From 14 to 25 January 2027, Les Ateliers de Cergy are taking their international workshops on the road. Over two consecutive five-day workshops, eight professionals from Ghana and around the world will work in multidisciplinary teams on the future of two cities at a turning point: Damongo, the new capital of the Savannah Region, and Yendi, the traditional capital of the Dagbon Kingdom.

Field visits, meetings with local stakeholders and intensive collective work will lead us to design strategic spatial visions that will feed directly into the local spatial plans of both cities.

Across Northern Ghana, cities are growing faster than the plans meant to guide them. The Caravan Workshops are part of the Sustainable Cities programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, which supports six cities in developing or updating their urban plans. After the "Shaping Greater Tamale" workshop in June-July 2026, Les Ateliers now take the method to two more cities, Damongo and Yendi.

Damongo: innovating the Savannah capital

Located in Ghana’s Savannah Region, Damongo was designated regional capital in 2019. Once a relatively small district town, it is now experiencing rapid growth as it takes on new administrative and economic responsibilities. Surrounded by remarkable natural and cultural assets, including Mole National Park and the historic Larabanga Mosque, Damongo faces the challenge of developing its infrastructure and services while building a distinctive identity rooted in local communities, heritage, nature and productive activities.

How can Damongo grow into an intentionally planned, attractive and sustainable Savannah capital rooted in its communities, heritage, culture, and natural environment?

Yendi: the peaceful and attractive Dagbon capital

Located in the Northern Region, Yendi is the traditional capital of the Dagbon Kingdom and a strategic urban centre along Ghana’s Eastern Corridor. Following the restoration of peace in 2019, the city has an opportunity to renew its development trajectory. Its cultural heritage, agricultural economy and strategic location offer considerable potential, while growing infrastructure needs and urban expansion call for a shared vision of its future.

How can Yendi turn its strategic position as a nodal city and its status as traditional capital of Dagbon into a driver of resilience and sustainable growth?

The Caravan Workshops offer a way to step back and think strategically about their future. In five days per city, mixed teams of professionals work along with local communities, chiefs and municipal teams to build a shared reading of the territory, a spatial vision and a first set of priority moves. These results are designed to feed directly into the local spatial plans of Damongo and Yendi, and to give municipalities and their partners a roadmap they can carry forward.

How it unfolds

The process begins online with a preparatory roundtable bringing together local and international experts. On site, each workshop opens with an immersion phase of guided visits, thematic talks and meetings with local stakeholders, experts and civil society. Participants then work in two multidisciplinary teams, supported by Les Ateliers and local partners. At the half-way point, an exchange forum allows the teams to test their ideas with local actors. Each workshop closes with a public restitution day, where proposals are presented to municipal decision-makers and Ghanaian and international experts.

Apply to the caravan workshops!

The workshops are open to professionals of all ages and nationalities: planners, architects, landscape designers, geographers, economists, environmentalists, engineers, sociologists, artists, agronomists, entrepreneurs, journalists and others. The selection committee will look at professional experience, experience with similar themes, creativity, the ability to communicate in words and drawings, and a capacity to work collaboratively across disciplines and contexts. Participants must be available for the full caravan, from 14 to 25 January 2027.