Nkwanta South District Assembly - Ghana

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
LOCATION
Nkwanta South is one of the Twenty-Three (23) Municipal and District Assembliesin the Volta Region. It is located in the northern part of the Region. It lies between latitudes 7’ 30o and 8’ 45o North and longitude 0’10o and 0’45o East. It is bounded to the North by Nkwanta North District, to the South by Kadjebi District, to the East by the Republic of Togo and to the West by Krachi East District.
RELIEF
The District is classified into Two (2)major relief zones. These are the mountainous southern portion lying along the eastern border with the Republic of Togo and the undulating northern part with altitudes between 100m to 200m above sea level. This part stretches from the savanna woodland of the northern part of the district to the forest  

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zone of the southern part. Notable mountains that can be found in the relief feature of the district are the Kyabobo Mountain (about 884 metres above sea level) and the Kelembo Mountain (738 metres above sea level).
DRAINAGE
Nkwanta South District is drained by several drainage features such as:
- Oti River (1% of the surface area of the district.
- Sabu River
- BonakyeRiver
- Chai River
Sabu, Bonakye and Chai rivers take their source from the Buem-Togo Ranges on the eastern border of the District and flow in south-western direction into the Oti River.
The several tributaries of these rivers and streams serve both domestic and animal (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats etc.) population of the district. Most of these streams almost invariably dry up during the long dry season.
SOILS
The District is underlain by the Voltarian, the Buem Volcanic formation and the Togo series. The Voltarian, which is mainly shale and mudstone beds and sandy pebbly beds occupy the eastwards of Lake Volta and takes about a quarter of the District.
The Togo series consisting of quartzites, phyllites, sandstone, shale, schist and sollicited limestone is on the eastern border forming the Buem-Togo ranges. The Buem- Volcanic formation consisting of Basaltic, Andesitic and Trachytic lava occupies about two-thirds of the district.
These geographic formations determine the types of soils in the district. The first group of soils is the laterite integrates found in the Savanna-Woodland zone of the District.
The second group of soils are the forest Ochrosols and Oxysols found in the forest zone of the district.
These soils support variety of crops including yam, cassava, maize, groundnut, cowpea, and sorghum. Rice production is also widespread in the District.
There is also sufficient justification for mineral exploration in the District. For instance geological reasoning and examination of analogous mineral deposits in the Republic of Togo, such as marble in Togo formations and phosphate in Voltarian rocks should alone warrant a serious search for such deposits in similar geological formations in the District. Some form of geological survey was undertaken but the results are yet to be known.
There are also clay deposits in the District especially in Chaiso and its surrounding areas, which is suitable for building material and the pottery industry.
CLIMATE
Generally, Nkwanta South District is characterized by a tropical climate with dry and humid weather conditions. The rainfall regime experienced in the District is the double maxima type; that is from April to July and September to October. The average number of rain days in 86 with extreme annual rainfalls ranging between 922mm to 1,874 mm. The dry season is from November to March. During this time the evapo-transpiration exceeds water availability at the earth’s surface.
The mean annual maximum temperatures range between 24oCand 39oC (76oF toand 103oF), while the meanannual minimum temperatures are between 11oCand 26oC (52oFand 79oF). January, February, March and April are the hottest months while December has the lowest temperatures. Temperatures in the District are high throughout the year for plant growth. However, availability of water is crucial for agriculture during the long dry season of November to March.
VEGETATION
The District is covered by three vegetation zones. These are ;
i. Semi-Deciduous Forest zone, found mainly on the eastern border of the District. This accounts for about 30% of the vegetative cover.
ii. The second zone is the Savanna Woodland, which extends from the North-Eastern part of the District Southwards to the zone of the Semi-Deciduous Forest. This accounts for about 50% of the vegetative cover.
iii. The final zone is the Grassland Savannaextending eastwards from the Volta Lake and its Oti arm. It takes about 20% of the vegetative cover of the District.
The most common timber species in the District include Odum, Wawa, and Kyenkyen. Due to logging, farming and cutting of fuel wood and charcoal production, the original vegetative cover has been reduced to secondary forests. It is also worth noting that bush burning is rampant during the long dry season.
There are two reserves in the district. These are the KyaboboReserve, now National Prak, and the Chai River Reserve.
WILDLIFE
The District is home to the Kyabobo Range National Park, the newest in the country. This park is situated in Ghana’s highest mountain range and covers an area of 340sq. kms. It links-up with the extensive Fazao-Malfacassa National Park in Togo giving it an international attraction. It has a unique mixture of both forest and savanna species. It has different kinds of animals including buffalos, bushbucks, waterbucks, black and white colobus monkeys, potas monkeys, mona monkeys and birds of diverse varieties.Recently a rare species of butterflies, LolausKyabobo, was discovered in the park, hence the name. The floral species are equally diverse.
SURFACE ACCESSIBILITY
Nkwanta South District has a rough total of about 209km in road network length. The major ones are the Kadjebi-Brewaniase – Nkwanta – Damanko road and the Nkwanta-Dambai. There are several feeder roads in the district. Apart from Nkwanta township roads which is just about 3.4km,there are no bitumen surface resulting diffuluty in vehicular mobility especially in the rainy season and dusty in the long dry season.
Sometimes the District is cut-off from the rest of the country during the rainy seasons. The construction of these major roads in the district is a priority for the Assembly to accelerate poverty reduction efforts of the Government and other donor agencies.
HUMAN SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
Apart from Nkwanta and Breweniase Townships which arerelatively urban, the rest of the settlements within the District have population below 5,000 making them rural settlements and largely sparse. Most of these communities have population below the threshold required for provision of socio-economic amenities such as water, education, health, sanitation etc ...
Furthermore, physical development within most of these settlements had been largely haphazardly situated especially residential buildings. This phenomenon leads to little or no management of both solid and liquid waste.
ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION
The District is witnessing degradation of its physical and built environment; and natural resource base through the under listed factors;
• Annual bush fires
• Inappropriate farming practices and deforestation, destruction of vegetation and the ecological systems through cultivation on slopes and on the lands adjoining rivers and streams
• Destruction of forests through encroachment into forest reserves and exploitation of economic timber species without permit
• Encroachment into and destruction of wildlife sanctuary through uncontrolled hunting and other human activities
• Winning of sand, quarrying of stones and gravel for building and road construction
• Development of buildings in unplanned fashion as a result of lack of physical layouts
• Accelerated erosion resulting from removal of vegetative cover around dwellings and open spaces in settlements and absence of properly constructed drainage channels
• Non-management of domestic waste i.e. rubbish and human excreta are disposed off indiscriminately
• Little monitoring of the environmental impact of human activities and development projects
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC), there were117,878 people living within the District with estimated population growth rate of 2.5% (based on the Regional and National growth rate as relaesed by the Ghana Statistical Service [GSS]).
Nkwanta District, which was later split into Nkwanta North and South) had a total population of 41,723 in 1970, 84,544 in 1984 and 151,276 in 2000. Therefore, by extrapolation, the population figure for Nkwanta South District in 2000 was 90,766.
The table below depicts the projected population of the District from 2010-2013 based on the 2010 PHC report by the GSS.
Table 1 : Population Project for the Plan Period 2010-2013
POPULATION 2000 % 2010 % 2011 2012 2013
Total 90,766 100 117,878 100 126,244 130,081 134,043
Male 44,929 49.5 58,482 49.6 62,491 64,390 66,351
Female 45,837 50.5 59,396 50.4 63,753 65,691 67,692

The District has experienced steady growth over the years. The population growth rate, as earlier stated, is same as that of the Region and nation. This can be attributed to the estimated high fertility rate of 4.4% among women based on the 2000 PHC report of the GSS.
Table 2 : Population of Communities (Projected from 2000 PHC)
AREA COUNCIL NO. COMMUNITY 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013

NKWANTA 1. ABREWANKOR 844 1,026 1,052 1,079 1,107
2. ABREWANKOR JUNCTION 282 343 351 360 370
3. BATU AKURA 122 148 152 156 160
4. BOSOMFO AKURA 245 298 305 313 321
5. BUNGA 313 381 390 400 411
6. CHAISO 599 728 747 766 786
7. CHAISO JUNCTION 24 29 30 31 31
8. CHILLINGA 1,400 1,702 1,745 1,789 1,837
9. DADIASE 760 924 947 971 997
10. DOGO KETEWA 336 409 419 429 441
11. GEKRONG 816 992 1,017 1,043 1,071
12. JATO AKURA 545 663 679 697 715
13. KABRE AKURA SABU 154 187 192 197 202
14. KATAI JUNCTION 170 207 212 217 223
15. KERI 2,269 2,759 2,828 2,900 2,977
16. KPANJA AKURA 189 230 236 242 248
17. KROMASE 329 400 410 420 432
18. KRONTANG 806 980 1,005 1,030 1,058
19. KWADZOVI AKURA 130 158 162 166 171
20. KUE 1,291 1,570 1,609 1,650 1,694
21. MANGOASE 365 444 455 466 479
22. NKWANTA 11,381 13,840 14,186 14,546 14,933
23. NYAMEBEKYERE 66 80 82 84 87
24. NYARBONG 1,530 1,861 1,907 1,955 2,008
25. NYARBONG JUNCTION 496 603 618 634 651
26. ODOMI 796 968 992 1,017 1,044
27. OLORI 261 317 325 334 342
28. PAPAYE 721 877 899 921 946
29. PAWA 471 573 587 602 618
30. SAPONG 289 351 360 369 379
31. SAFOANU AKURA 181 220 226 231 237
32. SAYA 147 179 183 188 193
33. SHIARE 1,703 2,071 2,123 2,177 2,235
SUB-TOTAL FOR AREA COUNCIL 30,031 36,519 37,432 38,381 39,404
NTRUBO 34. ABRUBRUWA 729 886 909 932 957
35. ADZAKPA 63 77 79 81 83
36. AHUNDWO 347 422 433 443 455
37. AKYEM 424 516 528 542 556
38. APAABI 8 10 10 10 10
39. APADEA 117 142 146 150 154
40. ASUKWAKWA ZONGO 239 291 298 305 314
41. BAKAMBA 140 170 175 179 184
42. BOBOBIA 177 215 221 226 232
43. BONTIBOR 2,571 3,126 3,205 3,286 3,373
44. BREWENIASE 7,236 8,799 9,019 9,248 9,494
45. CHINFA 163 198 203 208 214
46. DUFLUMKPA 154 187 192 197 202
47. DENU AKURA 26 32 32 33 34
48. DZOGBEGA 95 116 118 121 125
49. FANKYENIKOR 123 150 153 157 161
50. GAYEVUKOPE 51 62 64 65 67
51. KAFAYI NFRAMANDZO 159 193 198 203 209
52. KAKRAKA 35 43 44 45 46
53. KANCHI AKURA 221 269 275 282 290
54. KEFLEBO 467 568 582 597 613
55. KONTAME 612 744 763 782 803
56. KONTON 125 152 156 160 164
57. KPANTU BEKPO 118 143 147 151 155
58. KPENA 268 326 334 343 352
59. KPENKPENYELE 551 670 687 704 723
60. KPEVE 338 411 421 432 443
61. LABOANO 403 490 502 515 529
62. NAMARAKA 651 792 811 832 854
63. NEW DUFLUMKPA 97 118 121 124 127
64. NKPAYA 162 197 202 207 213
65. NKPEKLOKO / CLEMBO 95 116 118 121 125
66. OBANDA 838 1,019 1,045 1,071 1,100
67. OBANDA-ANDO 543 660 677 694 712
68. OBANDA ASUBOE 94 114 117 120 123
69. OJAKPA 95 116 118 121 125
70. OLD AHUNDJO 112 136 140 143 147
71. PUSUPU 1,741 2,117 2,170 2,225 2,284
72. PUSUPU TODZI 83 101 103 106 109
73. SALIFUKROM 1,148 1,396 1,431 1,467 1,506
74. SANGBABIA 115 140 143 147 151
75. SIKATODOME 27 33 34 35 35
76. TOGBA 133 162 166 170 175
77. YEREBUTU 152 185 189 194 199
SUB-TOTAL FOR AREA COUNCIL 22,046 26,809 27,479 28,176 28,927
BONAKYE 78. AGOU FIE 644 783 803 823 845
79. AGOU HILL TOP 159 193 198 203 209
80. AGOU JUNCTION 179 218 223 229 235
81. ALEGE KURA 1 391 475 487 500 513
82. ALEGE KURA 2 207 252 258 265 272
83. ALEGE KURA 3 129 157 161 165 169
84. ANUMATU 42 51 52 54 55
85. ASUOGYA 1,744 2,121 2,174 2,229 2,288
86. BANKYE AKURA 94 114 117 120 123
87. BINAKA 58 71 72 74 76
88. BINCHA AKURA 155 188 193 198 203
89. BONAKYE 2,873 3,494 3,581 3,672 3,770
90. CHIGRI AKURA 41 50 51 52 54
91. DAWA AKURA 904 1,099 1,127 1,155 1,186
92. EBITIYIE 501 609 624 640 657
93. GBANJAL AKURA 219 266 273 280 287
94. GBANYALI 140 170 175 179 184
95. GBOSIKE 1 295 359 368 377 387
96. GBOSIKE 2 30 36 37 38 39
97. GMAYOBA AKURA 74 90 92 95 97
98. GYABARI AKURA 422 513 526 539 554
99. JATA AKURA 375 456 467 479 492
100. JAGRI AKURA 538 654 671 688 706
101. JUMBO 1,441 1,752 1,796 1,842 1,891
102. JUMBO II 394 479 491 504 517
103. KABITI 1,321 1,606 1,647 1,688 1,733
104. KAMACHU II 161 196 201 206 211
105. KAMACHU JUNCTION 50 61 62 64 66
106. KPABO AKURA 206 251 257 263 270
107. KPETSU AKURA 225 274 280 288 295
108. KUNJI 639 777 796 817 838
109. MANCHI AKURA 120 146 150 153 157
110. MMEM AKURA 285 347 355 364 374
111. NANA YAA 231 281 288 295 303
112. NENTWI AKURA 100 122 125 128 131
113. NEW AGOO 1,589 1,932 1,981 2,031 2,085
114. NORLIKOPE 297 361 370 380 390
115. NYAKOMA 500 608 623 639 656
116. NYAMEABUA 74 90 92 95 97
117. OLD POTRIPO 253 308 315 323 332
118. OTTOLI JUNCTION 139 169 173 178 182
119. POTRIPOR 1,004 1,221 1,251 1,283 1,317
120. SIKAFO AMANTEM 244 297 304 312 320
121. TAILOR AKURA 389 473 485 497 510
122. TEACHERKOPE 480 584 598 613 630
123. VOME 274 333 342 350 360
SUB-TOTAL FOR AREA COUNCIL 20,630 25,087 25,714 26,366 27,069
KETCHEIBI / TUITUKPENE 124. ABOTARE YE 499 607 622 638 655
125. ADA KOPE 482 586 601 616 632
126. ADAM AKURA 271 330 338 346 356
127. AGAVIE KOPE 149 181 186 190 196
128. AKPLAGA 96 117 120 123 126
129. AKUMAPAYE 269 327 335 344 353
130. ALOKPATSA 1,196 1,454 1,491 1,529 1,569
131. ASAMANI AKURA 143 174 178 183 188
132. ASHIABRE 1,415 1,721 1,764 1,808 1,857
133. ASUMDWE 63 77 79 81 83
134. ASUMWAR (ASWOE) 894 1,087 1,114 1,143 1,173
135. B. ZONGO 676 822 843 864 887
136. BASARE AKURA 36 44 45 46 47
137. BATTOR VILLAGE 652 793 813 833 855
138. BLACKIE JUNCTION 298 362 371 381 391
139. CHATI 201 244 251 257 264
140. DADUHLI (DADUHLIKOPE) 119 145 148 152 156
141. DAIN AKURA 168 204 209 215 220
142. DOGO AKURA 173 210 216 221 227
143. DZANDZANKURA 217 264 270 277 285
144. EFU KOPE 8 10 10 10 10
145. FULANI 176 214 219 225 231
146. FUMI 139 169 173 178 182
147. JERUSALEM 101 123 126 129 133
148. KABRE AKURA 1,532 1,863 1,910 1,958 2,010
149. KECHEIBI 1,991 2,421 2,482 2,545 2,612
150. KENYITA 426 518 531 544 559
151. KENTE 1 730 888 910 933 958
152. KENTE 2 274 333 342 350 360
153. KISANGBOR 253 308 315 323 332
154. KITARE DISANE 285 347 355 364 374
155. KOFI KURA 948 1,153 1,182 1,212 1,244
156. KOFIE AKURA 256 311 319 327 336
157. KOTORKRO BANKU 591 719 737 755 775
158. KPEDEVU 131 159 163 167 172
159. KWAME NKWANTA 237 288 295 303 311
160. KWAMEDZIKOPE 231 281 288 295 303
161. KRANCHI AKURA 1 803 976 1,001 1,026 1,054
162. KRANCHI AKURA 2 850 1,034 1,059 1,086 1,115
163. MAFI 153 186 191 196 201
164. MAMFI AKURA 719 874 896 919 943
165. NAWOE AKURA 241 293 300 308 316
166. NYATSU 123 150 153 157 161
167. ODOMIABURA 259 315 323 331 340
168. ODUMASE 1,525 1,854 1,901 1,949 2,001
169. OFOSU 1 233 283 290 298 306
170. OFOSU 2 1,457 1,772 1,816 1,862 1,912
171. OFOSU BATTOR AKURA 306 372 381 391 402
172. OLU KOPE 39 47 49 50 51
173. OKOBOA 48 58 60 61 63
174. PANKU AKURA 102 124 127 130 134
175. TAKPEI AKURA 170 207 212 217 223
176. TOKE 1 142 173 177 181 186
177. TOKE 2 167 203 208 213 219
178. TUTUKPENE 1,205 1,465 1,502 1,540 1,581
179. WAJA-FIE 169 206 211 216 222
180. ZION KOPE 173 210 216 221 227
SUB-TOTAL FOR AREA COUNCIL 24,229 29,463 30,200 30,966 31,791
TOTAL FOR DISTRICT 96,936 117,878 120,825 123,890 127,190
The average household size of the District is 5.1 whichis quite high when compared to the regional figure of 4.2 and national figure of 4.4.
POPULATION DENSITY
The population density expresses the level of pressure the mere size of population exerts on land. The table below depicts trend of population density for the various census years.
Table 3 : Population Density for the Census Years
AREA (SQ KM) 1970 1984 2000 2010
Ghana 238,533 36 52 77 -
Volta Region 20,570 46 57 79.5 -
Nkwanta South District **2,718 - - 33.4 43.57
** Estimated
The increasing density therefore shows the increasing pressure on land and its resources. Nkwanta South District has a relatively lower population density compared regional and national figures of 103.0 and 103.4 respectively.
The last four decades have witnessed two factors which have accelerated the growth of population in the district.
The first was the significant migration from the southern Volta Region especially from the Tongu Districts to take advantage of the fishing opportunities provided by the newly formed Volta Lake. Accompanying elements in this inflow of population were artisans and farmers attracted by abundant and sparsely populated farmlands.
The second factor in accelerating population growth in the District was the designation of Nkwanta as the District capital. The administrative and other service centres that have been established have served as stimuli to population growth in Nkwanta and other settlements.
Since 1981, ethnic conflicts in the Northern Region with spillover effects in the Nkwanta District may also have caused an inflow of population contributing thereby to the overall significant growth of the population in the District.
RURAL – URBAN SPLIT
Nkwanta South District is a rural onewith over 74.6% of the people (as depicted in the table below) living in scattered settlements with population less than 5,000.
Table 4 : Rural-Urban Split of Nkwanta South District
1970 1984 2000 2010
POP % POP % POP % POP %
Total 41733 100 85544 100% 90,766 100 117,878 100
Urban - - 7,736 9.2 11,367 12.5 30,146 25.6
Rural 41,733 - 76,808 90.8 79,399 87.5 87,732 74.6
One major constraint to economic and social development of these areas is that the population of most of the settlements do not meet the required threshold required for provision of socio-economic facilities and amenities.
AGE-SEX STRUCTURE
The information on the sex composition and the age structure of the population of the District serves as a useful guide to demographic trends. The age structure can be broken down broadly into categories of 0 – 14 years representing the young dependent population, 15 – 64 representing the non-dependent population and 65 years and older representing the old age dependent population.
For the 2000 census, the proportion of the district population of aged 0 – 14 years was 47.3 percent as compared to the regional average of 41.1 percent as depicted in the figure below.
Figure 1 : Age-Sex Structure (2000 Population and Housing Census)

The proportion for 0 – 4 years of age group for the District was 19.1% while all other districts in the region recorded proportion between 12.0 – 15.0 percent.
Population with high birth rates normally have a younger age composition as is the case of the District, than those with lower birth rates. It is clear from the structure that the District still has a high fertility regime (4.4%) and that the need to continue to educate couples to adopt low fertility life style is worth supporting.
DEPENDENCY RATIO
For the region as a whole, the dependency ratio is 91.8% made of 12.7 for old dependency and 79.1 child dependency compared with Nkwanta South which has 107.2, which incidentally happens to be the highest in the region as depicted in the table below.
Table 5 : DEPENDENCY RATIOS ( 2000 Population and Housing Census)
Child Dependency
(0 –1 4) Old Age Dependency (65+) Old Age and Child Dependency
Volta Region 79.1 12.7 91.8
Nkwanta South District 98.1 9.1 107.2
This implies that Nkwanta has more than one dependant per working population.
HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS
The 2000 PHC recorded about 11,383 houses (4.3%) in the Nkwanta South District and 264,451 in the Volta Region. Therefore, the estimated number of houses in the District is 17,216 based on the 2010 PHC data for Volta Region of 399,953. The 2010 PHC recorded 22,733 households in the District. The average household size for the district is 5.1 and that of the region is 4.2.
HOUSING CONDITIONS
Table 6 : Materials for Wall
Type %
Mud/Brick/Earth 93.7
Wood 1.5
Metal Sheet/Slate 0.2
Stone 0.1
Burnt Bricks 0.7
Cement Block/Concrete/Sand Crete 3.2
Bamboo/Parking Case 0.2
Palm/Thatch 0.2
Others 0.2
The table beside shows that majority of houses in the District are constructed with mud/brick. (93.7%). Very few houses are built with cement block. This is indicative of the level of poverty in the District.
Table 7: ROOFING MATERIALS
Type %
Thatch/palm Leaf 50.9
Corrugated metal 48.1
Asbestos /Slate 0.2
Others 0.8
Thatch is the most common roofing material in the district. This is common mostly in the rural areas of the district. There is the need to create fire belts around these buildings since bush fires in the district are a regular phenomenon.
Table 8 : FLOOR MATERIALS
Type %
Earth/Mud 35.1
Cement/Concrete 64.3
Other 0.6
Most buildings in the district have cement floor (64.3%).
Table 9 : TYPE OF DWELLING
Type %
Separate House 43.7
Semi Detached 22.8
Compound House 22.1
Flat/Apartment 0.7
Several huts/buildings on the same compound 3.5
Hotel/Hostel 0.2
Kiosk/Container 0.5
Tent 0.1
Living quarters attached to shop 0.1
Others 6.4
Most people in the district live in separate houses (43.7)
ETHNICITY
The Ethnic composition of the district is very diverse. The indigeneous ethnic groups are the Ntrubos, the Adeles, the Atwodes and the Challas. There are other settler ethnic groups. These include the Konkombas, the Ewes, the Akans, the Kotokoli and the Basaris
RELIGION
The table below shows the religious affiliation of people in the district.
Table 10 : Religious Affiliation
Type Male Female Total
Catholic 14.5 14.2 14.4
Protestant 7.9 7.7 7.8
Pentecostal 16.2 16.3 16.2
Other Christians 4.1 4.0 4.0
Islam 10.1 9.6 9.8
Traditional 37.3 38.4 37.9
None 9.4 9.3 9.4
Others 0.5 0.5 0.5
The table shows that the majority of the people in the District are Christians (42.4). About 37.9% of people in the District are traditionalist whilst 9.4 are Moslems.
MARITAL STATUS (PERSONS AGED 15 AND ABOVE)
Table 11 : Marital Status of People in the District
Status Male Female Total
Never Married 37.0 19.5 28.1
Married 54.7 62.8 58.8
Living Together 2.9 4.4 3.7
Separated 1.3 1.8 1.5
Divorced 2.3 3.3 2.8
Widowed 1.8 8.1 5.0
The table shows that about 62.8% of the people living in the District are married. This is good for the stability of the society.
DISTRICT EMPLOYMENT PROFILE
About 96.5 percent of the population 15 years and older are economically active in the district. The table below shows the various vocations and the proportion of the population involved.
Table 12 : Economically Active PopulationbyOccupation
Type of Occupation % Males Females
Professional, Technical and related workers 4.0 4.8 3.2
Administrative and Managerial Workers 0.1 0.1 0.0
Clerical and Related workers 1.1 1.8 0.4
Sales workers 4.9 2.9 6.9
Service workers 1.8 0.9 2.6
Agric/Animal husbandry 81.5 83.2 79.9
Production, Transport and Labourers 6.5 5.9 7.1
Others 0.1 0.4 0.1
Majority of people in the district are into agriculture and animal husbandry. Women are not found in the administrative and managerial sector of the district economy. Girls need to be encouraged to stay in school and take up managerial jobs in future.
Table 13 : Population by Industry:
Industry Total Male Female
Agric., Hunting, Forestry 79.9 80.9 78.6
Wholesale/Retail 4.7 3.3 6.0
Manufacturing 4.7 3.5 5.9
Fishing 3.3 4.0 2.5
Education 3.0 3.4 2.6
Construction 0.6 1.0 0.2
Transport, Storage, Communication 0.7 1.2 0.1
Sub Total 96.8 97.3 95.9
Others 3.2 2.7 4.1
Total 100 100 100
Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry are the most predominant industry. There is the need for a shift from primary to secondary production.
Table 14 : Economically Active Population by Employment Status
Employment Status Total Male Female
Self employed without employees 77.1 79.5 74.7
Self employed with employees 2.5 3.1 1.9
Unpaid family worker 15.1 10.6 19.7
Apprentice 1.3 1.2 0.2
Domestic employer 0.2 0.2 0.2
Other 0.2 0.2 0.2
Most people in the district are self employed workers.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is the single most important economic activity in the District, in terms of employment and income generation. The District is a major producer of yam, cassava, maize, groundnuts, cowpeas and rice.The major crop producing areas in the District is shown on the table below.
Table 15 : MAJOR CROP PRODUCING AREAS
NO CROP PRODUCTION AREAS
1. Cassava Throughout the district but less in the extreme north.
2. Yam District-wide but less along the eastern and southern borders.
3. Maize Brewaniase, Pusupu, Bontibor, Kpeve, Chaiso
4. Rice Brewaniase, Keri, Bonakye, Kabiti
5. Cowpea Kue, Keri, Bonakye,Odumase
6. Groundnut Ofosu, Tutukpene, Brewaniase,Bonakye
7. Plantain / Banana Shaire, Chillinga, Obanda, Abubruwa, Pusupu, Bontibor, Chaiso, Dadiase
8. Cocoyam Obanda, Pusupu, Bontibor, Chaiso, Odumase, Keceibi
9. Citrus Abubruwa, Obanda, Akyem, Kecheibi
10. Cocoa Abubruwa, Obanda, Akyem, Kechiebi
11. Avocado Abubruwa, Obanda, Pusupu, Akyem
12. Sorghum Bonakye.
13. Oil Palm Pusupu, Bontibor, Abubruwa, Kecheibi, Chaiso, Odumase

The District has the potential to produce more cassava and yams when there is ready market for the produce.
AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
Most farmers in the District still practice shifting cultivation especially in the northern part of the District. Factors that contribute to this include, availability of land as a result of the relatively low population density, and high cost of agricultural inputs and inadequate of extension officers to advise on the proper land usage.
Moreover, subsistence farming, cultivating very small acreages, is predominant in the District, averaging 2 acres of land per farmer. They also depend on hoes and cutlasses for their farming activities. Mechanised farming is not practised in the District due unavailability of adequate equipment. The major source of human capital for farming in the District is through family labour.Credit facilities are not available to be accessed by farmers.
Farmers dependmostly ontraditional methods of storage resulting in post significant harvest losses especially during the rainy season due to the poor road network within the District and obsolete storage methods. Agro-processing is largely limited to garipreparation using cassava; therefore about 95% of agricultural produce are sold in their law state.
Farmers therefore are unable to derive maximum benefit from their efforts as a result of low prices of produce and high post harvest losses. In effect, majority of the people fall below the $1.25 per day income bracket.
LIVESTOCK
The District produces different types of livestock such as cattle, sheep, goat, pigs, and poultry, which are often local breeds. Though there are adequate statistic on animal husbandry within the District, the available ones indicates that more is needed to done to meet the nutritional needs and improve that income status of the population.
Table 16 : Livestock Producing Areas
NO TYPE PRODUCING AREAS
1. Cattle Bonakye, Kabiti
2. Sheep and Goat Bonakye, Kabiti
3. Pig Alokpatsa, Bonakye, Ofosu
4. Poultry Throughout the district, Exotic breeds at Nkwanta.

There is the potential to increase the production of cattle, goats and sheep by introducing new breeds, improving husbandry practices and establishing fodder banks and improved pastures especially at Kabiti where there are large expanse of land and water.
FISH FARMING
Fish farming is carried out on the Oti arm of the Volta Lake in the District in Kabiti mainly by the migrant Tongus. However, there is the potential to increase its production especially in Brewaniase which is abound in low-lying lands and have regular supply of water body. There is therefore the need to encourage the youth equip them with the necessary technical and financial support.
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE
As earlier mentioned, the District economy is an agro-based one. There are vast stretches of land with suitable vegetation and climate for optimum crop production. The soil types support variety of crops. The District has comparative advantage in the production of yam and cassava. The introduction of mechanized agriculture for the production of cassava and other cereals will stimulate increased incomes and eventual reduction in poverty.
TRADE AND COMMERCE
The proportion of the District population engaged in wholesale and retail trading is just about 4.8 percent. These are basically manufactured products (finished goods) imported. There are a number of major markets which play important role in the development of agriculture. Vigorous trading activities especially in farming produce take place within these centres, offering producers aopportunity to meet buyers and to purchase inputs. The table below shows some markets in the district.
Table 17 : Local Markets
NO MARKET MARKET DAYS STATUS
1. Nkwanta Every Monday Major
2. Kabiti Every Wednesday Major
3. Bonakye Every Saturday Major
4. Brewaniase Every Friday Major
5. Kue Every Tuesday Minor
6. Pawa Every Thursday Minor
7. Keri Every Sunday Minor
8. Kecheibi Every Friday Minor

EXPORT TRADE
Cocoa production is a major activity in the district especially in Kechiebi and its surrounding areas. Cashew development is also picking up in the District. Potential exists for large scale cultivation of these cash crops – cocoa and cashew.
There is the potential for cassava chips production and gari processing for export. Honey production is gaining currency in this District. Youth groups could be organized to produce honey for export.
KEY DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
The key development problems identified in this sector include:
• High cost of agricultural inputs
• Inadequate extension officer
• No mechanized farming
• Many farmers in the District still cultivate very small acreages
• Inadequate credit facilities
• High post harvest losses
• Lack of storage facilities
• Lack of agro-processing industries.
• Lack of dams
SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR
The private formal sector has a key role to play as the engine of growth and it is needed to serve as a catalyst for economic transformation in rural areas. The district cannot boast of any vibrant private formal sector. Having recognized the role of the private formal sector in economic transformation, the Assembly will assist any potential investor that comes to the District.
Some areas that the district can provide assistance include
• Acquisition and registration of land title
• Facilitate the provision of public services
• Assist in the recruitment of labour.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
There are three banks in the District. These are the Ghana Commercial Bank, Agricultural Development Bank and North Volta Rural Bank.
PROCESSING AND MAFUFACTURING
Processing is limited to preparing gari from cassava. Manufacturing is also limited to seamstressing, tailoring, carpentry and block works and gold smithing. The proportion of the population engaged in these activities is about 4.7%.
Known natural resources in the District include timber, sheanut and other forest products. Others are clay deposits, building sand, quarrying stones and gravel for roads construction. Presently, these resources do not provide any economic basis for the establishment of manufacturing industries. However, the District offers a potential for the manufacture of agricultural equipment such as cassava graters, various hand tools, water tanks and other agro- processing equipment.
MINING, QUARRYING AND CONSTRUCTION
There are no mining activities currently in the District. Geological surveys have been carried out and the results are yet to be known. The District is underlain by the Voltarian, the Buem Volcanic formation and the Togo series. There are clay deposits in the District especially at Chaiso,Ashiabre,Chillinga and surrounding areas which can be used for the manufacture of building materials and for the pottery industry.
Quarry activities in the District are limited to winning of sand and quarrying of gravel for building construction. There is the need to control sand winning and quarrying activities to prevent environmental degradation.
TOURISM
Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy in Ghana. It is the third after Gold and Cocoa in terms of foreign exchange earnings. Tourism in the District is gradually picking up and needs a boost both from the government and the private sector.
Nkwanta South District possesses a wide range of natural attractive features - both developed and potential. These attractions include the climate, the Kyabobo Range National Park, Mountains, Waterfalls, Wildlife and other natural features.
KYABOBO RANGE NATIONAL PARK
The KyaboboRange National Park is particularly noted for foot safaris. The two “breast-mountains” viewed from the Nkwanta Township is a welcome signal to the Park. These mountains have been developed for mountaineers. On top of these mountains, a panoramic view of the underlying plains, villages and the Volta Lake offer the climbers a unique impression of the natural beauty of the park and other parts of Ghana. There are also in the Park, camping sites to suit the taste of lovers of nature and eco-tourism.
LABOUN WATERFALL
This is a perennial waterfall situated in the Kyabobo Park. This scenic waterfall is over 30 metres high. A visit to this waterfall from Nkwanta Township could take a whole day. The task involved in this trip could be a physical exercise to visitors.
In all the walk, the accompanying singing of birds, shrills of monkeys and cries of animals and the forest canopy give the tourist a wonderful sense of satisfaction.
SHIARE
Shaire is a village situated a few kilometers east of Nkwanta. This village is the paramount seat of the Akyode people and is affectionately called the “hanging village” as a result of its architectural design. The houses are virtually built into the mountain making them look as though they are hanging. The houses are built in a sort of layers. It is worth noting that Shiare could only be reached on footbecause of the mountainous nature of the village.
TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS
There are a number of traditional festivals that are organized throughout the District. These festivals offer special interest to both foreigners and indigenous tourists. Often associated with these festivals are durbars of chiefs who sit in colourful palanquins and accompanied by a retinue of drummers, horn blowers and singers.
The active festivals in the District include;
- The Gyogyible festivalcelebrated by the Atwodes in October/November each year to thank the gods for good harvest
- The Gidifon festival, celebrated in August/September each year by the Adeles
- The Malade festival is celebrated by the Challas in March/April every year to thank their ancestors for bumper guinea corn harvest
- Also peculiar to the Challa people is the Gussum festival, which is celebrated once every ten years to enshrine young men into the Challa Jogo fetish
TRADITIONAL DANCE AND MUSIC
Traditional dance and music are basic attractions that abound in the District. The District has various kinds of dance forms.
The Atwodes have dance forms like the Gegyemboe. This is a traditional war dance, performed to signify the strength of the Atwodes. The Gbleha is also another form of dance performed by old women and men during funerals. The Ogyege is also performed in the District. This is common to all the tribes.
Adeles also have a number of dance forms, notable among them are the Atrikpe, a kind of dance performed when somebody dies suddenly. Kaale is another form performed to commemorate the departure of their ancestors from their ancestral home. Gebelikpe, Adyelegbe, Gatanmgba, Genanacha, Kpatrikpe and Gazo are all dance forms performed by the Adeles. It is worthy to note that all these dance forms can be performed for tourists on request.
The Challas (Bagons) also have Gakpo, Sarru, Gakpamde, Bende-Gakpande among other traditional dance forms.
AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM
• Provision of hotel accommodation of international standard.
• Development of safari lodges and camps in the Kyabobo National Park.
• Development of efficient tourist services along tourist routes e.g. restaurants, car rentals etc.
• Development of recreational tourism infrastructure e.g. water sports, river rafting and adventure tourism activities.
• Completion of the Brewaniase – Nkwanta and beyond Road
• Maintaining a satisfactory environmental sanitation in areas and settlements with tourist attractions
• Maintaining a peaceful and friendly atmosphere that is devoid of ethnic, chieftaincy and land disputes
• Provision of utility services such as reliable piped water, health care, telecommunication, uninterrupted electricity etc.
NON-TRADITIONAL EXPORT DEVELOPMENT
Hitherto, much attention was not given to non-traditional crops and products. The Assembly will encourage the youth to go into the production of non-traditional crops like pawpaw, mangoes, ginger, etc. and the production of handicrafts and locally manufactured products. Honey production will also be encouraged.
SERVICES SECTOR
This sector is the fastest growing sector in the country. The District will take advantage of its tourist’s attractions to increase employment in this sector. Private investors will be encouraged to invest in agro-processing, hospitality industry, restaurants and sanitation improvement.
DELOPMENT PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED
• Poor road network
• Inadequate energy supply
• Untrained labour
• The threat of land, chieftaincy, ethnic conflicts
EDUCATION
Education is essential in providing people with the basic knowledge and needed skills to improve their quality of life.
There are 69 Pre-Schools in the District made of 61 public and 8 private schools. There are also 87 primary schools consisting of 80 public and 7 private schools. The District has 37 Junior High Schools, 36 public and 1 private as depicted in the table below.
Table 18 : Distribution of Schools in Nkwanta South District - 2009
CIRCUIT PRE-SCHOOL PRIMARY JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
PUBLIC PRIVATE PUBLIC PRIVATE PUBLIC PRIVATE
Bonakye 18 - 19 - 4 -
Brewaniase 11 2 13 2 5 -
Kecheibi 6 - 18 - 6 -
Nkwanta East 11 1 12 1 8 -
NkwantaWest 9 5 9 4 8 1
Salifu 6 - 9 - 5 -
Sub- Total 61 8 80 7 36 1
TOTAL 69 87 37

Compared with the current population, the Nkwanta South District has adequate number of basic schools. The District has two Senior High Schools, which are located at Brewaniase and Nkwanta.
Though the population of the District qualifies it for at least a training college, there are neither technical, vocational nor teacher training institute within its jurisdiction.Eighteen public primary schools are without pre-schools.
Table 19 : Available educational facilities and number of backlogs
NO LEVEL DISTRICT POPULATION POPN THRESHOLD REQ. NO. REQUIRED AVAILABLE BACKLOG
1. NURSERY 130,000 1,000 130 69 61
2. PRIMARY 130,000 1,500 87 87 0
3. JHS 130,000 5,000 26 37 -11
4. SSS 130,000 20,000 7 2 5
5. TRAINIG COLLEGE 130,000 50,000 3 0 3


There are backlog of 61 Pre-schools, 5 Senior High Schools and three training colleges for the District. Though, there are enough primary schools, there is the need to provide more and improve on the physical structure of the existing to meet the anticipated future population growth.
The enrolments into the available primary schools within the District are in the table below.
Table 20 : Enrolment Trends :Primary School (2006-2009)
CIRCUIT 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009
M F T M F T M F T
Bonakye 1690 1263 2953 1824 1268 3092 1869 1480 3449
Bewaniase 1146 1108 2254 1166 1130 2296 1227 1097 2324
Kecheibi 1447 1095 2542 1713 1374 2070 1856 1380 3236
Nkwanta East 1345 1054 2399 1612 1110 2722 1465 1113 2578
Nkwanta West 1286 1280 2566 1385 1356 2741 1472 1409 2881
Salifu 733 699 1432 742 694 1436 787 709 1496
Total 7647 6499 14,146 8442 6932 15,374 8676 7188 15,864
% Annual Change in Enrolment

Primary School enrolment increased from 14,146 in 2006/2007 to15,864 in 2008/2009 representing a growth of 10.8%. The enrolment for girls increased constantly from 2006/2007 figure of 6,499 to 2008/2009 figure of 7,188 an increase of 9.6%.
Similarly, the table below shows the trend of enrolment into the Junior High Schools for the same period.
Table 21 : Enrolment Trends: Junior High School (2006-2009)
CIRCUIT 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009
M F T M F T M F T
Bonakye 207 81 288 213 90 303 234 114 348
Bewaniase 439 327 766 454 329 783 476 312 788
Kecheibi 265 125 390 279 123 402 269 151 420
Nkwanta East 363 234 597 415 254 669 416 285 701
Nkwanta West 736 496 1232 841 574 1415 874 661 1535
Salifu 221 169 390 259 175 434 257 180 437
Total 2231 1432 3663 2416 1305 4006 2526 1703 4229
% Annual Change in Enrolment

Enrolment in J.S.S. rose from 3,663 in 2006/2007 to 4,229 in 2008/2009 representing an increase of about 13.4%.
Table 22 : Teacher Population in Public Schools (Primary) 2008/2009
CIRCUIT TRAINED UNTRAINED TOTAL
MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE
BONAKYE 32 2 53 1 88
BREWANIASE 39 12 12 12 75
KECHEIBI 26 1 53 4 84
NKWANTA EAST 26 14 32 7 79
NKWANTA WEST 31 19 8 4 62
SALIFU 19 1 17 4 41
TOTAL 173 49 175 32 429

The District still has a problem with recruitment and retaining of trained teachers. The number of trained teachers in some circuits is still not acceptable. It is only Nkwanta West Circuit which has over 80% of its teachers trained. As much as 67.9% of teachers in the Kecheibi circuit are pupil teachers. 61.4% of teachers in the Bonakye circuit are not trained whilst about half of all teachers in the Nkwanta East circuit (49.4%) received no training. These have serious implications for teaching and learning. The District Assembly will continue to sponsor teacher trainees so they can come back and serve in the District.
Pupil/ teacher ratio in the primary school is quite good. It ranges from 1:30 in Brewaniase to 1:46 in Nkwanta West.
Table 23 : Teacher Population in Public Schools (Primary) 2008/2009
CIRCUIT TRAINED UNTRAINED TOTAL
MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE
BONAKYE 13 - 4 - 17
BREWANIASE 22 6 4 1 33
KECHEIBI 15 - 12 1 28
NKWANTA EAST 29 2 19 1 51
NKWANTA WEST 37 14 11 3 65
SALIFU 15 2 6 - 23
TOTAL 131 24 56 6 217

The ratio in the Junior High school is also quite good. It is as low as 1:15 in the Kecheibi Circuit to 1:23 in Brewaniase and Nkwanta West circuits.
PHYSICAL STATE OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
A number of schools in the District require rehabilitation or new classroom blocks especially in the northern part of the District. Facilities such as libraries, furniture and equipment and textbooks are inadequate even though there has been lot of improvement in the last three years. The table below shows the distribution and state of classroom blocks in the District.
Table 24 : District of Classroom Block: (2005)
ZONE
CEMENT
MUD
SHED OPEN AIR CLADDED PAVILLION UNCLADDED PAVILLION
TOTAL
Bonakye 17 3 3 2 12 4 41
Brewaniase 3 0 2 0 24 0 29
Kecheibi 12 2 5 0 5 5 29
Nkwanta East 27 0 0 0 4 0 31
NkwantaWest 8 0 0 0 18 0 26
Salifu 9 0 5 0 3 3 20
Total 76 5 15 2 66 12 176
The above table shows that there are still schools under sheds and open air. The District Assembly will work hard to replace all schools under sheds and in open air.
LITERACY LEVEL
Literacy is measured by the ability to read and write a language with understanding. According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census 70.2% of the District population aged 15 years and above are not literate. This is far higher than the regional figure of 41.7% and the national figure of 42.1. The illiteracy rate among women is 77.0% whilst that of men is 63.2%. Serious and concerted efforts are needed to curb illiteracy at all levels and between men and female. The NFED and other NGOs in the District would be strengthened to take up the challenge of bringing down these unacceptably high figures.
SKILLS, MANPOWER AND SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
There are no Vocational or Technical Institutes in the Districtfor skill training for the youth. There are, however, a number of mechanic shops, carpentry workshops, seamstressing and hairdressing saloons where the youth acquire skills through apprenticeship.
To support the youth acquire skills for gainful employment, the District Assembly in collaboration with the Central Government, Rural Enterprises Project,Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and other avenueswill explore the possibility of establishing community based capacity building schemes to train young people who drop out of school or are unable to attend school.
The District Assembly is also working with NGOs to develop sports in the District. In collaboration with Ghana Education Project (GEP), a sports and art hall has been constructed at Nkwanta with a gymnasium and other sporting facilities for the public.
The Assembly will also support the Youth and Sports Unit by providing facilities that will improve sporting activities in the District.
HEALTH
Improving the health status of the residents is crucial for poverty reduction. An important challenge in improving the health status of the poor is how to ensure a balance between direct health care and preventive aspects especially in the provision of safe water and sanitation.
The Nkwanta District Health Service comprises the Ministry of Health, the Mission, Private and Community Sectors.
The health delivery system is managed by the District Health Management Team (DHMT) which is headed by the District Director of Health Services. Among the services provided by the DHMT are Health Administration, Health Promotion and Curative Services, Maternal and Child Health/Family Planning Services and Disease Control and Preventive Services. The Team is also responsible for the co-ordination of the activities of the various divisions and collaborates with other health related sectors for the promotion of health development and disease prevention.
The District has been zoned around its health facilities into sub-districts to facilitate health delivery. Each zone is managed by a Sub-District Health Team (SDHT) under the supervision of the DHMT. The District currently has five SDHTs at Tutukpene, Kecheibi, Brewaniase, Nkwanta and Bonakye/Kabiti.
DISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH
There are thirteen health facilities in the district. The diagram below shows the distribution of health facilities in the district.
Table 25 : Distribution of Health Facilities(2009)
LOCATION HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH CENTRE MOH CLINIC PRIVATE CLINIC MATER-NITY HOME CHPS TOTAL
MOH HOS. MISSION HOS.
Nkwanta 1 1 2
Tutukpene 1 1
Brewaniase 1 1
Kecheibi 1 1
Pusupu 1 1
Obanda 1 1
Bontibor 1 1
Keri 1 1
Bonakye 1 1
Chaiso 1 1
Alokpatsa 1 1
Odumase 1 1
Total 1 1 1 2 2 0 6 13
STAFFING POSITION
There are two doctors in the District. There are some facilities without health personnel at all e.g. Odumase and Chillinga.
DISEASE SITUATION
The table shows the main causes of hospital admissions in the District.
Table 26 : Top Ten Causes of Hospital Admissions
DISEASE PERCENTAGE TOP FOUR CAUSES OF DEATH

Malaria 26.4% Malaria
Anaemia 11.9% Anaemia
Hypertension 5.0% Snake bite
Infectious Hepatitis 4.4% Pregnancy related
Pneumonia 3.1% Complication
Typhoid fever 3.1%
Snake Bite 2.5%
Diarrhoea 1.9%
ARI 1.3%
Other Cardiac Diseases 1.3%
Source : District Hospital, Nkwanta
The most commonly reported disease is Malaria. Malaria is also the highest cause of death in the District. This implies that sanitation in the District should be given greater attention. Diarrhoea which also features prominently is associated with unsanitary personal, domestic and environmental practices pointing to the same fact that, sanitation be given greater attention.
MALARIA CONTROL
The District is involved in a number of Malaria control programmes including Roll Back Malaria Programme and measures such as environmental cleanliness, netting of doors and windows, personal protection and the use of impregnated bed nets. But Malaria still accounts for over 40% of all OPD attendance. A survey carried out by the DHMT in 2005 on Bed net use in the District indicate that most mothers know the cause of malaria (73.4%) but bed net use among children under five is low (28.6%). The two significant findings determining the use of bed net by children under-five are affordability and its use by the mother.
The District was included in the Global Fund for Malaria programme. With this and other initiatives in the District, it is hoped the District will make strides in Malaria control activities.
GUINEA WORM ERADICATION PROGRAMME
Guinea worm has been fully eradicated in the District but efforts are being put in place to prevent importation of the disease into the District.
NUTRITION
With regard to nutrition, the amount and type of food eaten are fundamental determinants of the quality of each individual’s life. Good nutritional habits should therefore be a primary social development goal.
The District Assembly will take steps to improve the nutritional status of children and pregnant women through the promotion of Soya beans utilization in local foods.
Many children in the district suffer from malnutrition because they do not receive adequate amounts of nutritious foods. Many parents do not pay much attention to their children’s dietary requirements because they are either ignorant, poverty stricken, adhere to traditional beliefs or have large families that they cannot care for adequately.
WATER
Potable water coverage in the District is just about 60%meaning that about 40% of people living in the District do not have access to safe drinking water. The table below shows the distribution of water facilities in the District on Area Council bases
Table 27 : Distribution of Water facilities
AREA COUNCIL NO OF BORE HOLES NO OF COMMUNITIES
Nkwanta 151 72
Ntrubo 43 12
Kecheibi 52 28
Total 246 112

There are 246 boreholes in 112 communities in the District. There is a pedal flow system at Low Cost, Nkwanta, but this has not been functional for more than four years. Additionally, the Nkwanta Township is served with a pipe scheme with 22 stand pipes. All these serve about 60% of the population of the Nkwanta South District. The plan therefore seeks to increase the coverage from about 60% to 75% by the end of the plan period.
SANITATION
Sanitation coverage is less than 20 %. The table below shows the number of household toilets in the District. The District Assembly would refocus on the construction of household latrines by house owners and enforce the sanitary laws.
Table 28 : Distribution of Household Toilets
Area Council No of Household Latrines No of Communities
Nkwanta 581 30
Ntrubo 451 12
Kecheibi 317 14
Total 1,349 56

CLIMATE CHANGE
The District has Kyabobo National Park, a number of water including Volta Lake, and natural vegetation cover. However, with the construction of the Eastern Corridor road and expected resultant rapid urbanization, there is a danger for destruction of these natural relief features.
Currently, part of the vegetation cover is being to lost through human settlement development, economic activities and disasters (bush fires).
In view of this, through Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP), the Assembly will undertake climate change activities in various communities. Other measures will also be pursued to addition.
POPULATION MANAGEMENT
The population of the District in 2010 was 117,878 at a growthof a rate 2.5% which is similar to the regional and national figures of 2.5%. Rapid natural increase especially among the poor is a constraint on household incomes and access to basic services. The District population is projected to reach 134,043 in 2013. Successful management of fertility in the District will require a more result-oriented approach to increasing literacy and incomes of women, improving service delivery and effectively providing access to information and choices.
The District will adopt a two-pronged approach to deal with fertility. These are decentralization of services delivery and institution of a major District campaign on fertility regulation. All these will be done in conjunction with the DHMT and NGOs operating in the District.
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME
The NkwantaDistrict Mutual Health Insurance Scheme took off smoothly in the District in February 2006. As at the end of December 2009, over 24,678 have registered. Out of this number only 4,783 have fully paid their premiums and are benefiting from the scheme. The District Assembly will embark on District wide education for people to register and pay their premium. The scheme faces a number of challenges, these include:
• Inadequate logistics make it extreme difficult to reach out to the hard-to-reach communities for education, registration and photo-taking.
• Inadequate office accommodation resulting in the creation of ‘under the tree office’ for some of the workers
• Delays in renewal by clients
• Abuse of healthcare services by clients
• High cost of reimbursement of claims
The Assembly will endeavour to address some of these challenges.
VULNERABLE AND EXCLUDED
The fourth round of Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS4) defines segments of the Ghanaian society who constitute the extreme poor or vulnerable and the excluded. These include:
1. Rural agricultural producers, particularly migrant farm hands, settlers and traditional fishermen.
2. Children in difficult circumstances including malnourished children, victims of child labour, street children, school dropouts, children living in institutions and children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
3. People living with HIV/AIDS including infected persons and families of people living with HIV/AIDS.
4. Displaced communities, particularly those subjected to periodic flooding/drought negative effects of mining and tourism and ethnic conflicts.
5. Disadvantaged women, particularly single mothers, malnourished rural pregnant and nursing mothers, teenage mothers, kayayei, and commercial sex workers.
6. Residents of urban slums, including groups negatively affected by reform programmes of 1980s and 1990s, particularly redeployed workers, unemployed youth and areas affected by relocation/decline of economic activities.
7. The elderly, who have no access to family care and pension.
8. Physically challenged persons, particularly those with no employable skills.
9. People suffering from chronic diseases including victims of debilitating diseases such as tuberculosis, buruli ulcer, guinea worm, bilharzias, trachoma and breast cancer.
10. Drug addicts.
11. Victims of abuse, particularly children and women suffering from sexual abuse and battery.
12. Victims of harmful traditional practices especially victims of widowhood rites, early marriages, servitude, fosterage and perceived witchcraft.
13. Unemployed especially unskilled retrenched workers and the unemployed youth.
The District Assembly will put in place a number of programmes for the vulnerable and excluded identified in the District. These include:
A. DISASTER MANAGEMENT
When disaster, whether natural or man-made strikes, it causes great injury, pain, loss of property and human lives. Preventing disasters and mitigating their impact on the poor is important for the achievement of poverty reduction. To reduce the effects of these catastrophes, the District will develop effective rapid-alert systems and make sure that they are accessible to our communities.Structures will be established timely response to disasters cases and victims. The District will undertake public education and campaigns to sensitize the residents on issues of disaster management.
B. ENFORCEMENT OF PLANNING SCHEMES
The District Assembly will strengthen the physical planning department to prepare planning schemes for the various communities. The bye-laws on physical development will be enforced to prevent the development of slums and unplanned towns and villages.
C. ACQUISITION OF LAND:
The District Assembly will acquire lands for the development of parks, recreational sites, schools, markets etc.
D. CO-ORDINATING SERVICE DELIVERY:
The Assembly wills co-ordinate service delivery throughout the District to protect vulnerable groups particularly the disabled, excluded women and children. The Assembly will also work in close collaboration with Departments of Social Welfare and Community Development and the District Magistrate Court to address gender-based violence, violation of freedoms and to protect property rights of spouses and protection of women and children, the elderly and the disabled.
E. WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NGO’S AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR:
Partnership programmes with NGOs will include training of the youth in employable skills. Micro-credit support to viable economic groups, special programmes for community based rehabilitation, advocacy against abuse of children, early marriages and betrothals and intensification of awareness on the convention of the rights of the child and the children’s Act. The committee on Children’s Rights will be strengthened to perform the roles assigned to it.
The development of any nation depends on the active participation of the private sector, the District Assembly will therefore create the enabling environment for effective private sector participation. Some of these measures will include:
• Creation of land banks for investment.
• Creation of an office with a desk officer to be responsible for investment promotion in the District
• Liaising with utility service providers (e.g. Electricity) to extend services to most communities in the District
• Educate the local people to be more responsive to the needs of the private sector
• Facilitate the tarring of the Dodo-Pepesu-Nkwanta highway
KEY DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Key development problems identified include:
• Absence of Technical/Vocational Institute in the district
• High dropout rate in schools
• Unwillingness of parents to send their children to school especially Senior Secondary school
• Low nutritional status of children
• Inadequate health personnel
• High teenage pregnancies
• Child betrothals and exchange marriages as well as early marriages.
• Ethnic, chieftaincy and land disputes
• Absence of utility services (eg electricity, water) in most communities
TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE
The act of governing, which is governance, denotes the responsive relations between the state, the private business sector and civil society. At the district level, it is the responsive relationship between the District Assembly, the private sector both formal and informal and civil society organizations.
Good governance is dependent on the efficient and decentralized management of public policy in which people are empowered to participate in and influence the process of poverty reduction and the sustainable growth of the economy.
The fundamental principles upon which responsive governance rests include:
• Transparency of government decision making
• Accountability in both public and private sectors
• Public participation in decision – making, decentralization of responsibilities and devolution of power
• Observance of both rights and responsibilities
• Timely access to justice
• Discipline and observance of laws and regulations in both public and private sectors
• Public safety and security
• Empowering women
• Enhancing development communication
• Promoting Civic responsibility.
The application of these principles to reduce human deprivation, promote human rights and achieve sustainable growth requires determined and sustained political commitment and a dedicated public service of high capacity. To achieve transparent and accountable governance at the District level, it is important to look at the structures at the District level that promote governance including traditional authorities and NGOs.
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION
The Nkwanta District Assembly is the highest administrative and political authority in the District. The District was carved out of the Krachi District and was established by the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1892 in 2007. The District Assembly which is headed by the District Chief Executive (DCE) has executive, deliberative and legislative powers.
The Assembly has a membership of Forty-Five (45) made up of Thirty (30) electedmembers,Fourteen (14) Government Appointees, the DCE and the Member of Parliament. The Assembly, which is the highest legislative structure, is presided over by a Presiding Member (PM). The PM is elected from among the Assembly members by two-thirds (⅔) majority of all Assembly members.
There is an Executive Committee of the Assembly, which is chaired by the District Chief Executive. The Executive committee performs the executive and co-ordinating functions of the Assembly. The membership of the executive committee is made up of one-third (⅓) of members of the Assembly.
SUBSIDIARY COMMITTEE
The Sub-Committees of the Assembly are:
• Development Planning Sub-Committee
• Works Sub-Committee
• Environment Sub-Committee
• Finance and Administration Sub-Committee
• Justice and Security Sub-Committee
• Social Services Sub-Committee
• District Water and Sanitation Sub-Committee
• Public Complaints Sub-Committee
The sub-committees are responsible for collating and deliberating on issues relevant to them. They also assist the Assembly in its deliberative, executive and legislative functions.
In addition to the sub-committees, the Assembly also has other advisory boards which advice it. These are:
• District Security Committee
• District Tender Committee
• District Tender Review Board
• Statutory Planning Committee
• Committee on Children
• Environmental Awareness Committee
• District HIV/AIDs Committee.
• District Education Oversight Committee
AREA COUNCILS AND UNIT COMMITTEES
At the lowest level of the Local Government structure are the Area Councils and the Unit Committees. These are to help the Assembly perform its functions. The Nkwanta South District Assembly has three (3) Area Councils and sixty Unit Committees. The Area Councils are:
• Nkwanta Area Council
• Ntrubo Area Council
• Tutukpene / Kecheibi Area Council
DEPARTMENTS
Departments in the district are:
1. CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
2. FINANCE
3. EDUCATION, YOUTH AND SPORTS
4. HEALTH
5. AGRICULTURE
6. PHYSICAL PLANNING
7. SOCIAL WELFARE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
8. NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION DEPT FORESTRY GAME & WILDLIFE DIVISION
9. WORKS
10. INDUSTRY AND TRADE
11. DISASTER PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT
Figure 2 : Organogram of Nkwanta South District Assembly

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES
Traditional authorities wield a lot of influence especially in the rural areas. Traditional authorities have a role to play in facilitating government policy. The major ethnic groups in the District are the Adeles, Atwodes, Ntrubos, Challa and Kokombas. The chiefs of these ethnic groups play the following roles in their areas of jurisdiction:
• Provide leadership in their communities in undertaking self – help projects
• Help the District Assembly in maintaining law and order.
Some of them represent traditional authorities in the District Assembly and participate in its deliberative, legislative and