This page discusses the Ghanaian kingdom of Gonja; for uses for the word Ganja, see Ganja (disambiguation) Gonja (also Ghanjawiyyu) was a kingdom in northern Ghana; the word can also refer to the people of this kingdom. The Gonja are a Guan people who have been influenced by Akan, Mande and Hausa people. With the fall of the Songhai Empire (c. 1600), the Mande Ngbanya clan moved south, crossing the Black Volta and founding a city at Yagbum. Under the leadership of Naba'a, who reigned from 1552/3 to 1582/3, the Ngbanya dynasty of Gonja was founded. The capital was established at Yagbum.