Dankpen is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

located in the Kara Region of

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

. The prefecture covers 2 690 km², with a population in 2010 of 130 723. The prefecture seat is located in Guérin-Kouka. It is split into 12

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

, Guérin-Kouka, Bapuré, Nandouta, Kidjaboum, Namon, Nawaré, Katchamba, Nampoch, Natchiboré, Natchitikpi , Koulfièkou, and Koutchichéou.

Environment

The climate is semi-humid tropical with wet season from June to October and dry season from November to May, notably characterised by the dry desert wind, the

Harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the ...

. Rainfall is variable, with measurements in Guérin-Kouka of 1273 mm and 1494 mm recorded in 1950 and 1963 respectively. Relief was notably provided after the drought in 2013. Major rivers are the Oti River, which forms its western border, with

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, and the

Kara River The Kara (russian: Ка́ра) is a river draining to the Arctic Kara Sea in Russia. It flows through the Pai-Khoi Range in the Polar Ural region, and forms parts of the borders between the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Nenets Autonomous ...

, its tributary, which forms the prefecture's northern border with the Savanes Region, Togo.

Economy

Agriculture, livestock and commerce are the main economic activities. The major venue for trade is the Sunday market of Guérin-Kouka, with sellers from Kara Region, Centrale Region and

. Other markets, with no fixed market day, include Namon, Possao, Koulfièkou, Katchamba, Kidjaboun, Nandouta, and Saboba in Ghana.

Society

Main ethnicities include the Konkomba, Bassar, Mossi, Lamba, Tchokossi and Haoussa. The region is a particular centre for the Konkomba people, with their own

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, who have a strong distinct identity. The Konkomba people are historically spread over parts of both Ghana and Togo. Dankpen was part of the Konkombia region in the German protectorate of

Togoland Togoland was a German Empire protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana, approximately 90,400 km2 (29,867 sq mi) in size. During the period kno ...

from 1884, and subsequently part of French Togoland after partition in 1916. Following ethnic conflict in northern Ghana, a large proportion of Konkomba refugees have therefore preferred to remain in Togo. Efforts have been made to promote Konkomba culture and maintain traditional festivals. In 2014, the député for the Dankpen prefecture in the assemblée nationale, Sambiri Targone, had his parliamentary immunity revoked and was arrested following a range of allegations by the prefect of Dankpen, ex-Colonel Dadja Maganawè, partially involving on-going disputes with the Peules pastoral nomadic people. Within the region, the arrest was seen to be controversial and politically motivated, accompanied by counter-accusations of human rights abuses by the prefect. Dankpen is in the meningitis belt, and has been the object of vaccination programs. Challenges affecting vaccination include low education and poor accessibility. In 2016, a major meningitis outbreak in Ghana and Togo particularly impacted Dankpen with 219 cases and 70 deaths (as of 4.3.2016).

References

Prefectures of Togo Kara Region {{KaraTG-geo-stub