Atwima Nwabiagya District

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Atwima Nwabiagya
Location of the Atwima Nwabiagya district within the Ashanti region
country GhanaGhana Ghana
region Ashanti region
Capital Nkawie
District shape common
District Chief Executive Ofori Donkor
surface 349 km²
population 153,039 (2006)
Population density 439 Ew. / km²

The Atwima Nwabiagya District is one of 138 districts in Ghana . It is located in the center of the country in the Ashanti region and is one of 21 regional districts. The Atwima Nwabiagya district was founded in 2004 as one of 19 new districts after the former Atwima district with a size of 2,411 km² and a population of 234,759 was divided into the Atwima Mponua and Atwima Nwabiagya districts.

The Atwima Nwabiagya District borders the Amansie West , Atwima Mponua , Ahafo Ano South , Offinsi , Afigia Sekyere , Kwabre , Kumasi Metropolitan and Bosomtwe / Atwima / Kwanhuma districts . Ofori Donkor , based in the district capital Nkawie, is the chief executive .

geography

The Atwima Nwabiagya District has an annual rainfall between 1700 and 1850 mm. The main precipitation falls in the two rainy seasons between March and July and between September and November. The average temperatures are between 27 ° C (August) and 31 ° C (March). The average humidity in the district is between 87 and 91 percent.

Atwima Nwabiagya is on average 77 meters above sea level. The highest points are in the municipalities of Barekese and Tabere. The Offin and Owabi Rivers are the two largest drainage systems. The Kobi and Dwahyen rivers also flow through the district. In Owabi and Barekese the Owabi and the Offin are dammed up to supply fresh water to Kumasi , the second largest city in Ghana and the capital of the Ashanti region .

In years with higher levels of precipitation, rivers and streams overflow their banks in many places, resulting in heavy flooding. In years with low rainfall, the smaller rivers dry up completely, especially in the dry season between February and March.

population

Mainly members of the Akan peoples (77.4 percent) live in the district . The Mossi make up about 9.1 percent, the Ewe make up 2.9 percent of the population. A further 10.6 percent are made up of a large number of other races. The most widely spoken language in the district is Twi .

In 2000, a census showed a population of 129,375 for the district. Its population is growing by 3 percent annually, so that, according to projections, around 153,039 people lived in the district in 2006. There are slightly more men than women (101: 100).

The population density is 439 people per km² after the districts of Kumasi Metropolitan and Kwabre, the highest in the entire Ashanti region. A total of 26.6 percent of the population (approx. 34,449 people) live in the area around Abuakwa, which is the most populous municipality in the district. The area around the municipality of Afari, however, has the lowest population with only 8,929 people (6.9 percent).

About 64 percent of the population live in an urban environment, 36 percent live in rural areas. Large parts of the population are already migrating to the nearby regional capital Kumasi . The average household size in the district is 5.7 people, above the regional average of 5.3.

A total of 43.2 percent of the population are under 15 years old. The age group 0–4 years alone represents 15.5 percent of the district population, the age group 5–9 represents 15.8 percent. Only 6.2 percent of the population are over 64 years old. As a result, 50.6 percent of the population are of working age between 15 and 64.

75.7 percent of the population is assigned to Christianity, 13.2 percent to Islam, 1.3 percent to traditional religions, 0.9 percent to other religious communities and approx. 9.0 percent to no religion. The population lives in a total of 126 settlements, of which only 5 have a population of over 5,000.

economy

The main industry in the Atwima Nwabiagya District is agriculture. 50.76 percent of the working-age population work in this area. 17.41 percent of the population are employed in industrial companies, around 14.43 percent in trade and sales. The service sector provides a source of income for 17.40 percent.

The average household of 5.7 people in the district lives on about 400 US dollars a year. These average incomes can also be described as very low for the living conditions prevailing in the district.

Agriculture

Agriculture is an important element of the economy in Atwima Nwabiagya District. The farms mostly work in subsistence farming . Few farms are commercially oriented.

Mainly corn, cassava , yams , ginger , palm oil , rice, citrus fruits, cocoa , plantains and a variety of other vegetables are grown . The district is one of the largest producers of citrus fruits in Ghana. Due to the particularly suitable climatic conditions, 12,000 hectares of agricultural land alone are used for growing citrus fruits. In addition to the local and regional market, Burkina Faso and other neighboring countries are also supplied. Rice was grown on an area of ​​2,515 ha, maize on 10,955 ha, cassava on 21,086 ha, plantain on 14,519 ha and yam on 1,838 ha in 2004.

The district is also known for its large poultry farms such as Darko Farms , Asare Farms and Mfum Farms. Goats, sheep, pigs and cattle are also kept.

The farm size is rather small. Farmers also have the problem of heavily fragmented cultivated areas and therefore long distances to be covered, which result in low productivity. Equipping farmers with work equipment is also traditional. It was only in the last few years that artificial fertilizers were used for the first time. So far, farmers have to go to Kumasi , for example to buy suitable seeds or fertilizers.

A large part of the harvests is lost every year due to a completely lacking or unsuitable storage facility. The improvement in storage methods between 2002 and 2005 resulted in a reduction in crop failure from 45 percent in 2002 to 30 percent in 2005. In order to prevent a partial total loss of the harvest, many farmers sell the products at very low, barely profitable prices.

To date, 39 agricultural interest groups have been established throughout Atwima Nwabiagya District. These organizations are designed to help farmers get higher prices. As a rule, farmers sell their surpluses to middlemen, who previously dictated prices.

Fishing and fish farms

In Mfensi, large parts of the population are employed in fishing. Only 20 fish farms have been established in the entire district. These “fish farms” take up only about 12 hectares of the total land area of ​​the district.

Industry

Industrial companies can be found in the textile industry, furniture production and haulage industry, metal processing and in the food processing sector (mills). In the Akropong settlement alone, 29.4 percent of all industrial companies opened in the district were founded. In the municipality of Abuakwa 23.8 percent, in Nkawie Toase 19.3 percent and Barekese 15.6 percent. 30 percent of the companies in this sector are active in the textile industry. 9.5 percent of the companies in the district process palm oil, 7.4 percent process leather and manufacture leather goods, and 3.3 percent of all companies work in the manufacture of ceramics.

Trade and sales

12 percent of the working population work in the trade and sale of goods and goods. In essence, the trading operations are very small businesses, often just retail operations with no employees. Goods are traded and sold especially along the streets in the district. Three major markets are held in the district. The Abuakwa market is held daily, the Nkawie and Barekese markets weekly. Smaller markets are held in Atwima Koforidua, Akropong, Asuafua, Achiase, Maakro, Sepaase, Besease, Fufuo and Agogo.

Services

The service sector in the district consists of 52 percent of businesses from hairdressers. The traditional chop bars and other small businesses offer groceries. Among all companies in the service sector, 16.8 percent of all service companies are found in this area.

14.8 percent of the businesses in the service sector work as barbers or barbers, 7.1 percent in trade, 4.2 percent are bicycle and car repair businesses, and 1.4 percent of the businesses are in the hotel industry.

Water supply and infrastructure

About 50 percent of the people living in rural areas depend on natural bodies of water such as rivers for their drinking water supply. There is good access to tap water in Barekese and Owabi. In the dry season, the supply from rivers and smaller wells is sometimes problematic, as these can dry out. The extraction of water from natural bodies of water in particular often has health consequences for the population, who can develop schistosomiasis, for example. The Afari and Barekese settlement areas are particularly affected. Around 80 percent of the district can be supplied with water from mobile water tanks even during the dry season.

About 11.43 percent of the population have access to a total of 15 public toilets. Another 9.55 percent of the district's population can already access their own sanitary facilities.

There are three banks operating in the district. The Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. has branches in Nkawie, Atwima Mponua Rural Bank has branches in Toase, Abuakwa and Akropong and Nwabigya Rural Bank has branches in Berekese and Abuakwa.

education

There are 60 kindergartens, 90 elementary schools, 57 junior secondary schools and 4 senior secondary schools in the Atwima Nwabiagya District . Another four educational establishments in Nerebehi, Sepaase, Maakro and Toase offer training in handicrafts, tailoring or computer courses.

In primary schools there are slightly more boys than girls among the pupils in all schools with the exception of one settlement area. In the Junior Secondary Schools around 53.3 percent of all students are boys and 46.8 percent are girls. On average, 74 percent of all school-age children receive primary school education. In senior secondary schools, 66.15 percent of all students are boys and 33.85 percent are girls. In the past, the number of girls with higher education has increased significantly.

580 teachers are employed at all primary schools. 18.64 percent of all teachers have no vocational training. In elementary schools, 26.37 percent of 580 teachers have no professional training. 551 teachers are employed at junior secondary schools, of whom only 15.60 percent have no professional training.

Constituencies

The Atwima Nwabiagya district forms a constituency of the same name. Owusu-Bio Benito won the seat in the Ghanaian parliament for the New Patriotic Party in the general elections in 2004.

Important localities

See also

Web links