Explore Ghana
The markets of Ghana's Upper East Region are where the region's craft and trading life is easiest to see. Bolgatanga Market is the large central market of Bolgatanga, held every three days and known for baskets, leather goods and smocks. A short step away is Bolgatanga Craft Village, a craft market and artisan centre built by the municipal assembly in 2003 and sitting next to the Upper East Regional Museum.
What these places share is a working, everyday character: they are markets first, and visitors are welcome to browse and buy. They differ in rhythm and setting. Bolgatanga Market and Navrongo Central Market, the main trading hub of Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal District, both run on a three-day cycle, so their busy days move around the week. Paga Border Market is different again: a daily informal trade hub at Paga on the Ghana–Burkina Faso frontier, in the Kassena Nankana West District, where cross-border trading carries on all week.
Good to know
Because Bolgatanga Market and Navrongo Central Market follow a three-day cycle, check which day each one falls on before you travel, and plan your trip around it. Paga Border Market trades daily, so it is the easier one to fit into a short visit. Bolgatanga's market and craft village are close enough to combine in one outing, and the craft village is next to the Upper East Regional Museum. Navrongo and Paga lie in different districts from Bolgatanga, so allow time to move between towns rather than expecting to see everything in a morning. Take cash, wear comfortable shoes, and ask locally before photographing traders.
Start here
Attraction · Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga Market is the large central market of Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, held every three days and known for crafts including baskets, leather goods and smocks.
Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D. - Global Photo Archive · Source
Attraction · Bolgatanga
A craft market and artisan centre in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, built by the municipal assembly in 2003 and adjacent to the Upper East Regional Museum.
Attraction · Navrongo
Navrongo Central Market is the main trading hub of Navrongo, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal District capital in Ghana's Upper East Region, operating on a three-day market cycle.
Attraction · Paga
Paga Border Market is the working cross-border market at Paga on the Ghana–Burkina Faso frontier, a daily informal trade hub in the Kassena Nankana West District.