It is located in the north of the country and was created in December 2018 after a referendum was voted upon to break it off of the Northern region.

The creation of this new region was in fulfillment of a promise made by the New Patriotic Party prior to the 2016 Ghana general election.

Upon winning the elections, the President, Nana Akuffo Addo created the Ministry of Regional Reorganization to oversee policy formulation and implementation, and Hon.

The North East Region is much drier than southern areas of Ghana, due to its proximity to the Sahel, and the Sahara.

The temperatures can vary between 17 °C (63 °F) at night and 47 °C (117 °F) during the day.The Nayiri is the King (overlord) of Mamprugu traditional area of which the entire region is a part.

However, there are also Dagombas, Bimobas, Konkombas, Talensis, Tampulma, Bissa, Mossis, Chakosis and Hausas who have settled in the area.

The District is a multi-religious one with the dominant religions being Christianity, Islam and Traditional African Religion.More than 85% of the economically active population are agricultural.