ganga dialect which has its root from the mole dabgani group. The name Mognori
was coined from the nearness of the community to part of the white Volta which flows across the road
to Murugu. In Ganga dialect Mognori means 'By the river side.'

TRADITIONAL POLITICAL SYSTEM

The traditional political system is governed by the traditional authorities. This structure shows the
hierarchical authority in the community.

PARAMOUNT CHIEF

DIVISIONAL CHIEF
 LINGUIST

SUB-CHIEFS

ELDERS

FAMILY HEADS

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

UNIT FIVE

COMMUNITY PROBLEMS AND POTENTIALS EMANATING FROM THE

COMMUNITY PROFILE

NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

POTENTIALS

Vast land for agricultural production.

Presence of medicinal trees such as neem tree and mahogany.

Presence of economic trees such as Shea and dawadawa trees.

The presence of grass in the community which serves as roofing for houses.

PROBLEMS

Due to rainfall patterns, farmers mostly find it difficult to farm all year round.

Long dry season which results in bush fire.

Felling of trees by community members for firewood and charcoal burning leads to deforestation.

There is shortage of water during the dry season.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

POTENTIALS

The community has a school which promotes education.

Availability of medicinal plants.

The taboos, values and norms in the community help to maintain law and order.

The crops grown in the community are rich in nutrients which help reduce malnutrition.

The inhabitants are religious which brings peace and harmony and thereby promote social development.

PROBLEMS

Improper ventilations in some buildings.

Teacher to pupil ratio is not encouraging which hinder effective teaching and learning.

There is no health facility in the community.

Inadequate teaching and learning materials.

2.4 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

POTENTIALS
Availability of large land size for farming.

Availability of electricity in the community can help in food preservation.

Presence of communication networks such as MTN and VODAFONE make communication easier.

Presences of local industries serve as a source of employment.

PROBLEMS

Employment is seasonal due to the fact that the majority of the labour force are farmers.

Inadequate storage facilities.

Absence of irrigation facility.

HISTORICAL AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE

POTENTIALS

There is a well-structured traditional and modern political system in the community.

Social functions like funerals and festivals ensure unity among community members.

The cordial relationship between the traditional and modern system of governance foster development
and growth.

PROBLEMS

Male dominance in decision making despite gender equality.

Considering the relations between the modern and traditional political system, the channel of flow of
information is lengthy and as such brings a delay in new or modern practices in the local governance
system.

CONCLUSION
Community problems and potentials diagnosis remain the foundation stone for development since the

best approach to overcoming problems reside in harnessing or potentials to displace our weaknesses.
Our second year intensive research work in the community has brought to light the problems which

impede the progress of the people. These problems include the following, lack of portable water, lack of

teacher’s bungalow, lack of health facilities and inadequate trained TBAs AND THs, lack of JHS block, lack

of irrigation facilities, inadequate incentives among others. Nevertheless, the community is endowed

with several potentials which can be pulled together to eliminate its weaknesses and facilitate positive

transformation. These potentials include vast lands, useful vegetation, youthful labor force etc. With

the proposed intervention of the group which is the building of teacher ’s bungalow and training of

traditional birth attendants, if accepted and implemented, it will help improve the standard of living in

the community.

RECOMMENDATION

During the period of my stay in the community, I realize that there is unity and cordiality among the

people in the community and also has a respect and good receptions for strangers. The group the

recommend the following to the government, NGOs, investors, and philanthropist

 Youth empowerment by giving them skill training.

 Health facility should be provided for the community.

 Training of traditional health Personnel.

 Teacher’s bungalow should be constructed in the community.

 A toilet facility and well plan, sewage disposal system should be provided to the community.

 JHS infrastructure should be provided to improve the educational system in the community.

The government should subsidize the price of farming tools or chemicals to make it affordable to all

farmers.
 REFERENCES
Third Trimester Field practical Program (TTFPP)Student field guide.

TTFPP GUIDE

Family members

Internet