The Chiana-Paga Constituency in the Upper East Region is home to the famous crocodile ponds which have put the region on the world tourism map.

It is estimated that  about 1,000 crocodiles live in all the three ponds in the constituency.

Tourists, including foreigners, visit the ponds to have a feel of the age-old reptiles, as well as get the opportunity to squat on them to take photographs.

Aside from the crocodile ponds, namely: the Chief Crocodile Pond, located off the Navrongo-Paga border road, the Zenga Pond and the Nania Pond, the constituency is endowed with other tourist sites.

They include the Pikworo Slave Camp, caves at Chiana, the sacred pythons at Kayoro-Wuru, the remains of some Catholic priests, the Pottery Art Centre at Sirigu and the Kukula Shrine at Koyoro.

Unfortunately, the tourist sites are highly under-developed and are an insignificant source of revenue for the assembly.

The assembly, in its quest to boost tourism in the constituency, is taking steps to develop tourist sites in the area to create jobs and increase its internally generated funds (IGFs).

For instance, the assembly is giving the Zenga Pond a facelift, with support from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and it is currently constructing a car park, places of convenience and other facilities to attract tourists to the pond.

Also, at the slave camp, a ticketing place has been constructed, along with other facilities, to make the site more attractive to visitors. 
Location

The constituency is bordered to the north by Burkina Faso, to the south by the Kassena Nankana municipality, to the east by Bolgatanga municipality and to the west by the Sissala East District.

It also shares boundaries with the Bongo and the Builsa North municipalities and has 132 communities, with settlements mainly dispersed.

Although the constituency is known as Chiana-Paga, the assembly in the area, which was created in 2007, bears a different name: Kassena Nankana West, with Paga as its capital.

The mainly rural constituency has 68 assembly members and 11 functioning area councils, but, unfortunately, only Chiana and Mirigu area councils have permanent office accommodation.

While the constituency is represented in Parliament by Thomas Dalu on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the district assembly is under the leadership of Gerard Ataogye.

SOURCE:Graphiconline