History was made in the Ga community in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region when the area successfully hosted the first-ever Daha Tournament, a cultural and unity-driven indoor sporting event aimed at promoting indigenous games and positive youth engagement.
Daha, a traditional chess-like game that requires deep thinking, strategy and patience, took centre stage as competitors battled through intense rounds marked by discipline, skill and sportsmanship. A total of sixteen (16) contestants took part in the competition.
The event, themed “Unity Through Play,” drew enthusiastic support from residents, especially the youth of Ga, who turned out in large numbers to cheer on the players.
At the end of the tournament, Hafiz Timbile Adams, a media practitioner, emerged as the overall champion. He was presented with a branded Daha Champion Lacoste shirt and a cash prize of GHS 250. Ayella Abudu Nandong placed first runner-up and received GHS 200, while Aziz Mahama, popularly known as Buundau, finished as second runner-up and took home GHS 150.
Organisers expressed special appreciation to sponsors: Hon. Nuhu Timbile Adams, Gaazienye Sombobo, and Dery Kuusani, for their financial and logistical support that made the maiden edition a success.
Speaking after the event, the organisers called on the general public, particularly stakeholders across the Upper West Region, to support efforts to promote Daha beyond the local community.
“We want to project Daha to the world and scale up this tournament in the coming years to welcome participants from all backgrounds. This is about culture, unity and positive engagement,” an organiser noted.
“Daha” is an indigenous indoor game usually played between two contestants. The instrument for the game is the daha-board, a flat square surface with 30 or 36 small holes. The daha-board could be made on ground, on wood or on cement block. It is accompanied with 24 stones or marbles (12 white and 12 black or any two different colours). Each player takes a set of 12 marbles of same colour which are placed on the daha-board with critical thinking subject to the rules of the game.
The Daha Tournament, held on Friday, January 2, 2026, has been hailed as a bold step towards reviving indigenous games and using sport as a tool for social cohesion. This is the first time in history that a tournament for the Daha game has been held in the world.
