Ahafo Ano South District

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Ahafo Ano South
Location of the Ahafo Ano South district within the Ashanti region
country GhanaGhana Ghana
region Ashanti region
Capital Mankranso
District shape common
District Chief Executive Kwaku Obeng Boateng
surface 1,126 km²
population 160,495 (2006)
Population density 143 Ew. / km²
ISO 3166-2 GH-AH-AS

The Ahafo Ano South district is located in the center of Ghana in the Ashanti region . It borders within the Ashanti region on the districts of Ahafo Ano North (to the west) and Atwima Mponua . It also borders on the neighboring Brong-Ahafo region . Chief Executive of the 1,126 km² district with approx. 85,936 inhabitants (2006) is Kwaku Obeng Boateng . The district is only about 32 kilometers northwest of Kumasi , the capital of the region, on the road between Kumasi and Sunyani .

geography

The district is located on the Ashanti highlands at an altitude between 175 and 600 meters above sea level. The largest rivers are Mankran , Abu and Aboabo ; the Abu is the largest of the three river systems and is fed by the Kwamisa Hills (Kwamisa Hills). The vast majority of the district is overgrown with rainforest, in which hardwoods that are important for forestry and export, such as Wawa , Esa , Odum and Kokorudua, grow . Six smaller forest reserves (Ink, Opuro River, Kwamisa, Asufufu, Shelta Basin and Offin North) have been created throughout the district. These reserves cover a total area of ​​approx. 300 km².

administration

The District Assembly was first convened in 1988. The district assembly consists of 42 elected and 18 appointed members plus the district chief executive. The member of parliament of the constituency in the district is also a member of the district assembly by virtue of office (ex-officio member).

The district assembly is the highest political body and most important administrative unit in the district. In addition to legislation, the assembly is responsible for the implementation of the law and administration. As is customary in the districts, committees are formed among the members of the district assembly. These committees are chaired by the Executive Committee chaired by the Chief Executive and are responsible for implementing and coordinating the decisions of the specialist committees. In the Ahafo Ano South District, the specialist committees for finance, social affairs, labor, justice and security, public relations, development planning and the environment have been appointed. Another 14 departments have been entrusted with the more detailed daily work.

The district assembly is divided into ten Area Councils, which in turn have 42 electoral areas for the respective seats in the district assembly, which are filled by election and not by appointment.

economy

Agriculture

Agriculture plays a crucial role in the microeconomy within the district boundaries. Around 62 percent of employees work in agriculture. Farmers can work on fertile soil. Mainly cocoa , citrus fruits, palm oil , plantains , yam , corn and various vegetables like okra and tomatoes are grown. Ahafo Ano South District is the region's largest cocoa producer. Every year around 7500 tons of cocoa are grown here, mainly in the growing areas around Kunsu, Wioso and Mpasaso.

The district is the second largest vegetable producer in the Ashanti region. A large part of the harvest is sold on the supraregional markets in Accra , Kumasi and other cities in Ghana. It should be noted, however, that there is a lack of adequate storage capacity, especially for fresh produce, which considerably restricts the productivity of the district. The cultivation of rice has also increased significantly in recent years. Most of the time it is still being cultivated in the context of subsistence farming and has not yet become an important asset in the district.

Overall, almost the entire agricultural sector in the district is based on subsistence farming, which, with traditional cultivation methods such as slash and burn, contributes significantly to the loss of area of ​​the rainforest. The average acreage is one to two acres. Due to the lack of artificial irrigation systems, the success of the harvest in the district depends largely on unchanged rainfall.

Livestock farming is also growing in importance. Most of the settlements already have significant populations of poultry, sheep, goats and (less often) cattle. These cattle are also usually kept for their own consumption as a protein supplier. In the district, unlike, for example, in the neighboring district of Ahafo Ano North, there is no veterinarian on duty who can monitor and improve the health of the livestock. This fact is currently significantly inhibiting the expansion of an income-generating livestock industry. The keeping of cattle in particular is considerably restricted due to the dense forest cover.

The Ahafo Ano South district is one of 21 districts in Ghana that offer very good foundations for the establishment of fish farms. Especially in the areas around Dwinyama, Kunsu, Biemso I, Biemso II and Akwatiakrom there are currently places with established fish farms. A total of 25 farms on an area of ​​4.29 hectares are currently active. Mainly Tilapia , Koboo (Schlakenkopf / Koboo) and Chrsialithys (Kontro) are bred.

In the entire agricultural sector, the main problems lie in the low productivity of farms, the lack of extensive artificial irrigation, the lack of small lenders , the lack of storage capacity and the lack of training of farmers in modern cultivation methods. The conflicting interests with regard to the preservation of the rainforest and the expansion of land-intensive agriculture with large fields is an increasing stumbling block for the further development of agriculture towards larger and more productive farms.

A significant deterioration in water quality can already be seen today, as some businesses, especially those of vegetable growers, endanger the groundwater through the use of chemicals. Overall, around 80 percent of the district is suitable for agricultural cultivation. Only about 60 percent of the usable land is cultivated. Resistance to the established forest protection areas is growing on the part of farmers who want to use more areas for cultivation.

forestry

Illegal logging has decimated the district's slow-growing hardwood stocks considerably. The effects of illegal logging have become particularly evident in the areas around Attakrom, Dwinyama, Wioso and Mpasaso. Also, bamboo is in addition to the hardwoods an important factor in the timber industry.

Mining sector

In the district there are deposits of gold , bauxite , manganese , clay and sandstone deposits. The areas around Kunsu, Sabronum and Barniekrom are considered gold deposits. In Kunsu, Dwinyama and Sabronum there are already traditional mines from the time of the pre-colonial kingdoms. This branch of the economy seems to offer even greater expansion opportunities in the future.

Bauxite deposits can be found in the Aya Hills and the Mpasaso area. Manganese can be found in Asirebuso Camp, a facility about 5 kilometers south of Mpasaso.

population

The total population in the district in 1984 was 81,828 people. In 2000, a census found a population of 133,632 and an average annual growth rate of 3.1 percent. The growth rate exceeds the growth rate of the region, which is only around 2.5 percent on an annual average. These results correspond to one of 3.7 percent based on the entire Ashanti region. According to current projections, 160,495 people were living in the district in 2006. Men make up 55.2 percent of the population and women 44.8 percent. That means 123.2 men for every 100 women. In addition to the high birth rate and low child mortality, immigration to this district is a major factor in the information on the population.

Rural settlement dominates the entire district. About 48.2 percent of the total population of the district live in 20 larger settlement areas, especially along the major roads such as the Kumasi-Sunyani route and the Mankranso-Tepa route. A large part of the total population of the district lives along these two connecting roads. Of the approximately 160 settlements in the district, Sabronum, Adugyama and Mankranso have a population of more than 5000 people. 25 other larger settlements have a population of 1000 to 5000 people.

In an average household in the district, seven people live under one roof, the national average is five people in one household. Of the households in the district, 54.8 percent, i.e. around 100,530, live in their own houses, 35.2 percent of the households rent or live in accommodation provided by relatives free of charge.

Energy sources and water

Of the households in the district, 92 percent only have kerosene lamps as a light source, 6 percent of households are connected to the electrical network, and 2 percent use other light sources. The main source of energy for cooking in the households in the district is wood from the neighboring forests. Over 90 percent of households depend on wood as an energy source, 10 percent use other energy sources.

A total of 1.7 percent of households have access to fresh water pipes, 55 percent of households use wells for the water supply. The remaining 43.3 percent of households get their water supply from natural water sources such as rivers, streams or ponds. Only 0.7 percent of households have toilet facilities. These toilets are mostly shared with a small neighborhood. Over 90 percent of households are therefore dependent on public toilets, which are relatively extensive in the heavily inhabited part of the district. Approx. 9.3 percent of the population has no access to toilet facilities.

Age and gender structure

Of the total population, the age group between 0 and 14 years makes up 47 percent and therefore the largest population group. In the age group of the 15 to 59-year-old economically productive population, 40.5 percent can be classified, over 60 years make up a total of 12.5 percent of the district's residents.

Education sector

The district has 89 primary schools, 48 junior secondary schools and one senior secondary school in Mankranso. The main problem in education is the lack of trained staff, especially in pre-school areas such as kindergartens.

All in all, all municipalities with a population of over 500 have a primary school. Despite primary schools, a certain proportion of school-age children do not start school. There are 389 teachers working in primary schools, 72 percent of whom have had adequate training. On average, there are 34 pupils per teacher in primary school, the national average is 35 school children.

In 2001, the school enrollment rate in Junior Secondary School was around 39 percent. Only 7 percent of these students are girls. A junior secondary school teacher has an average of 20 students compared to the national average of 25 students. There are 18 teachers working at the only Senior Secondary School in the district in Mankranso. There are an average of 25 students per teacher, the national average is 20: 1. This makes the Ahafo Ano South District the district with the poorest supply of higher education in the entire Ashanti region.

Constituencies

In the Ahafo Ano South district, only one constituency of the same name is shown. In the last parliamentary elections in 2004, Stephen Kwaku Balado Manu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was elected as a direct constituency candidate in the Ghanaian parliament.

Important localities in Ahafo Ano North

See also

Web links