Wa's Naa Yiri, or Chief's Palace, is a major landmark in the town of Wa. Before being a remarkable feature of the architectural landscape, it represents the heart of the Wala community, reflecting its social cohesion and traditional system of government. The palace, listed as a national monument, is the official residence of the king (Naa) of the Wala, the dominant population group in the region. The Naa Yiri houses the king himself, his wives, children and relatives. It is the community's nerve center for social, religious, political and spiritual activities. In front of the palace is the cemetery of the previous Naas.

The Naa Yiri is a solid earthen building in the Sudan-Sahel style, a style that is now rare in the sub-region. The decline of the Palace and the dismal image offered by the ruined structure until 2009 particularly affected the population, who couldn't resign themselves to losing their palace.
The deterioration of Naa Yiri is relatively recent, dating back to the 1980s. There are both political and technical reasons for this. Like most earthen buildings in the region, the palace received a cement coating in the 1970s, which trapped moisture and led to the inexorable degradation of the interior structure. The neglect resulting from succession disputes following the death of the previous Naa only exacerbated the situation. Neither the families traditionally in charge of maintenance, nor the technicians of the Ghana Museums and Museums Board have been able to intervene over the last 2 decades.