Nalerigu: A Town Transforming

When I lived in Nalerigu in 2013, it was still a relatively small town. Despite its size, it had long been an important place in northern Ghana, serving as the seat of the Nayiri, the paramount chief of the Mamprusi people. But its significance took on a new dimension when it became the regional capital of the North East Region in 2019.

Since then, Nalerigu has grown tremendously. Every time I return, it seems there are new buildings going up, new businesses opening, and more signs of a town rapidly changing before my eyes.

The main roads running through town have been paved, transforming what were once quiet stretches of road into busy thoroughfares. Back in the day, traffic consisted of a handful of cars, motorbikes, and donkey carts moving slowly through town weaving to avoid the potholes. Now, vehicles and motos speed along the paved roads, and yellow-yellow tricycles can be hailed to take you across town.

The food scene has changed, too. There were once only a few chop bars where someone passing through might stop for a quick meal. Today, new restaurants are appearing, offering more places to eat and creating new opportunities for local entrepreneurs. There is a sense of momentum in the town, a feeling that things are moving forward and that Nalerigu is finding its place on a larger regional stage.

Eating out at Sparkles, one of the newer local restaurants 

It is genuinely encouraging to see this growth. New infrastructure, businesses, and services can bring opportunities, livelihoods, and improved access to resources for the people who call Nalerigu home. A growing town can open doors that simply weren't there before.

But growth also comes with challenge.  Pressure on an already fragile electrical grid, a growing amount of uncollected trash, getting water resources to a larger population especially during the dry season, and schools that are now overflowing with students.   Nowhere are these challenges more apparent to me than at the Baptist Medical Centre (BMC).

When I first lived in Nalerigu, the BMC was already a busy hospital, serving not only the local community but also people travelling from surrounding towns and villages. In those days, it felt like a busy bush hospital in a relatively quiet bush town. There was a certain rhythm to the place, shaped by the demands of a hospital that served a large catchment area without the pressures of a rapidly expanding urban center.

Now, both the town and the hospital have changed. As Nalerigu has grown, so too has the demand for healthcare. What was once a busy hospital in a small town has become a hospital in an increasingly bustling regional capital. The pressure on an already fragile and overworked health system has only intensified.

New hospital buildings are going up to help accommodate the growing needs of the population. It is encouraging to see investment in infrastructure and efforts to create more space for patient care. These developments are necessary, and the people of Nalerigu and the surrounding communities deserve healthcare facilities that can meet their needs.

Yet, as I look around, I sometimes find myself missing the hospital and the bush town I first knew and loved in 2013.  I am happy to see Nalerigu growing, its roads improving, its businesses multiplying, and its people gaining access to new opportunities. At the same time, I cannot help but feel nostalgic for the quieter town it once was.

Perhaps that is the nature of progress. We welcome the opportunities it brings, even as we mourn the familiarity of what it leaves behind. Growth changes not only the physical landscape of a place but also the experience of the people living and working there. The roads become busier, the buildings taller, the demands greater, and the quiet corners we remember become harder to find.

One of the quiet corners of Nalerigu that has not changed and my favorite place to walk to.  I wonder how long it might be until the town starts to expand more towards the river.

I hope that as it continues to develop, the investments in roads, businesses, and buildings will be matched by investments in the people and services that make a town thrive.  For now, I will keep watching Nalerigu grow, welcoming the changes that bring opportunity while holding on to my memories of the town it used to be.

P.S. I hadn't published this post for the past three days because I was hoping to get some photos and videos of the town to share with you all. However, the hospital had other plans for my evenings! I’ve been operating day and night, attending to emergencies. 😅Fingers crossed that tomorrow afternoon I’ll finally get the chance to step outside the hospital gates! 

I spend many evenings sitting and visiting at a corner shop at this location.  Earlier this year the corner shops were destroyed, and this two-story building is being built.  Will have to see what it becomes the next time I am in town.