Goyiri, located right along the boundaries of the Upper West and the Northern regions of Ghana, comprises two major tribes: the Gonjas and the Mantina. The community is a Gonja controlled land. The Mantinas (believed to be the nephews of the Gonjas) hail from Mangu which is one of the ancient settlements near Wa, the Upper West regional capital. Mantinas in Goyiri today are predominantly descendants of one Kankpien Mahamuda. Kankpien was orphaned at a very tender age, and was then sent to his uncle home for care and support. He grew up there and was offered a woman for marriage which he happily accepted to settle with and procreate. Today, progeny of Kankpien number around 2,000 residents in Goyiri. Even with these amazing populations, the Mantinas in Goyiri neither belong to the landlords nor the royals. They are just farming settlers.

Rice production is a major economic activity in Goyiri, as the humble village is blessed with rich and fertile swampy valleys suitable for the crop. The land is also endowed with shea trees and fertile soil for other crops such as ‘bambara’ beans, groundnuts and potatoes. Poultry keeping is not left out of their livelihood activities. The youth also engage in smock weaving, with a good lot of them now relocating to Wa because of the market outlet. Shea butter production is also common among their women, and they often engage in buying and selling as well. The Ghana Cedi is the main medium of exchange. Cola nuts are also acceptable for customary transactions.

Interestingly, no other religion is practised in Goyiri except Islam. As a result, they have adopted Idil Fitr and Idil Adhar as their festivals.

The people of Goyiri however, are being confronted by developmental challenges. For several years of formal education in the Ghana, Goyiri can only boast of a primary school in a dilapidated mud thatch building. Children after graduating from the primary school have to travel for close to five kilometres to the nearest Junior high school. Most parents then preferred having their children with them on their farms to having them in school. Earlier, the ‘Makaranta’ (Arabic school) then served as the only educational institution, where the Qur’an was taught in Arabic. It is also a common phenomenon to find most of their young girls migrating to the urban centres, especially southern Ghana in search for menial and head porter jobs popularly called ‘kaayaaye’. Access to portable drinking water is another headache in Goyiri. The close to 3,000 residents in Goyiri depend on only one borehole for their water needs. The nearest health facility (maternity home/clinic) is about seven kilometres away.

To add to their woes in this community, the Local Government Authorities seem to neglect it because of its disadvantaged location. It is much closer to the Upper West region than any part of the Northern region even though it is considered part of the latter. Without any representative voice, they are hardly mentioned in the national development agenda. They are just there! Sometimes in the rainy season Goyiri is cut off from other communities because bad roads.