The West Akim Municipal is one of the thirty-three (33) Districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It was established by Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 1421 of 1988 and Local Government Act 462 of 1993. The district was elevated to a Municipal status in 2008. Asamankese is the Municipal Capital.
In 2012, a portion of the Municipality was carved out to create a new district, the Upper West Akim District Assembly.
Geographical location and size
The West Akim Municipal lies between longitudes 00 25′ West and 00 47′ West and latitudes 500 40′ North and 600.0′ North. It shares boundaries with Denkyembour District to the North; Birim South District to the West; Agona, Awutu-Efutu-Senya and Ga Districts to the South and Suhum Municipal and Upper West Akim District to the East. The total land area of the Municipality is estimated to be 559 km2. The Municipal capital, Asamankese, is about 75 km. North-West of Accra.
The West Akim Municipal Assembly seeks to mobilize resources in partnership with both the public and the private sectors to develop and grow through increase in the incomes its people in its development agenda
The West Akim Municipal Assembly exists to proactively improve upon the quality of life of its people by harnessing the resources for the development of the Municipal Assembly.
To harness both human and physical resources for the development of social and economic infrastructure to increase employment and productivity in order to raise the standard of living of the people in the Municipality
The land is generally undulating with heights ranging between 60 meters and 460 meters above sea level. The highest point is around the Atewa Range, located between Pabi-Wawase and Asamankese in the Northern part of the Municipality, most of which is occupied by the Atewa Range Extension Forest Reserve.
The Municipality is well drained by rivers like Ayensu, Ntoasu, Abukyen, Akora, Supon, Obotwene/Ansing, and Adeiso among others. These flow in the Southern direction. Most of the rivers have their sources in the Atewa Range and a few taking their sources from the Eastern part. The rivers are mostly perennial due to the double maxima rain-fall which feeds them.
The Municipality lies within the wet-semi-equatorial climatic zone which receives rainfall between 1,238mm and 1,660mm. This is characterized by a double maxima rainfall pattern with which supports all-year round plant growth. The major rainy season is from March to June with the heaviest rainfall in June. The second rainfall season is from September to October. The average temperature ranges between 25.20C minimum and 27.90C maximum. Relative humidity is highest during the rainy season of about 80-95% and 55-80% during the dry season.
The Municipality falls within the semi-deciduous forest. The vegetation is mainly characterized by tall trees with evergreen undergrowth and contains valuable economic trees like Odum, Wawa, Sapele, Obeche, Onyina, Emire and others. Scattered particles of secondary forest are characteristic of the vegetation as a result of indiscriminate farming, lumbering, building and mining activities. The West Akim district has about 42 km2 of the Atewa Range Extension Forest Reserve.
Soils and Suitability for Agriculture
The soils of the district can be classified into four main groups, namely:
- Kumasi-Asuansi/Nta-Ofin, Nsaba-Swedru/Nta-Ofin and Bekwai-Nzima/Oda Soil associations
- Atewa/Ansum, Adawso-Bawjiasi/Nta-Ofin, Atewiredu-Katie and Atukrom-Asikuma/Ansum Soil Associations
- Yaya-Bediesi/Bejua, Nyanao-Tinkong/Opimo and Pimpimso-Sutawa/Bejua Soil Associations
- Chichiwere-Ayensu/Kakum and Amo-Tefle Soil Association
The municipality is under-lain with Granite and Birimian rock formation, rich in natural resources including gold, clay deposits, diamonds, forest and water resources.
The natural resources are:
1. Diamond: This is mined at Anomakwadwo
2. Gold: Gold is mined at Akanteng and Awaham.
3. Sand Winning/Stone Quarrying: Sand winning goes on in the district.
The Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462 established the Municipal Assembly as the highest political and administrative authority with the mandate to initiate development and coordinate all activities aimed at sustained development within the area of its jurisdiction.
The Municipal Assembly is headed by the Chief Executive, who is the political head and the Co-ordinating Director is the head of administration of the municipality. The Municipal Assembly has a total of 48 members, comprising 34 elected members, 14 Government Appointees including the Municipal Chief Executive and 1 Member of Parliament. A number of established sub-committees function as operating arms of the Executive Committee and assist in the implementation of specific activities of the Assembly. The sub-district structure is made of 3 Zonal Councils, namely:
- Asamankese Zonal Council
- Osenase Zonal Council
- Brekumanso Zonal Council
The Municipality is under the jurisdiction of Oseawuo division of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council. The festival celebrated by the people of the Municipality is Ohum .The major ethnic groups are the Akans 48.3% followed by the Ewes, 20.7%; people of the Northern origin, 13.8% and the Ga-Adangbe 17.2%.
The Municipality is predominantly Christian constituting about 81.6% of the population, Muslims 8.5%, traditional religions 1.0% and other religion 9.0%.
Table 2.1 shows population size and sex ratio of the Municipal. The total population of West Akim Municipal according to the 2010 population and housing census is 108,298. This is almost three percent of the regional population. The population constitutes sex segregation of 48.2 percent males and 51.8 percent females.
The sex ratio of the Municipal stands at 93.1which shows predominance of females over males in the Municipality. It also implies that for every 100 females there is a corresponding 93 males.
All Localities | ||
District/ Sex | Number | Percent |
Total | 108,298 | 100.0 |
Male | 52,208 | 48.2 |
Female | 56,090 | 51.8 |
Sex Ratio | 93.1 |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
In total there is a household population of 107,095 in the Municipality with an average household per house of 1.7. The average household per house in urban is 2.3 and that of the rural is 1.3. The population per house in the Municipal is 6.8 and average household size is 4.0. The average household size in the urban (3.7 persons per household) is lower than the rural (4.5 persons per household) areas.
Dominant Economic and Agricultural activities
Industry | Both sexes | Male | Female | |||
Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
Total | 45,077 | 100.0 | 21,529 | 100.0 | 23,548 | 100.0 |
Agriculture forestry and fishing | 20,105 | 44.6 | 11,800 | 54.8 | 8,305 | 35.3 |
Mining and quarrying | 769 | 1.7 | 595 | 2.8 | 174 | 0.7 |
Manufacturing | 4,708 | 10.4 | 1,548 | 7.2 | 3,160 | 13.4 |
Electricity gas stream and air conditioning supply | 49 | 0.1 | 40 | 0.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
Water supply; sewerage waste management and remediation activities | 60 | 0.1 | 32 | 0.1 | 28 | 0.1 |
Construction | 863 | 1.9 | 842 | 3.9 | 21 | 0.1 |
Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 8,628 | 19.1 | 1,996 | 9.3 | 6,632 | 28.2 |
Transportation and storage | 1,647 | 3.7 | 1,598 | 7.4 | 49 | 0.2 |
Accommodation and food service activities | 2,311 | 5.1 | 151 | 0.7 | 2,160 | 9.2 |
Information and communication | 52 | 0.1 | 46 | 0.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
Financial and insurance activities | 132 | 0.3 | 86 | 0.4 | 46 | 0.2 |
Real estate activities | 5 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.0 | 2 | 0.0 |
Professional scientific and technical activities | 602 | 1.3 | 252 | 1.2 | 350 | 1.5 |
Administrative and support service activities | 217 | 0.5 | 154 | 0.7 | 63 | 0.3 |
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 377 | 0.8 | 278 | 1.3 | 99 | 0.4 |
Education | 1,820 | 4.0 | 989 | 4.6 | 831 | 3.5 |
Human health and social work activities | 435 | 1.0 | 201 | 0.9 | 234 | 1.0 |
Arts entertainment and recreation | 222 | 0.5 | 186 | 0.9 | 36 | 0.2 |
Other service activities | 1,853 | 4.1 | 624 | 2.9 | 1,229 | 5.2 |
Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods – and services – producing activities of households for own use | 222 | 0.5 | 108 | 0.5 | 114 | 0.5 |
Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Employed population 15 years and older by employment sector and sex
Employment Sector | Both sexes | Male | Female | |||
Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
Total | 45,077 | 100.0 | 21,529 | 100.0 | 23,548 | 100.0 |
Public (Government) | 2,713 | 6.0 | 1,679 | 7.8 | 1,034 | 4.4 |
Private Formal | 1,629 | 3.6 | 1,094 | 5.1 | 535 | 2.3 |
Private Informal | 40,633 | 90.1 | 18,710 | 86.9 | 21,923 | 93.1 |
Semi-Public/Parastatal | 29 | 0.1 | 12 | 0.1 | 17 | 0.1 |
NGOs (Local and International) | 73 | 0.2 | 34 | 0.2 | 39 | 0.2 |
Other International Organizations | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Employed population 15 years and older by occupation and sex
Occupation | Both sexes | Male | Female | |||
Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
Total | 45,077 | 100.0 | 21,529 | 100.0 | 23,548 | 100.0 |
Managers | 889 | 2.0 | 319 | 1.5 | 570 | 2.4 |
Professionals | 2,359 | 5.2 | 1,395 | 6.5 | 964 | 4.1 |
Technicians and associate professionals | 726 | 1.6 | 497 | 2.3 | 229 | 1.0 |
Clerical support workers | 349 | 0.8 | 229 | 1.1 | 120 | 0.5 |
Service and sales workers | 9,053 | 20.1 | 1,610 | 7.5 | 7,443 | 31.6 |
Skilled agricultural forestry and fishery workers | 19,731 | 43.8 | 11,514 | 53.5 | 8,217 | 34.9 |
Craft and related trades workers | 6,964 | 15.4 | 3,007 | 14.0 | 3,957 | 16.8 |
Plant and machine operators and assemblers | 2,573 | 5.7 | 2,368 | 11.0 | 205 | 0.9 |
Elementary occupations | 2,413 | 5.4 | 574 | 2.7 | 1,839 | 7.8 |
Other occupations | 20 | 0.0 | 16 | 0.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Type of agricultural activity by type of locality
Total | Urban | Rural | ||||
Agric Activity | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
Total household | 26,753 | 100 | 14,717 | 100.0 | 12,036 | 100.0 |
Households engage in Agric | 15,238 | 57.0 | 5,432 | 36.9 | 9,806 | 81.5 |
Crop Farming | 14,656 | 96.2 | 5,045 | 92.9 | 9,611 | 98.0 |
Tree Farming | 76 | 0.5 | 46 | 0.8 | 30 | 0.3 |
Livestock Farming | 5,264 | 34.5 | 1,107 | 20.4 | 4,157 | 42.4 |
Fish Farming | 6 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Potentials
The Municipality is endowed with some potential tourist attractions which can be sufficiently developed to generate revenue for the local economy. These are mainly waterfalls, ecotourism, caves, and traditional festivals. The hospitality industries include hotels, restaurants and the traditional ‘chop’ bars.
The municipality’s tourism potentials are mainly scenic and historical. Some of these attractions are:
1. The Atewa Range Forest Reserve which is located at the Northern end of the municipality.
2. Three waterfalls which take their source from the Atewa Range Forest. The summit of the water falls is surrounded by natural vegetation/virgin forest. The three waterfalls are:
i) Kwaku Sae Waterfalls are 20 meters high sited on River Ansome at Amanfrom near Brekumanso.
ii) Akanteng falls is 50 meters high and takes its source from River Emow. It is located South-East of Akanteng near Osenase.
iii) Aworotenteng Falls is 50 meters high and sited on River Pram, 6km away from Kobriso near Akanteng.
3. There are 2 caves which are described as tunnels. These caves can accommodate 10-15 people at a time. These are:
i) Kwaku Yirebi-Odeng Cave: It is situated on top of a hill located 3km west of Kwaku Yirebi village near Sukrong-Amanfi. The cave is 8 meters long, 1.5 meters wide and 2.5m high.
ii) Yokpeh Cave: located on a hill and 5km east of Bunso. The cave has two apartments. The first measures 15.20 me long, 4.5 m wide and 2.5 m high. The second apartment measures 7m long, 4 m wide and 1.5m high.
iii) Stone Carved Oware: Oware is a popular game of Ghanaians. This game has been carved
Functions of the Municipal Assembly
According to Act 936 of 2016 the functions of the Municipal Assembly are as follows:-
(1) Be responsible for the overall development of the Municipality and shall ensure the preparation and submission through the Regional Co-ordinating Council:-
(i) Of development plans of the Municipality to the commission for approval; and
(ii) Of the budget of the municipality related to the approved plans to the Minister of Finance for Approval.
(2) Formulate and execute plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of the resources necessary for the overall development of the Municipality.
(3) Promote and support productive activity and social development in the Municipality and remove any obstacle to initiative and development.
(4) Initiate programmes for the development of basic infrastructure and improve Municipal works and services in the Municipality.
(5) Be responsible for development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment in the municipality.
(6) In co-operation with the appropriate national and local security agencies are responsible for the maintenance of security and public safety in the Municipality.
(7) Ensure ready access to courts in the Municipality for the promotion of justice.
List of Departments, Agencies and Services over Which the Assembly Has Oversight Responsibilities
The Municipal Assembly has oversight responsibilities as well as working relationship with the following Departments, Agencies and Services:-
Works Department
Physical Planning Department
Department of Trade and Industry
Department of Social Welfare and Community Development
Department of Agriculture
Finance Department
Department of Education, Youth and Sports
Disaster Prevention and Management
Municipal Health Department
Waste Management Department
National Youth Council
Land Valuation Board
National Commission for Civil Education (NCCE)
Non- Formal Education Division (NFED)
Rent Control
Labour Office
Municipal Health Insurance Scheme
Services
Ghana Police Service
Ghana Fire Service
Cocoa Services Division
Ghana Immigration Service
Information Service
Department of Statistical Service
Department of Meteorology