The Kassena-Nankana District

• The Kassena-Nankana District (KND) is one of the administrative districts of northern Ghana.

• The KND is situated in the Upper East part of the country, close to the border with Burkina Faso. It covers a land area of 1675 km2 and has an estimated population of 151 000.

• The 2 main ethnic groups that live in the district are the Kassenas and the Nankanis. The groups share a traditional, rural agrarian culture and traditions, such as chieftaincy and line of authority as well as women's overall status in the community, but speak different languages.

• The KND district is divided into 10 paramountcies, 6 of which are Kassena. Typically, a paramountcy is home to between 10 000 and 20 000 people. Each paramountcy is headed by a male chief and a council of elders, also men.

• Within these paramountcies, the Kassenas and Nankanis are grouped into compounds, which are normally led by the most senior man. Compounds are then further divided into households, in which multiple generations of a family typically reside.

• Nonliteracy rates among the Kassenas and Nankanis are very high, with an estimate of 57% of the adult population having never been to school (Navrongo Demographic Surveillance System reports).