Introduction

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.

Vision

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

Mission statement 

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.

Goal

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

Physical Features

Relief and Drainage

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.

Climate

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.

Vegetation

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

Geology

The municipality is under-lain with Granite and Birimian rock formation, rich in natural resources including gold, clay deposits, diamonds, forest and water resources. 

Natural 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. 

Political Administration

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

Cultural and Social Structure

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%. 

Demographic characteristics

Population size and sex

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/ SexNumberPercent
Total108,298100.0
Male52,20848.2
Female56,09051.8
Sex Ratio93.1

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Household Size

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

IndustryBoth sexesMaleFemale
NumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercent
Total45,077100.021,529100.023,548100.0
Agriculture forestry and fishing20,10544.611,80054.88,30535.3
Mining and quarrying7691.75952.81740.7
Manufacturing4,70810.41,5487.23,16013.4
Electricity gas stream and air conditioning supply490.1400.290.0
Water supply; sewerage waste management and remediation activities600.1320.1280.1
Construction8631.98423.9210.1
Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles8,62819.11,9969.36,63228.2
Transportation and storage1,6473.71,5987.4490.2
Accommodation and food service activities2,3115.11510.72,1609.2
Information and communication520.1460.260.0
Financial and insurance activities1320.3860.4460.2
Real estate activities50.030.020.0
Professional scientific and technical activities6021.32521.23501.5
Administrative and support service activities2170.51540.7630.3
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security3770.82781.3990.4
Education1,8204.09894.68313.5
Human health and social work activities4351.02010.92341.0
Arts entertainment and recreation2220.51860.9360.2
Other service activities1,8534.16242.91,2295.2
Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods – and services – producing activities of households for own use2220.51080.51140.5
Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies00.000.000.0

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Employed population 15 years and older by employment sector and sex

Employment SectorBoth sexesMaleFemale
NumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercent
Total45,077100.021,529100.023,548100.0
Public (Government)2,7136.01,6797.81,0344.4
Private Formal1,6293.61,0945.15352.3
Private Informal40,63390.118,71086.921,92393.1
Semi-Public/Parastatal290.1120.1170.1
NGOs (Local and International)730.2340.2390.2
Other International Organizations00.000.000.0

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Employed population 15 years and older by occupation and sex

OccupationBoth sexesMaleFemale
NumberPercentNumberPercentNumberPercent
Total45,077100.021,529100.023,548100.0
Managers8892.03191.55702.4
Professionals2,3595.21,3956.59644.1
Technicians and associate professionals7261.64972.32291.0
Clerical support workers3490.82291.11200.5
Service and sales workers9,05320.11,6107.57,44331.6
Skilled agricultural forestry and fishery workers19,73143.811,51453.58,21734.9
Craft and related trades workers6,96415.43,00714.03,95716.8
Plant and machine operators and assemblers2,5735.72,36811.02050.9
Elementary occupations2,4135.45742.71,8397.8
Other occupations200.0160.140.0

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Type of agricultural activity by type of locality

 TotalUrbanRural
Agric ActivityNumber%Number%Number%
Total household26,75310014,717100.012,036100.0
Households engage in Agric15,23857.05,43236.99,80681.5
Crop Farming14,65696.25,04592.99,61198.0
Tree Farming760.5460.8300.3
Livestock Farming5,26434.51,10720.44,15742.4
Fish Farming60.030.130.0

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Potentials

Tourism

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:-

Departments

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

Subvented Organizations    

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

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