About Shama District
INTRODUCTION
The Shama District Assembly (SDA) was created by a Legislative Instrument (LI 1882) in December, 2007 as the highest Political and Administrative Authority, pursuant to section 12 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), and thus became one of the fourteen (14) administrative Districts in the Western Region, promoting and executing development in its jurisdiction. The District was carved out of the former Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) with Shama town as its administrative Capital. Officially, it was inaugurated in March 2008.
COMPOSITION OF THE SHAMA DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
The Assembly has a membership of 27, made up of the following;
- The District Chief Executive
- The Member of Parliament
- 17 Elected Assembly Members
- 8 Government Appointees
SUB-DISTRICT STRUCTURES (AREA COUNCILS)
The Assembly has the following Sub-Structures:
- Shama Area Council
- Shama Junction Area Council
- Inchaban Area Council
- Aboadze Abuesi Area Council
- Assorko Essaman Area Council
- Supomu Dunkwa Area Council
LOCATION AND SIZE
The Shama District is located in the Western Region of Ghana. It is located 15km East of Secondi (Western Regional Capital) and 265km west of the national capital, Accra. Its absolute location lies between latitude 5.0370° N, 1.6566° W and longitude -1º 63’ E and 48º 40’W. It is bordered to the West by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, East by the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District in the Central region, North by the Mpohor and Wassa East Districts and South by the Gulf of Guinea. The total land area of the district is 193.7 km2 representing about 1% of the entire Western Region.
DISTRICT POPULATION
Development planning is a human-centered endeavor and hence human beings are taking into serious consideration in the pursuance of any development agenda. These people make up the population of a given area and therefore, it is necessary to know their number in a particular geographical area at a given time for decision making.
Sequel to the above, the total population of the Shama District compiled over the years revealed that there were 81,966 people in 2010 (GSS/PHC, 2010). With a growth rate of 3.2%, the population of the district was estimated as 112,875 in 2020 and the outcome of the 2021 PHC conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service, the actual population of the district was revealed as 117,224 in 2021, representing 5.7% of the regional population of 2,060,585. The increase in the size of the population is attributed to high fertility, increase in business attraction and migratory processes, which are considered as determinants of population change. The figure also revealed that, the population of the district grew by 70% within just ten (10) years) and if this trend should continue, the Shama District will contain a population of 286,027 by the end of 2031. This calls for effective population control measures to avoid any population explosion, congestion and other associated challenges in the future.
Again, per the data from the PHC 2021, Out of the total population, 60,104 are females which represent 51.2% and 57,210 are males representing 48.80%. The rural population of the district is 41,613 represent 35.5% of the entire population whilst the urban population is 75,611 represent 64.5%. The district has a very youthful population with 45% of the population being young people. This creates a great opportunity for a vibrant workforce which support the industrialisation drive of the district.
VISION STATEMENT
To become the preferred gateway to Western Region with enhanced economic opportunities within a good governance system.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Shama District Assembly exists to improve the living standards of the people through the provision of quality socio-economic infrastructural services within the context of good governance.
BRIEF PROFILE OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
The major economic activities in the district are in the areas of Agriculture, human development, productivity and employment, Infrastructure, Energy and Human Settlement Development and Transportation.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture plays a vital role in the socio-economic development of the Shama district. According to GSS/PHC 2010, 29 percent of the districts’ population is engaged in agriculture; however, 32.4 percent of the economically active population (15-64) are into agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The Agriculture sector comprises crops, livestock, fisheries, agroforestry and non-traditional commodities. Crop farming (92.7 percent) is the major agricultural activity undertaken by agricultural households in the district, livestock (4.0 percent), agroforestry or tree planting (3.1 percent) and fisheries (0.2 percent).
CROP PRODUCTION
The statistics of the agricultural produce especially crops and area of cultivation, as at December, 2021 are presented below:
- Maize – 9200 metric ton
- Rice – 3012 metric ton
- Cassava – 270,0018 Metric ton
And that of Cash crops are as follows:
- Oil Palm- 13,645.52 hectares
- Coconut – 10,440 hectares
The total land area of arable land under cultivation in 2021 was 88% which is an increase from 5.2% in 2020. Number of Farmers in the district 34,898. With Female Farmers being 18,427 and Male Farmers being 16,471.
INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE
The major industries in the district are in the areas of tiles and ceramic production, Cement, Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Shoes and carpentry works. Majority of them are however operating on a small scale and requires expansion to medium and large scale in order to serve the people more satisfactorily.
There are over Seven Hundred and twenty-Nine (729) micro and Small Enterprises in various agro-processing, farm based, agro industrial and traditional craft and other business development services. There are nineteen (19) fuel stations, three gas filling stations (LPG), five (5) major hotels and over 10 guests’ houses, one major banking institution and eighteen (18) other financial centres (small scale in most cases and some are defunct), and some food venders/ventures/restaurants, shopping malls/shops among others.
17 of the Enterprises focus on agriculture, 15 into manufacturing and 23 into services. The rest of the enterprises are either into agribusiness, food and beverages and fabrication/carpentry and shoe making. These are however operating on very small scale.
Commercial activities in the district consist of wholesale and retail of consumables, industrial and agricultural commodities. Commercial activities in the district are dominated by females who are into petty trading, street hawking among others. They operate largely in the informal economy and hence are subjected to the challenges that bedevilled the sector. Retail trading is dominated by petty trading where traders sell household consumables, household non consumables items, building materials, and clothing. The District has seven markets centres located at Aboadze, Abuesi, Essaman, Inchaban, Beposo, Shama Junction and Shama with Beposo as the largest and busiest market in the district. The Beposo market occurs weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays and it is said to have the most infrastructure in the district. This area experience brisk business activities, particularly on the market days.
INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE
The major industries in the district are in the areas of tiles and ceramic production, Cement, Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Shoes and carpentry works. Majority of them are however operating on a small scale and requires expansion to medium and large scale in order to serve the people more satisfactorily.
There are over Seven Hundred and twenty-Nine (729) micro and Small Enterprises in various agro-processing, farm based, agro industrial and traditional craft and other business development services. There are nineteen (19) fuel stations, three gas filling stations (LPG), five (5) major hotels and over 10 guests’ houses, one major banking institution and eighteen (18) other financial centres (small scale in most cases and some are defunct), and some food venders/ventures/restaurants, shopping malls/shops among others.
17 of the Enterprises focus on agriculture, 15 into manufacturing and 23 into services. The rest of the enterprises are either into agribusiness, food and beverages and fabrication/carpentry and shoe making. These are however operating on very small scale.
Commercial activities in the district consist of wholesale and retail of consumables, industrial and agricultural commodities. Commercial activities in the district are dominated by females who are into petty trading, street hawking among others. They operate largely in the informal economy and hence are subjected to the challenges that bedevilled the sector. Retail trading is dominated by petty trading where traders sell household consumables, household non consumables items, building materials, and clothing. The District has seven markets centres located at Aboadze, Abuesi, Essaman, Inchaban, Beposo, Shama Junction and Shama with Beposo as the largest and busiest market in the district. The Beposo market occurs weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays and it is said to have the most infrastructure in the district. This area experience brisk business activities, particularly on the market days.
FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL INSTITUTTION
Financial services in the district have seen a steady improvement over the years. These institutions are of great relevance to the economic development of the district. They make loans accessible to potential investors/businessmen/women both in the formal and informal sectors of the economy. In some cases, they provide start-up capital to the youth to start their business and hence helping create employment for them. They also provide the avenue where people can save and accumulate capital for investment. Lower Pra Rural Bank PLC which has its headquarters in Shama is the oldest and major bank in the district.
With the increase usage of mobile telecommunication gadgets, mobile money has become one of the growing avenues for financial transactions. These mobile money vendors can be found in every community in the district. It is used to make payment for goods and services and also to transfer money from one user to another. This has improved money transfer and financial transaction especially among those in the informal sector.
ROAD NETWORK AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICE
The Accra-Takoradi trans-national highway passes through the District and it serves as a major transportation route for the district’s inhabitants. It is important to note that most of the tarred roads are in the southern (Coastal) zone of the District. The district has a total length of 242.9 km road network out of which 236.87 are engineered with gravel, bitumen or paved surfaces while 6.03km remain unengineered with clay surfaces. However, the interior region of the district is largely served by tarred roads with potholes/rough surfaces which are often rendered impassable, especially during the rainy season thereby inhibiting the movement of farmers and their farm produce and hence affecting the socio-economic activities of the people.
WATER
The Inchaban Water Treatment Plant supplies water to households and industries in most part of the district as well as the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. This makes the district an important player in ensuring water security in major parts of the region. A significant proportion of households have access to public tap/standpipe (44.3%) and pipe-borne water outside dwelling (34.2%), while a relative lower proportion (10.3%) use pipe-borne inside dwelling as their main source of water for drinking. Approximately 11.2% of households sourced water from rivers, well and borehole. Small Town water projects have been implemented in communities including Supomu-Dunkwa and mechanized bores at Abotareyie, Krobo, Beposo and Ata ne Ata communities.
The Assembly plan to provide Small town water systems for the major towns which are not connected to the Ghana Water Company Limited supply system.
SANITATION
The 2010 Population and Housing Census indicated that, the main type of toilet facility used in the Shama District was public toilet (46.6%) followed by pit latrine (11.2%), WC (9.6%) and KVIP (9.4%). A significant proportion (22.6%) of households in the District do not have toilet facilities (PHC Report, 2013). The use of public toilets in the rural areas (48.7%) is higher than the patronage of public toilet in urban areas (44.9%). More urban households (12.1%) use the WC with 6.4 percent of rural households using the same facility. On the other hand, 17.4 percent of rural households use the pit latrine than 6.3 percent of households in urban areas. The proportion of households without toilet facilities (use of bush/beach and field as place of convenience) in urban areas (27.8%) is higher than rural households (16.0%). Bucket or pan toilet facility is the lowest (0.2%) facility patronized in the District.
The disposal of liquid waste on the surroundings and in the gutter is quite predominant in the District with proportions of 30.1 percent and 30.0 percent respectively. The use of the sewerage system (2.0%) as a means of disposing liquid waste is very low in the District, with the proportion of urban areas (3.3 %) higher than the rural areas (0.3%). The consequence of poor liquid waste disposal is the contamination of surface and ground waters. This goes at length to affect the cost of water treatment and the health of aquatic life, and also present serious implication for health.
The main means of solid waste disposal in the District are public dump in open spaces (58.2%) and public dump in containers (26.1%). Public dump (open spaces) in rural areas which constitutes 68 percent of the means of solid waste disposal is relatively higher than in urban areas (50.4%). Besides the two major means of waste disposal, 7.6 percent of households burned their solid waste, while the proportions for this category are 9.7 percent and 5.9 percent in rural and urban areas respectively. More rural households (6.1%) than urban households (1.9%) dump their waste indiscriminately in the Shama District.
ELECTRICITY
The Shama District is blessed with an energy enclave which is classified as a security zone. The district hosts the largest share of the national grid with a capacity of 920 MW Generation Capacity. The area has three major instalments producing this capacity of power for the nation. These are Aboadze Thermal (330 MW), TICO/TAQA (340MW), Ameri Power Plant (250MW).
However, due to the fact that the country has not still reached its fullest potential in the energy production mix, the district is pursuing the establishment of clean energy through Waste to Energy concept. Relevant investors are being sought after to attract them to invest in this project.
TOURISM
The district has a great deal of tourism potentials which can be harnessed for development. It employs people including hoteliers and restaurateurs, tour guards.
The district has fine beaches with large expanse of coastlines which can be developed into hospitality avenues through investing in hotels, resorts and beach sporting activities. This notwithstanding, some investors have developed other parts of the beaches into hotels and other recreational avenues which contribute, though marginally, to tourism development in the district. These developments are the La Bamba Beach Resort at Amenano and the Abuesi Beach Resort at Abuesi. There are few and Guest houses in the District which can accommodate guest during their visits.
- Hotel Applause
- D N A Guest House
- Jogging Hotel
- Riverside Bridge Hotel
On other recreational facilities, the Volta River Authority (VRA) has a club house at Aboadze that is opened to the general public for social activities and amusement purposes at affordable fees.
Besides, the district is home to one of the oldest forts in the country built by the European merchants: Fort Sebastian. Like the other components of tourism development, the monument has been underutilized in the context of patronage and attracting tourists from within and outside the district. One of the important tourism potentials in the district that remains undeveloped is the estuary at the River Pra. This potential, with the needed investment can be developed into a great tourist attraction site in the District.
HEALTH
The district has Twenty-Two (22) CHPS compounds by the end of the year 2020. From the records, these have been adequately distributed in all the seventeen (17) Electoral Areas in the District. Eighteen (18) of them are fully functional with one (1) being upgraded to the status of a Health Centre and four (4) are not under proper structures. There are other facilities that offer health care services; these include three (3) health centres, one (1) Quasi Hospital and three (3) private hospitals. Other organizations such as Faith Based Centers, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and Chemical Sellers also provide basic health care services to compliment the government efforts and the mainstream health service providers. The full list of the health facilities in the district.
MAP SHOWING MAJOR HEALTH FACILITIES IN THE DISTRICT
NHIA
The number of people insured under the NHIS is 52,032 representing 44% of the total population for the year 2021.
9,924 members were registered as at December 2021 whiles 42,108 have cards renewed.
EDUCATION
The district has six (6) Educational Circuit managing fifty-eight (58) KGs, and Primary schools, and fifty-four (54) JHS (including one (1) Special School), one (1) SHS and two (2) TVET.
MINERAL DEPOSITS
The District is of the Tarkwaian and Birrimian rock formation which are mostly granitic in nature. The coastal areas of the district have faulty shelves and sandstones of various types resting on a hard basement of granite, gneiss and schist’s while the non-coastal areas have lower Birimian rocks.
Alluvial gold can be found from weathered rock materials in the River Pra and its valleys. Large deposits of clay are found in Inchaban, Aboadze, Komfueku and Ituma. The Anankwari River and Ituma streams and their tributaries which flow in south-westerly direction into the Anankwari River plain contain one of the finest clay deposits in the District. There are also the potentials for large scale salt extraction in areas such as Anlo Beach, Abuesi, Aboadze, Krobo and Bosomdo.
Granite found in the District can be divided into two groups namely Dixcove granite complex and Cape Coast granite complex. These deposits occur in communities such as Appimenim, Ohiamadwen, Kobina Andokrom, Anto, Aboso, Atwereboanda, Supomu Dunkwa, Assorko and Essaman. Due to this, quarrying has assumed prominence in the material extraction industry in the district.
Minerals Deposits in the Shama District
NO | DESCRIPTION /TYPE OF INVESTMENT POTENTIAL | LOCATION |
1 | Alluvial Gold | River Pra (Its Valleys And Plains) |
2 | High Potential for Large Scale Production of Salt | Anlo Beach, Abuesi, Aboadze, Krobo and Bosomdo |
3 | Large Clay Deposit | Inchaban, Aboadze, Komfueku, Ituma and Anankwari River |
4 | Kaolin | Appimenim, Ohiamadwen, Anto |
5 | Quarry Stones | Aboso, Anto and Supomu Dunkwa |
6 | Faulty Shelves and Sandstones of various types | Coastal Areas |
7 | Beach Development | Along the coast of the District |
8 | Promotion of ‘Pra Nye ye Afahye’ for global attraction | Shama |
9 | Construction 4 and 5 star hotels (to receive spill over pressure from Takoradi) | Ituma, Assorku, Essaman, Inchaban, Shama Amenano |
10 | Fort Sebastian | Shama Apo |
11 | Estuary of the Pra River | Anlo Beach and Shama Apo |
Minerals Deposits in the Shama District
NO | DESCRIPTION /TYPE OF INVESTMENT POTENTIAL | LOCATION |
1 | Alluvial Gold | River Pra (Its Valleys And Plains) |
2 | High Potential for Large Scale Production of Salt | Anlo Beach, Abuesi, Aboadze, Krobo and Bosomdo |
3 | Large Clay Deposit | Inchaban, Aboadze, Komfueku, Ituma and Anankwari River |
4 | Kaolin | Appimenim, Ohiamadwen, Anto |
5 | Quarry Stones | Aboso, Anto and Supomu Dunkwa |
6 | Faulty Shelves and Sandstones of various types | Coastal Areas |
7 | Beach Development | Along the coast of the District |
8 | Promotion of ‘Pra Nye ye Afahye’ for global attraction | Shama |
9 | Construction 4 and 5 star hotels (to receive spill over pressure from Takoradi) | Ituma, Assorku, Essaman, Inchaban, Shama Amenano |
10 | Fort Sebastian | Shama Apo |
11 | Estuary of the Pra River | Anlo Beach and Shama Apo |