Sirigu Women's Organisation for Pottery and Art

Sirigu Women's Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA) is a community-based women's craft organisation in Sirigu, in the Kasena Nankana West District of Ghana's Upper East Region. It was established in 1997 by Melanie (Madani) Kasise to assist the women of Sirigu, beginning with 54 women and growing to 345 active members; Visit Ghana states over 350 women. Kasise was inspired by her mother, a traditional potter who sold her work to fund her daughter's education.

Members work in basketry, weaving, pottery and other crafts. SWOPA gives them a place to sell their products and to receive skills training, so a visit is essentially a look at a working craft collective rather than a single monument or exhibit.

For visitors, the organisation has opened a visitor centre, gallery, workshop and guesthouse complex. Functional pottery and baskets can be seen and bought there. That combination of gallery, workshop and guesthouse is the main practical reason to plan Sirigu into an Upper East itinerary: it is a place to watch craft production, buy directly from the makers' organisation, and potentially base yourself nearby.

The setting is rural. Sirigu lies in Kasena Nankana West District, roughly 40 km north of Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital, which is the usual arrival point for the region.

What the evidence does not cover is worth noting before you travel. No opening hours, entrance fees, tour prices, booking procedures or accessibility details are confirmed here, and no coordinates are recorded. Contact details and current visiting arrangements should be checked directly with SWOPA before making the trip, particularly if you are travelling a long distance or hoping to stay in the guesthouse.

SWOPA's work has also been recognised beyond Ghana: it received a communications award from the European Commission's International Cooperation and Development Directorate-General, with its success story judged best among EU-supported development projects in West and Central Africa and fourth in the world.