Ghana Eastern Region

21/03/2022, 16:05 Ghana Eastern Region
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Ghana Eastern Region

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The Eastern Region, with an area of 19,323 square kilometres, occupying 8.1 per cent of the total land area of
Ghana, is the sixth largest region of the country. A total of 2,106,696
population for the region, representing 11.1 per cent of Ghana’s population.
It is the third most populous region, after the Ashanti and Greater Accra. The
population is made up of 49.2 per cent males and 50.8 per cent females,
giving a sex ratio of 96.8 males to 100 females.
Political administration
The region has 17 administrative districts, with Koforidua as the regional

capital. There are 26 parliamentary constituencies for the election of the
region’s representatives to the National Assembly/Parliament. The political
administration is decentralized into a system of district assemblies and the
Regional Co-ordinating Council. The District Assemblies, in turn, are decentralised into Local/Area Councils
and Unit Committees.
Social characteristics
Household composition and structure
There are 456,663 households and 283,461 houses in the region, with an average household size of 4.6.
Within the household structure, 21.7 per cent of the household members are heads, 36.9 per cent children,
9.6 per cent grandchildren, with other relatives making up 18.4 per cent. Thus, 74.0 per cent of the household
members are related to the head or to the temporary head of the household, while 4.3 per cent are non-
relatives or have affinal relations. This is an indication that the traditional structure of the primary family with an
extended family is still prevalent in the region.
Ethnicity
The region has four major ethnic groupings, namely Akan (52.1%), the Ga-Dangme (18.9%), the Ewes (15.9%)
and the Guans (7.2%). Of these, the Ewes are the only non-indigenous ethnic group. The Akan predominate in
11 of the 17 districts, with variation from 68 to 80 per cent of the population. The Yilo Krobo and Manya Krobo
Districts have the largest concentration of the Ga-Dangmes ,who constitute 70.0 per cent of the inhabitants of
these two districts. The Ewe are found mainly in the Asuogyaman (39.1%) and the Afram Plains (50.8%)
Districts, while the Guan inhabit the Akwapim North (34.5%), the Suhum-Kraboa- Coaltar (17.0%) and
Asuogyaman, (14.1%) Districts.
Religious affiliation
The three major religious groups are Christianity, Islam and Traditional religion. Christians constitute 82.8 per
cent of the population, followed by Moslems(6.1%) and adherents of Traditional religion (2.4%). The Christian
religion is further broken down into Catholic (9.6%), Protestant (26.7%), Pentecostal/Charismatic (33.4%) and
other Christian religions (13.1%).
Marital status of the population
Of the 1,227,612 people, 15 years and older, 56.3 per cent are married, including 7.1 per cent in consensual
unions. The never- married constitute 29.8 per cent and the 13.9 per cent who have ever married, but are no
more in a marital union, are made up of 2.1 per cent separated, 6.2 per cent divorced and 5.6 per cent
widowed.
District level analysis shows that the incidence of both divorce and widowhood is substantially higher among
females than males in each district in the region. By contrast, the proportion of the never married males, which
varies from 32.0 per cent to 49.1 per cent, is higher in every district, than that of females, which varies from
19.8 per cent to 34.0 per cent. It is also worth noting that the lowest percentage of the never- married males
(29.8% in Kwaebibirem) is 17.1 percentage points lower than the highest percentage of never- married
females (49.1% in New Juaben) compared with 14.1 percentage points differential between the highest
percentage of the never- married males and females.
Thus, while the proportion of females separated, divorced, widowed or in consensual unions is substantially
higher than those of males, the proportion of males who never married is equally substantially higher than that
of females. Analysis of the marital status of the 12-14 years group population indicates that 2.9 per cent have
ever married.
Education and literacy
Nearly two-thirds (63.6%) of the population aged 15 years and older are literate, 46.4 per cent literate in both
English and a Ghanaian language. The proportion of illiterate is 36.4 per cent of the regional population. The
level of literacy is higher for males (73.5%) than for females (54.4%).
There is a considerable variation in the literacy levels among the districts. For example, in the Afram Plains
District, which has the highest illiteracy level among the districts, almost two out of every three females
(65.9%) are illiterates. The next highest illiteracy rate for females is in the Manya Krobo (55.5%), followed by
the Yilo Krobo Districts (54.1). Inability to read and write is lower for males than for females in the districts. The
Afram Plains District has the highest illiteracy rate (50.0%) for males, followed by males in the Fanteakwa
District (33.7%). The least illiteracy level is in the New Juaben municipality where illiterates constitute 19.0 per
cent of the adult population.
Educational attainment
Of a population of 1,739,535, aged six years and older in the region, 30.6 per cent have never attended
school. The proportion with Middle or JSS education is 30.1 per cent, while 25.5 per cent have primary
education. Only 2.0 per cent have reached the tertiary level. The level of educational attainment for both males
and females varies. Of the male population, six years and older, 24.0 per cent have never attended school,
compared with 37.1 per cent for the females.
The level of educational attainment across the districts shows that slightly more than half of the population
(51.9%) of Afram Plains, the highest in the region, have never attended school. The situation improves slightly
in the Manya Krobo District (38.1%) and better still in the New Juaben municipality (16.0%). The New Juaben
municipality has the highest percentage (35.8%) of those who attained Middle/JSS education while the Afram
Plains has the least percentage (18.4%).
The Birim North has the highest percentage for primary school attainment, (28.9%) followed by the Suhum-
Kraboa-Coaltar district (27.2%); the lowest in the Afram Plains (18.4%). Which also has the highest
percentage (56.2%) of females who have never attended school, compared with 48.3 per cent males. The
New Juaben municipality has the lowest percentage of males (10.8%) and females (20.8%) who have never
school.
Current school attendance
Of the total enrolment 513,068 six years and older, in schools in the region, 62.4 per cent are at the primary
level, 23.1 per cent at the Junior Secondary School and 6.9 per cent at the Senior Secondary School levels. It
becomes immediately clear that there are serious distortions at the various levels. Should all the pupils at the
primary schools qualify to enrol in the Junior Secondary Schools; the existing schools at the JSS level should
run 3 shifts a day to accommodate them.
This attests not only to the stiff competition at the points of entry to the JSS, SSS levels as well as at the
tertiary level but also accounts for the significant proportion of students who terminate their education at the
primary and JSS levels.
The pattern of pupils/students, in the lower grades, competing for fewer places at the higher levels is reflected
in all the districts. The differences are that there are better opportunities for those districts, which are better
endowed with social amenities. For example, in the New Juaben municipality those in primary school, 51.1 per
cent of the school population, have to compete for 25.1 per cent of places at the JSS level while the JSS
students also have to complete for 11.4 per cent of places at the SSS level. This contrast with the situation in
Afram Plains, where 66.5 per cent of primary school pupils have to compete for 15.0 per cent and 7.6 per cent
of places at the JSS and SSS levels.
Economic characteristics
The region has a total of 927,699 persons (75.5%) who are economically active and 299,913 persons (24.5%)
not economically active. For the economically active population, (87.0%) worked during the 7 days before the
census, while 4.6 per cent had a job but did not work and 8.4 per cent were unemployed. There are no major
differences between the males (87.8%) and females (86.2%) who worked during the period.
The percentages unemployed are (8.1%) for males and (8.7%) for females. The not economically active
population is made up largely of students (35.6%) and homemakers (24.8%). The proportion of male students
is larger than that of female students, while the proportion of female homemakers is higher than male
homemakers. The proportion of the aged and the retired/pensioners is higher for females (19.3%) than for
males (14.2%). This pattern of economic activity is the same for all the 17 districts with little variations from
district to district. There is very little difference between the male physically challenged persons, (3.8%) and
the females (3.7%).
Occupation
The main occupations of the economically active population in the region are Agriculture and related work
(54.8%), Sales (14.3%), Production, Transport and Equipment work (14.0%) and Professional and Technical
work (6.9%) with Services accounting for 5.0 per cent. The four principal occupations for males are agriculture
and related work (56.9%), Production, Transport and Equipment work (16.6%), Professional and Technical
work (8.6%) and Sales work (6.5%). These occupations are similar for females, except in Sales work where
females (21.8%) feature more significantly than males. The proportions for females are: Agriculture and related
work, 52.7 per cent; Production, Transport and Equipment work, 11.5 per cent; Professional and Technical,
and related work 5.2 per cent and Sales work, 21.8 per cent.
Industry
There are three main industrial activities in the region, namely Agriculture including Hunting, Forestry (54.9%),
Wholesale and Retail trade (13.5%) and Manufacturing (9.1%). In Agriculture and related work, males
constitute 57.4 per cent, compared with 52.6 per cent of females. However, females are predominant in
Wholesale and Retail Trade (19.3%), compared with 7.4 per cent males. In the Manufacturing industry, female
participation (9.5%) is higher than that of males (8.8%). Birim North District has the highest economically
active population in Agriculture and related work for both males (77.6%) and females (73.9%) while in New
Juaben, only 17.7 per cent of males and 14.3 per cent of females are in that industry.
In the Manufacturing sector, the highest percentage for males (15.4%) and for females (15.0%) is in New
Juaben municipality, with the lowest for both males (3.2%) and female (4.4%) in the Afram Plains District.
Similarly, in the Wholesale and Retail Trade, the highest proportion for males (17.4%) and for females (39.1%)
is in New Juaben municipality, while the Afram Plains District has the lowest for both males (2.2%) and
females (6.6%).
Employment status and sector
Nearly four-fifths (77.7%) of the economically active population in the region are selfemployed with no
employees. The next largest category is employees (11.5%), while selfemployed with employees are 4.3 per
cent of the economically active population. Those in the categories of unpaid family workers, apprentices and
domestic employees make up the remaining 6.5 per cent. Females constitute the highest proportion of self-
employed without employees, mainly in the private informal sector. The private informal sector employs 80.5
per cent of workers followed by the private formal with 12.3 per cent and the public sector 6.1 per cent.
Housing stock
The total stock of houses in the region is 283,461 with a total of 456,663 households. The number of
households per house is 1.6, with an average household size of 4.6. There has been an increase of 51.4 per
cent in the stock of houses over the 1984 census count. About three-fifths (58.2%) of household members
own their dwelling units, 20.9 per cent rent the dwelling units, 20.2 per cent pay no rent and 0.7 per cent perch
with others. In view of the housing situation in the region, future housing programmes should consider the
needs for, and the affordability of, the types and categories of housing to be provided.
Types of dwelling
Compound, separate and semi-detached houses are the three common types of dwellings occupied by
households in the districts. Of these, the commonest is the compound house, occupied by 43.1 per cent of
households. The New Juaben municipality has the highest percentage of households (67.1%) living in
compound houses.
Construction materials
Mud/mud brick/earth and cement/concrete blocks are the two main construction materials used by
households for walls in the districts. Of the two construction materials, mud or mud brick/earth accounts for
56.2 per cent of all types of materials used for wall construction. The use of this type of material features most
prominently in wall construction in Afram Plains, accounting for 87.9 per cent of all types of wall materials.
Roof
About four in every five households (82.1%) in the districts live in dwelling units roofed with corrugated metal
sheets. The use of this type of roofing material features most prominently in Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (95.4%),
the highest in the region. A significant number (12.6%) of dwelling units have thatch/palm leaf roofs.
Floor
The floor of almost three quarters (73.8%) of dwelling units in the region is made of cement or concrete. It is
the commonest type of floor material used in all districts, particularly in the New Juaben municipality (85.8%).
Rooms and sleeping rooms for households
A little over a third (36.1%) of households in the region have one room, with about half (48.6%) of households
having a single sleeping room. Next to this are households with two sleeping rooms (23.8%). At the district
level, about a half (48.0%) of households in the West Akim district have a single room while about three-fifths
(59.2%) of households have a single sleeping room. The data reflect the inadequacy of rooms as well as
sleeping rooms for the majority of households. It is a situation which is likely to create overcrowding.
Household facilities and amenities
Drinking water
Almost a quarter (23.6%) of households in the region use the river, stream, pond or lake as their main source
of drinking water. While 23.0 per cent use the well, 19.4 per cent rely on pipe-borne water located outside the
premises and an additional 8.8 per cent use pipe borne water located within the house for their supply of
drinking water. At the district level, Fanteakwa has the highest proportion (54.5%) of households that draw
drinking water from the river, stream, pond and lake.
On the other hand, New Juaben has the highest percentage (39.0%) of households whose source of main
drinking water is pipe-borne, located within the premises and 29.9 per cent with pipe-borne water located
outside the premises. Notwithstanding the availability of the basic infrastructure for pipe-borne water in the
New Juaben municipality and other urban centres, water is woefully inadequate for the use of households and
is a source of constant concern for the District Assemblies.
The volume of treated water is inadequate and the distribution system is inefficient. Schemes on the drawing
boards of the District Assemblies should have priority of implementation to ameliorate the situation.
Lighting
The kerosene lamp is the main source of lighting in the region, used by 64.3 per cent of households. Apart
from the kerosene lamp, electricity is the second major source of lighting in 34.3 per cent of households. For
the districts, Afram Plains has the highest proportion (89.5%) of households using kerosene lamps as the main
source of lighting compared with New Juaben which has the highest proportion (77.6%) of households using
electricity for lighting.
Fuel and space for cooking
About 70.0 per cent (68.8%) of households use wood and 22.0 per cent use charcoal as the main fuel for
cooking. The District Assemblies have, as a matter of serious concern to consider introducing L.P. Gas
cylinders of different sizes to encourage the use of L.P. Gas as the main source of cooking fuel in the region. In
the long run, charcoal is more expensive than L.P. Gas, but it can be bought in smaller quantities when
needed.
Wood as cooking fuel is highest in the Fanteakwa District (89.5%); compared with the regional average of 68.8
per cent. The use of charcoal as a cooking fuel is highest in the New Juaben municipality (52.4%) compared
with the regional average is 22.0 per cent. This can be explained by the fact that charcoal, processed from
wood, is more affordable in the urban setting and that wood is more accessible in the rural areas, than in the
urban. With such a high proportion of households (90.8%) using wood and charcoal as their main fuel for
cooking, there is a serious threat to the environment, in particular its consequence on the depletion of forests.
Cooking space
Nearly two in five households (37.9%) have separate rooms exclusively set aside for cooking purposes. At the
district levels, the Afram Plains District has the highest percentage (46.1) of households who have a separate
room set aside exclusively for cooking.
Bathing facility
About a third (31.7%) of households in the region use a shared bathroom; a quarter (24.1%) own a bathroom
for their exclusive use; about a fifth (18.0%) share open cubicles, and slightly more than a tenth (11.8%) have
open cubicles for private use in addition to 4.0 per cent using a bathing facility in another house.
Toilet facility
Over a third (37.5%) of households in the region use the pit latrine in the house, while 29.8 per cent use public
toilets of all kinds (pit, pan, KVIP and W.C), In the districts, the Fanteakwa District has the highest proportion
(58.9%) of households that use a pit latrine. The New Juaben municipality has the highest use of the W.C.
(17.7%) and of public toilets (39.5%). It is noteworthy that only 5.4 per cent of dwelling units in the region have
no access to an accepted toilet facility, compared with the national average of 20.0 per cent. In the districts,
households with no toilet facility range from 1.2 per cent in the New Juaben municipality to 28.6 per cent in
the Afram Plains District.
Solid waste disposal
More than half (56.5%) of households in the region dispose of solid waste in public dumps, while a quarter
(25.2%) dump their household waste anywhere. A tenth (10.1%) of households bury their solid waste in and
around their compounds. The vast majority of households in the districts for example Birim South (72.5%),
New Juaben (70.0%) and West Akim (66.3%) districts dispose of their solid waste in public dumps, Almost
half (48.9%) of the households in the Afram Plains District and 40.6 per cent in the Fanteakwa District, dump
solid waste elsewhere, a practice which can impact negatively on the environmental sanitation condition of
residents.
Liquid waste disposal
Only 2.0 per cent of households dispose of their liquid waste through the sewerage system. The large
proportion (48.2%) of households dispose of their liquid waste by throwing such waste onto the compound,
while other households throw liquid waste onto the street, outside (31.6%) or into the gutter (17.8%).
Within the districts, households in the Afram Plains (78.0%), Fanteakwa (68.8%) and Manya Krobo (58.2%)
districts have the greatest tendency to throw liquid waste onto the compounds compared with households in
the New Juaben municipality (25.2%). The practice of households throwing liquid waste onto the street is least
in the Birim South (41.8%), Birim North (39.3%) and Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (39.3%), districts.
INTRODUCTION <
Physical features
Area
The Eastern Region occupies a land area of 19,323 kilometres and constitutes 8.1 per cent of the total land
area of Ghana. It is the sixth largest region in terms of land area. It lies between latitudes 6o and 7o North and
between longitudes 1o30’ West and 0o30’ East. The region shares common boundaries with the Greater
Accra, Central, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions.
The region has four main geographical features, namely:
(i) The Kwahu scarp with an elevation of 2,586 feet above sea level.
(ii) The Atiwa-Atwaredu Ranges near Kibi, reaching an elevation of 2,400 feet.
(iii) The Akuapem highland attaining an elevation of 1,530 feet which is the southern extension of the Togo-
Atakora mountain ranges and
(iv) The isolated hills/mountains dotting the relatively low-lying plains to the south, notably the Krobo and the
Yogaga mountains.
The Kwahu Scarp and the Atiwa-Atwaredu form the major watershed of the region. It is from these that the
major rivers such as the Pra, Birim and the Densu take their sources. The Volta lake also covers part of the
region. The Kwahu scarp also has the highest inhabited place in Ghana, at Abetifi, though this is not the
highest mountain pick in the country. The Akosombo and Kpong dams are located in the region. These rivers
and the Volta lake are water bodies with high potentials for irrigation, farming, inland fishing, water transport
as well as sources for drinking water for both urban and rural settlements. The region is also characterized by
long range forest highlands such as the Akim, Kwahu, Akwamu, Krobo and Shai Hills.
The region is rich in minerals such as gold, diamond, bauxite-tantalite, limestone, kaolin and clay. Gold and
diamond are however the only minerals that are mined commercially. For over 70 years, the diamond mines at
Akwatia and Takrowase in the Birim River Valley was producing high quality industrial diamonds, but this has
declined considerably over the last two decades. Plans to mine the major bauxite deposits at Kibi on the
Atiwa Range are yet to materialize due to financial constraints and ecological and environmental concerns.
The Range is the habitat of many rare and exotic flora and fauna, and is the source of rivers that are crucial for
the survival of other parts of the country, such as the Densu river which is the source of water for the Weija
dam at Accra. Ecological and environmental factors are therefore of prime importance in determining the
commercial exploitation of the bauxite and other minerals.
Vegetation
The forest and savannah type of soils are suitable for the cultivation of a variety of crops including cocoa,
cola-nuts, citrus, oil palm and staple food crops such as cassava, yam, cocoyam, maize, rice and vegetables.
The region contributes significantly to the production of industrial crops such as cocoa, pineapple, pawpaw,
cola nut and oil palm and also has a substantial share in the national production of maize, cassava, and citrus.
Available also in the region are exotic crops such as black and sweet pepper, ginger, cashew nuts, Irish
potatoes, rubber and mangoes, which are all gaining importance as export commodities.
The region has a beautiful natural setting which makes it an impressive tourist area. It is characterized by a
chain of highlands, woody valleys and waterfalls, including the Boti Falls at Huhunya in the Krobo Hills. For
perfect calm and serenity, the most appropriate months are June and August.
Located in the region are the botanical gardens at Aburi, the remains of the 17th Century slave market at
Abonse, Tetteh Quarshie’s first cocoa farm, and residence at Akwapim Mampong and the Akonedi shrine, at
Larteh. These and the available cruises over the Volta lake are some of the many attractions that the region
offers. The palm tree, which legend claims was climbed by the famous Okomfo Anokye, wearing only a pair of
sandals, is located in Awukugua in the Akwapim Hills.
Climate
The region lies within the wet semi-equatorial zone which is characterized by double maxima rainfall in June
and October. The first rainy season is from May to June, with the heaviest rainfall occurring in June while the
second season is from September to October, with little variations between the districts. Temperatures in the
region are high and range between 26oC in August and 30oC in March. The relative humidity which is high
throughout the year varies between 70 per cent -80 per cent.
Political administration
The region has 17 administrative districts with Koforidua as the regional capital. There are 26 parliamentary
constituencies in the region. The Electoral Commission has decided to create two additional constituencies
namely Ofoase/Ayirebi in the Birim North and Abuakwa East in East Akim.
The structure of the decentralized administrative system is made up of the Regional Coordinating Council and
the District Assembly. The Regional Co-ordinating Council comprises the Regional Minister and his deputy,
representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs, the District Chief Executives of the region and the Presiding
members of the district assemblies in the region. The Regional Co-odinating Council has the overall
responsibility of the local government administration of the region.
The District Assembly is to “exercise power and administrative authority in the District, provide guidance, give
direction to and supervise all other administrative authorities in the district”. The District Chief Executive (DCE)
is responsible for the day to day executive and administrative functions of the assembly and is the chief
representative of the Central Government. He is appointed by the President with the prior approval of not less
than two-thirds majority of the members of the Assembly present and voting at the meeting. The DCE is
assisted by the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) who heads the district bureaucracy and is Secretary to
the Assembly. The Assembly itself has Urban, Zonal and Town/Area Councils which are supported by Unit
Committees. The Unit committees are consultative bodies at the grassroots and are in close contact with, and
organize, the people for communal labour, revenue mobilization and maintenance of environmental sanitation
and other activities.
Cultural and social structure
Population structure
The population of the Region3 2,106,696, represents 11.1 per cent of Ghana’s population of 18,912,079. It is
the third most populous region after Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions. The intercensal growth rate was 2.0
per cent between 1960/1970, 1.8 per cent between 1970/1984 and 1.4 per cent between 1984/2000 implying
a slowing down of the rate of growth of the population
The region’s population is very young, with 41.7 per cent aged less than 15 years and 5.8 per cent older than
64 years. Females constitute 50.8 and male 49.2 per cent of the total population, giving a sex ratio of 96.8
males to 100 females. On a broad sector basis, 58.4 per cent of the employed population work in agriculture
including hunting, forestry and related work and fishing. 13.5 per cent in wholesale and retail trade and 9.1 per
cent in manufacturing. The population distribution pattern shows that 34.6 per cent of the region’s population
live in 56 urban settlements (towns with population above 5,000) while the greater percentage, 65.4 per cent,
live in rural communities.
Ethnicity
There are four major ethnic groups in the region namely, the Akan (52.1%), the Ga-Dangme (18.9%), the Ewe
(15.9%) and the Guan (7.2%). The Akan are predominant in 11 of the 17 districts and constitute about 85.4
per cent of the population of Birim South, 75.0 per cent in Birim North and 67.9 per cent in East Akim . Yilo
Krobo (79.7%) and Manya Krobo (71.4%) have the largest concentration of the Ga-Dangme while the Ewe
population is largest in the Asuogyaman (39.1%) and in the Afram Plains (50.8%). Both these districts share a
common border with the Volta Region which is the home of the Ewe. The Guan have a large concentration in
the Akwapim North (34.5%) even though they are not the largest ethnic group in the district. They are also
significant in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (17.4%) and Asuogyaman (14.1%) districts. 1 Ada Local Council,
now Dangme East, was formerly part of the Eastern Region.
Religious affiliation in the region follows the national pattern of Christianity, Islam and Traditional religion.
Those who profess the Christian religion constitute 82.8 per cent of the population, followed by Islam by
(6.1%) and Traditional (2.4%). The Christian religion comprises the Catholic (9.6%), the Protestant (26.7%), the
Pentecostal/Charismatic (33.4%) and other Christians (13.1%). The Catholic faith has the largest followers in
the Afram Plains (22.1%) and Manya Krobo (15.3%) districts while the Protestants have a large concentration
in the Akwapim North, (43.4%) East Akim (33.3%) and Asuogyaman (31.1%) districts . The
Pentecostal/Charismatics who have a greater following in the region have the largest followers in the Yilo
Krobo (44.8%), Manya Krobo (35,5%), Fanteakwa, (37.8%), Suhum- Kraboa-Coaltar (36.4%) and New Juaben
(33.2%). The strength of the Protestant Churches in the region has its antecedents in the arrival of the Basel
Missionaries in the Akwapim and Kwahu areas in the 18th and 19th centuries. The predominance of the
Pentecostals and Charismatics is a recent phenomenon which has drawn their following from the mainstream
Catholic and protestant Churches. Moslems are significant in New Juaben (9.4%) and West Akim (9.1%).
Traditional religion is important in four districts: Afram Plains (9.4%), Asuogyaman (3.7%), Akwapim North
(3.5%) and Akim West (3.4%).
Household composition and structure
Out of the 2,106,696 persons in the region, 20.1 per cent are heads, 36.9 per cent children of the household
head, 9.6 per cent grandchildren and other relatives (18.4%). Spouses constitute 9.1 per cent of the
households. Non-relatives and affinal relations, constitute 4.1 per cent, an indication that the traditional family
structure of the primary family with extended family still prevails. There is a greater proportion of male heads
(27.0%) than female heads (13.4%) of households while there is a significantly greater proportion of female
(16.1%) than male (1.9%) spouses.
Marital affiliation < Out of a total population of 1.227.612 aged 15 years and older, 56.3 per cent are in
marriage unions, both formal (49.2%) and informal (7.1%). The never married constitute 29.8 per cent while
those who have ever been married but are currently separated, divorced or widowed, constitute 13.9 per cent
of the population.
There is a higher percentage of females (8.0) than males (6.2) in informal unions and an equally higher
percentage of divorced females (7.8%) than divorced males (4.4%). There is also a preponderance of
widowed females (8.9%) compared to widowed males (2.1%). Polygamy also creates a situation where a man
who divorces a spouse remains married while the spouse becomes divorced. Divorced males generally tend
to remarry than divorced females.
The higher predominance of females in informal relationship may be due to both polygamy and a number of
emerging social and economic factors influencing young males and females to enter permanent marriage
unions. The higher proportion of widowed females may also be explained by the tendency of older males
marrying much younger females and dying before them or the higher likelihood of widowed males remarrying,
than widowed females.
Literacy < In the region, 63.6 per cent of the population are literate compared with the national average of
57.9 per cent. The results also show that 46.4 per cent of the population in the region are literate in both
English and a Ghanaian language in addition to 13.4 per cent in English only. This gives a total of 59.8 per
cent, which is the effective literacy or the critical mass of the people who can more effectively access
information on what goes on around them. There is also the indication that the level of literacy is higher for
males (73.6%) than for females (54.4%). These are also higher than the national literacy level of both males
(66.4%) and females (49.8%)
Demographic characteristics
The population of the region was 1,094,196 in 1960, 1,261,661 by the 1970 Population Census and increased
by 38.8 per cent to 1,679,483 in 1984. A total population of 2,106,696, representing an increase of 25.3 per
cent over that of 1984. The region is the third most populous after the Ashanti and Greater Accra Region.
The proportion of males per 100 females was 102.2 in 1960, 97.9 in 1970, 98.1 in 1984 and 96.8 for year 2000,
with dependency ratios of 94.9 for 1984 and 90.5 for year 2000. In the context of the total national population,
the region’s population constituted 14.1 per cent of the national population in 1970, 13.8 per cent in 1984 and
11.1 per cent in 2000.
The intercensal growth rate for the 1960/1970 period is 2.0. It is 1.8 for the 1970/1984 periods and 1.4 per
cent, per annum for the period 1984/2000. Inspite of this increase, in the context of national population
dynamics, the region, for the past three decades, continued to have a continuous decreasing share of the
national population. This is reflected in the steadily declining growth rates from 1960 to 2000. This declining
growth rate is a positive response to the population issue and needs to be sustained.
Economic characteristics
This section discusses the various economic activities of the 1,227,612 people, aged 15 years and older, who
were enumerated in the region. It relates to their roles as workers or non-workers, the type of occupation they
are engaged in, the industries in which they work in and their status of employment. It is known, however, that
many children (7-14 years) engage in economic activities of all sorts ranging from domestic chores, hawking
and in some industrial activities; the section discusses the phenomenon as well.
Type of activity
The total population aged 15 years and older in the region is 1,227,612, made up of 927,699 economically
active (75.5%) and 299,913 not economically active population (24.5%). 87.0 per cent, worked during the
period seven days prior to census night 2000. Of this number, 52.9 per cent worked five days of the week,
10.7 per cent for six days and 1.9 per cent for seven days respectively. Those who had a job but did not work
constitute 4.6 per cent, leaving 8.4 per cent of the economically active population, as unemployed. There is
not much difference between the males as compared to the females.
The proportion of the female active population who had a job but did not work (5.1%) is higher than that of
males. The percentage of unemployed economically active is almost the same for females (8.7%) and for
males (8.4%). The not economically active is made up largely of students (35.6%) and homemakers (24.8%).
In this category, there is a proportionally higher male student population (44.9%) than female (27.7%) while in
the case of the homemakers; the percentage of females (31.2 %) is much higher than that of males (17.3%). It
is also noticeable that the old age and retired/pensioners make up 14.2 per cent of the males and 19.3 per
cent of the females.
Occupation
The main occupations in the region, are Agriculture and related work (54.8%), Sales (14.3%), Production,
Transport and Equipment work (14.0%) and Professional and Technical work (6.9%) with Services accounting
for 5.0 per cent of the economically active population. The principal occupations for the males are Agriculture
and related work (56.9%), Production, Transport and Equipment (16.6%), Professional and Technical work
(8.6%), Sales work (6.5%) and Clerical work (6.2%). The pattern is almost the same for the females, except in
Sales where females (21.8%) feature more prominently than males (6.5%). The other major occupations for
females are Agriculture and related work (52.7%), Production, Transport and Equipment work (11.5%)
Professional and Technical (5.2%) and Services (6.7%)
Industry
There are three main industrial activities, namely Agriculture including, Hunting, Animal Husbandry and
Forestry (54.9%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (13.5%) and Manufacturing (9.1%) in which significant
proportions of the economically active are engaged.
Males account for 57.4 per cent of workers in Agriculture and related work compared to 52.6 per cent of
females. However, females are predominant in the Wholesale and Retail trade (19.3%) compared to 7.4 per
cent of males. In the manufacturing industry, the participation of males (8.8%) is slightly lower than that of
females (9.5%).
Employment status
Nearly four-fifth (77.7%) of the population, aged 15 years and older, are self-employed workers without
employees, followed by employees (11.5%) and self-employed with employees (4.3%). The remaining 6.5 per
cent of workers are made up of unpaid family workers (2.7%), apprentices (2.9%), domestic employees (0.4%)
and others (0.5%).
Institutional sector of employment
The private informal sector provides employment for 80.5 per cent of the workers of the region, the private
formal (12.3%), and the public sector (6.1 %). The semi-public or parastatal sectors form 0.6 per cent of
workers. It is significant to note that 83.6 per cent of females are engaged in the private informal sector, mainly
in Agriculture followed by Sales work.
The high percentage of self-employed persons (without employees) has economic implications as it affects
revenue and tax collection. It is not only that such business are, by nature small, but they do not also generate
enough capital for reinvestment and employment creation.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Introduction
This chapter provides information on the age and sex of household members, the population size of the
districts, the sex and dependency ratios as well as the migratory pattern within the region. Population
distribution by rural-urban residence is also discussed in addition to fertility and child survival.
Of the 17 districts, in the region, Kwahu South is the most populous, with a population of 217,485 which
constitutes 10.3 per cent of the regional population. The least populated district is Asuogyaman, with a
population of 75,920 or 3.6 per cent of the region’s population.
Age-sex structure, sex ratios and population pyramid
The age structure and the sex composition of the population of the region follow the national pattern.
The age structure is broad at the base and reduces gradually in the subsequent age groups until the
population becomes relatively small at the top. This type of population structure is typical of developing
countries where high fertility is accompanied by a high, though declining mortality. The age structure
for the sexes also follows the national pattern where males predominate in the early few years but are
overtaken by the female population in later years.
Age-sex structure
The age structure for the region shows a relatively large proportion of children (41.7%) and a small
proportion of older people 65 years and older (5.8%). The fact that a greater proportion of the people in
the region are surviving to old age implies that there is an increase in the life expectancy for the region
as a whole. This may be a reflection of improvement in the health status of the people in the region. The
age structure for the districts follows the regional pattern with a broad base tapering gradually at older
ages and this may be due to mortality and migration.
The age structure of the sexes for the 17 districts follows the same patterns as the national and
regional with some differences. For example, the proportion of the male population under 15 years is
highest in the Birim North district (47.3%) while that for females (under 15 years) is highest in the Afram
Plains (46.5%). In all districts, except Kwaebibirem and Afram Plains, there is a greater proportion of
surviving females (65 years and older) than males. The highest is in Akwapim North, with 6.3 per cent
males compared with 9.8 per cent females. In the Afram Plains, the corresponding figures are 3.1 per
cent males compared with 2.6 per cent females.
Sex ratios
The sex ratio is the ratio of males per 100 females. The sex ratio at birth in most countries is about 105
or 106 males per 100 females. After birth, sex ratios vary because of different patterns of mortality and
migration for males and females within the population. Sex ratios that are higher than 100 indicate that
there are more males than females but sex ratios under 100 indicate the reverse, i.e., more females
than males. In most countries of the world, sex ratios at older ages are below 100.
A lower sex ratio of 96.8 for the region compared with the national average of 97.9, which means that
there are more females than males in the region. This general pattern is not reflected at all ages and in
all districts in the region as a whole. The imbalance in the sex ratio may be due to a higher male
mortality and large numbers of young men seeking employment in other regions or outside the country.
Only two districts Kwaebibirem (104.4) and Afram Plains (114.9) record higher sex ratios: which
indicates that there are more males than females in both districts. The reason for the high sex ratios in
both districts may be mainly agricultural. The two districts are major agricultural areas which attract
many people into the farming and fishing industries.
Population pyramid
As discussed, the age-sex structure of the population of the region has a broad base, graphically
represented by a pyramid (Figure 2.1). Figure 2.1 shows that a large new cohort is born every year as
displayed at the bottom of the pyramid (ages 0-4 years). As cohorts age, they inevitably lose members
either through death or migration or both. This is shown by the narrowing of the population pyramid as
it peaks. The peaking of the population accelerates after age 45 years.
Another feature of the regional population pyramid is that females in the oldest age groups form the
substantial majority. The pyramid also shows that the population aged 5-9 years is slightly more than
that of the 0-4 year age group. The reason is not clear but may be due to either age shifting or
indications of a decline in fertility resulting in fewer births.
Population distribution by age and sex
Dependency ratios
The dependency ratio for the region is 90.7 which is slightly higher than the national average of 87.1.
This regional average implies that there are about 91 persons in the dependent ages for every 100
persons in the working ages.
At the district level, Birim North (104.3%), Fanteakwa (104.8%) and Kwahu South (100.1%) are the
districts with higher dependency ratios. These dependency ratios are higher than the regional average,
which suggests the presence of a large proportion of children and the aged in these districts. On the
other hand, New Juaben municipality has a dependency ratio of 64.7 which is far below the regional
average and the lowest among the districts. The low dependency ratio for New Juaben is consistent
with its age structure with the smallest proportion of the population under 15 years in the region.
Population density, urbanization and urban-rural composition
The Eastern Region is the fourth densely populated region in the country coming after Greater Accra,
Central and Ashanti Regions. The density of the Region increased from 54 persons per square
kilometre in 1960 through 87 persons in 1984 to 109 in 2000.
The densities at the district level vary from a high of 684 in New Juaben, through 323 in Akwapim South,
99 in Birim North to a very low of 26 in the Afram Plains.
The region accounts for about a tenth (11.0%) of the country’s population and has about twothirds
(65.4%) of its population living in the rural areas. An aspect of urban localities in the region is that they
are rather medium to small size urban areas of which over half (57.1%) are under 10,000 inhabitants. An
additional 30.4 per cent are between 10,000 and 19,900 people.
Only 6 urban areas (10.7%) have between 20,000 and 49,000 inhabitants. Koforidua, the regional capital
(87,315 inhabitants), is the only urban area in the region with population higher than 50,000.
A feature of the urbanization in the region is that almost half (48.2%) of the 56 urban localities in 2000
are either “stagnating” or “diminishing” towns. Two of the factors that would explain the growth or
stagnation of urban areas in the region are - the relative proximity to Accra, within commuting distance,
and the historical links to the development of cocoa farming in the past, particularly during the colonial;
for example for the old towns (Akuse, Nsawam, Asamankese, Aburi, Somanya, Kibi, Suhum, etc.).
Others, such as Aburi have important landmarks which made them important but which have not been
able to retain those attractions of the past. Aburi remains an important tourist centre, but not as much
for permanent residence as for excursions. Akuse was an important river port as well as an important
commercial centre, where companies such as the UAC, G. B. Olivant, CFAO, John Holt, etc.,
established their district headquarters.
Another characteristic of urbanization in the region is the imbalance between the sexes, with females
almost always out-numbering males. Of the 56 urban areas documented in the 2000 census, males
outnumbered females in only five, with sex ratio higher than 100.0 (Kibi 100.6; Donkorkrom 101.6;
Takorawase 103.1; Bondua 106.5 and Akwatia 108.6). On the other hand, the sex ratio is as low as 78.4
in Adukrom, 74.3 in Manya Kpongunor, 73.7 in Larteh and 71.4 in Obo. This implies a deficit of males
with respect to females, in 51 of the 56 urban areas in the region.
The phenomenon of “stagnating” urban areas in the region is reflected at the regional level, with almost
no increase in the proportion of the regional urban population between 1970 (28.7%) and 1984 (27.7%),
although in 2000, the proportion of the regional urban population, registered a modest increase from
27.7 per cent in 1984 to 34.6 per cent in 2000.
The proportion of the population urban in the districts varies from 5.1 per cent in the Afram Plains
district to 83.4 per cent in the New Juaben municipality. The level of urbanization in New Juaben is due
to the fact that the municipality is a regional capital and therefore benefits tremendously from many
development projects. Some of these projects have been completed while others are ongoing under a
modernization programme for the capital.
Birthplace and migratory pattern
. Among the districts, their place of birth is highest for East Akim (74.3%) and lowest for the Afram
Plains district (48.7%). This is indicative of the high migrant population of Afram Plains.
Migratory movement is lower for seven of the 17 districts, which have lower than 30.0 per cent of the
residents migrating to other regions and much higher (more than 30.0%) for the rest (8) of the districts.
The experience of the Afram Plains can be explained by migration for mainly economic reasons. The
district is known for its arable land and the Volta Lake, both of which attract many people, notably from
Kwahu South and from the Volta, Ashanti and the Northern Regions, who move to the district for
employment mainly in the agricultural sector and in the fishing industry.
Fertility and child survival

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for women aged 15-49 years. The TFR is the average number of children that
would be born to a woman by the time she completes childbearing if she were to experience the
prevailing age-specific fertility rate. There are other fertility measures such as Crude Birth Rate (CBR),
General Fertility Rate (GFR) among others. The crude birth rate (CBR) is the simplest and most
frequently used measure of fertility.
It is easy to calculate because it requires only the total number of births and the total population. It is
crude and always expressed per 1000 population. It is crude because it includes all ages and both
sexes in the denominator. There is no attempt to relate the births to the women at risk of having those
births. Because of this it is not a measure of fertility at all.
The general fertility rate (GFR) expresses births relative to the number of women in the reproductive
age. More data are required to calculate the GFR than the CBR because one has to know the age and
sex composition of the population. The GFR is affected by age structure since there may be substantial
variations between populations within the reproductive age range. The TFR on the other hand, is a
measure of fertility that is most widely used by demographers. It is calculated by adding up the age
specific fertility rates (ASFR) and is always expressed as per one woman. It is a single figure measure
that is independent of age structure.
The Total Fertility Rate in the region for women aged 15-49 years is 3.7 births per woman. This means
that a woman in the region would have, on the average, 3.7 children in her lifetime. This however
appears to be lower than the national average of 4.0 births per woman.
At the district level, the TFR is lowest in New Juaben (2.2) and highest in Birim North (5.0). Kwaebibirem
(4.2%) and Afram Plains (4.7) are the only districts in the region with fertility rates higher than the
national average of 4.0. On the other hand, seven districts have fertility lower than the regional average
of (3.7) and three districts with a TFR of 3.9, which is just below the national TFR and slightly higher
than the regional TFR. The TFR in one district, East Akim, is the same as the national TFR (4.0).
Differences in the fertility levels for the district may be explained largely by education. Various studies
have shown that formal education is inversely related to fertility. Women with no formal education tend
to have more children than women with some formal education. The same educational differences may
be applicable to men.
Child survival
More than four in five children (86.5%) survive in the region, compared with 81.9 per cent nationally. The
data however show variations among the 17 districts with New Juaben showing the highest child
survival (88.5%), followed by Akwapim North with 88.3 per cent. Apart from Kwaebibirem (83.9%) and
Fanteakwa (84.9%) the other 13 districts in the region recorded a child survival rate of 85.0 per cent or
higher.
The relatively high levels of child survivorship in all districts in the region may be the result of
improvements in health facilities and health care deliveries such as the eradication of polio and other
killer diseases among children in the region. There are a number of health education and promotion of
nutritional supplement programmes for children and the need for a balanced diet in the region which
may explain the high rate of children survival even for Afram Plains, which is a much less developed
district.
Differences in child survivalship between New Juaben and Kwaebibirem reflect the amount of health
facilities and health care deliveries in the two districts. New Juaben is a regional capital with a central
government hospital and a well-equipped Catholic hospital and many other clinics. These certainly
impact positively on the general health of the population in the municipality.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Introduction
In the region, there are 456,681 households of which 62.4 per cent are headed by males (61.2% heads,
1.2% temporary heads) and 37.6 per cent headed by females (31.4% heads, 6.2% temporary heads). In
terms of household membership status however, 27.0 per cent of the males head households with 0.5
per cent temporary heads.
On the other hand, 13.4 per cent of the females are heads of households with 2.7 per cent temporary
heads. The ratio of male heads to female heads is twice (2.0 times) for the region as a whole, with
variations from 2.1 to 2.3 times in eight districts and 1.7 to 1.9 times in five districts. The ratio of male to
female household headship is however relatively low in Akwapim North (1.5 times) and very high in
Afram Plains (3.3 times) The higher percentage of female temporary household headship may be
accounted for by a higher absence of male heads due to migration and other movements within and
out of the region.
At the district level, male household headship is higher than that of females in all the districts. It is
around the regional average (27.0%) in all districts except New Juaben (30.7%), Asuogyaman (29.4%)
and Akwapim South (28.6). Female headship is also around the regional average for females (13.4%)
except in New Juaben (16.8%), Akwapim North (16.6%) and Kwahu South (15.3%). While New Juaben
records the highest household headship in the region for both males (30.7%) and females (16.8%),
Afram Plains, on the other hand, has a relatively very low female household headship (7.5%), compared
with the regional (13.4%), and the national (11.4%), averages.
Apart from household heads, children, of the head, especially male children, constitute the highest
proportion of household members. In the Afram Plains, a little more than two out of every five children
(41.9%) in the household are male. It is almost the same for West Akim (41.8%) and Asuogyaman
(41.1%) districts. It is 40.8 per cent for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar and 40.1 per cent for Birim North. Other
relatives form another high percentage within the household, accounting for 18-20 per cent of the total
household membership. Males predominate in this category. In Kwaebibirem, for example, it is 24.4 per
cent males compared to 22.5 per cent females. However, female “other relatives” predominate in West
Akim (16.5%), Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (17%), Yilo Krobo (20.7%), Manya Krobo (22.3%) and
Asuogyaman (15.6%) districts. The household composition in all the districts of the region indicates
that the traditional family structure of the primary family with extended family relations is still prevalent
Marital status
The 2000 Census classified “marital status” into married, living together, separated, divorced, widowed
and never married. Only one answer was marked which referred to the individual’s marital status at
Census Night. Persons who were 12 years or older were eligible to provide answers to this question.
The definition of marriage includes persons in any of the following types of marriages: civil, traditional
and common law/consensual.
The distribution of the population aged 15 years and older by marital status in the various districts of
the region indicates that 56.3 per cent of the population 15 years and older (1,227,612,) are ‘married’,
made up of married (49.2%) and consensual union (7.1%). There are also 29.8 per cent of never married
persons and 13.9 per cent of those who have ever been in a marital union. This means that 70.2 per
cent of the total population 15 years and older (1,227,612) are, or have ever been, in a marital union.
There are more females in consensual unions than males. Manya Krobo has the highest (19.3%)
proportion of females in consensual marriage followed by Birim North (14.9%) and Yilo Krobo (13.5%)
These levels are unusually high compared with Birim South (3.7%), and Kwahu South (3.9%) but the
reasons are not immediately clear. A higher proportion of females than males are in consensual union
in all the districts. The proportion is highest in Manya and Yilo Krobo where, incidentally, the margin
between males (11.4% Yilo and 16.3 Manya) and females (13.5% Yilo and 19.3% Manya) is closest.
The percentage of married males is highest in Birim South (53.7%), Kwahu South (53.1%) and
Kwaebibirem (52.9%). It is lowest in the two Krobo districts, Manya (38.1%) followed by Yilo (42.3%).
The percentage of married females is highest in Afram Plains (61.2%) followed by Kwaebibirem (54.9%),
Birim South (54.6%) and West Akim (53.4%). The lowest percentages of married females are in Manya
Krobo (36.5%) and Yilo Krobo (41.4%).
While an almost equal proportion of males and females are married the incidence of widowhood is four
times as high for the females compared with the males. This varies from 5.2 times in New Juaben, 4.9
times in Birim South, 4.6 times in Akwapim South, to the lowest in Kwaebibirem (3.1 times).
The pattern for the divorced is similar to that for the widowed, with higher proportions of female
divorcees than male, in all the districts. For the region as a whole, there are 1.8 times as many female
divorcees as males, with variations from 2.1 times in Birim South, New Juaben and Kwahu South, to 1.2
times in Afram Plains. The pattern for the separated is similar to that of the divorced and widowed.
Thus, the status of ever been, but no more, married, with all its consequences, are heaviest on females
in the region. Apart from not benefiting from the mutual support and companionship that marriage
offers, females who are no more in marital unions in the region are exposed to a variety of burdens for
which there are at present no effective mitigating programme packages. Marriage itself presents
challenges, but being no more in a marital union presents greater challenges, for females in the region.
The proportion never married is high for both males (37.1%) and females (23.0%) and in all districts,
there is a higher proportion of never married males than females. The proportion of the never married
males varies from New Juaben (49.1%), followed by Asuogyaman, Akwapim North and South (39.1%
each) to the lowest in Kwaebibirem (32.0%). New Juaben equally recorded the highest percentage of
never married females (34.0%) followed by Asuogyaman (26.1%), Akwapim South (25.2%) and the
lowest in Birim North (18.7%).
The relatively higher proportion of never married males and, especially females, is a clear indicator of
the increasing tendency of the youth to delay entering permanent marital unions. This has important
implications for the already declining fertility in the region. It is to be noted, however, that in the context
of the Eastern Region, being never married, does not necessarily imply not having a child. Given the
current social, financial and housing conditions, the category “never married “is likely to increase for
both sexes with accompanying important demographic and social consequences for the region.
Even though there is a legal minimum age prescribed for marriage, the 2000 Census data indicate that
there are children; especially girls below age 15 years, who are in marital unions. Out of 158,395
children between ages 12-14 years, 1.5 per cent are married. Among the districts, Afram Plains has the
highest proportion (2.7%) of married girls compared with 1.9 per cent for boys. In spite of the relatively
low proportion of married children, attempts should be made to have children kept in school to prepare
them for a fruitful life in adulthood, instead of their getting into, early marriages for which they are
unprepared for.
Nationality
Overall, majority of the residents (94.0%) in the region are Ghanaians by birth. The pattern varies
slightly between the sexes and among the districts. The proportion of Ghanaians by birth is over 90.0
per cent in all districts except Kwaebibirem where it is 88.9 per cent. For all districts, there is a higher
proportion of female Ghanaians by birth than males.
In contrast to the high percentage of residents who are Ghanaians by birth, a low per cent (8.6%) of
males in Manya Krobo, acquired nationality through naturalization. This is the highest in the region,
followed by males in Akwapim South (7.2%) and the lowest in Yilo Krobo (0.4%).
Similarly, 5.3 per cent of women in Manya Krobo acquired Ghanaian nationality through naturalization,
followed by Kwaebibirem (5.1%) with the lowest (0.2%) in Yilo Krobo. ECOWAS nationals resident in the
region constitute 1.6 per cent of the total regional population. Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (3.2% male and
2.7% female) and West Akim (3% male and 2.6% female), however, appear to have a relatively greater
concentration of ECOWAS nationals in the region.
Nationality by sex
Ethnicity
Overall, the Akan is the largest ethnic group (both male and female) in the region, forming 52.1 per cent
of all the ethnic groups in the region. The percentage of Akan females (53.2%) is higher than the males
(50.9%). Ga-Dangme (18.9%) is the second largest ethnic group in the region, followed by the Ewe
(15.9%) and the Guan (7.2%).
The largest major ethnic group in 11 of the 17 districts is the Akan. The largest concentration (both men
and women) of this group is in Birim South where more than four out of every five Akan reside. Yilo
Krobo and Manya Krobo have the largest concentration of the Ga-Dangme, constituting more than 70.0
per cent in both Yilo Krobo (79.7%) and Manya Krobo (71.4%). The Ewe population is the largest ethnic
group in the Asuogyaman (39.1%) and Afram Plains (50.8%). The reason for the presence of this large
concentration of Ewe population in Afram Plains may be due to migration to the lakeside for fishing and
farming.
The two districts share a common border with the Volta Region, the home of the Ewe. The Guan
constitute a third (34.5%) of the population in Akwapim North, mainly around Larteh, Abiriw, Adukrom,
Aprede and Aseseeso. There are also significant concentrations of the Guan in Asuogyaman (14.1%)
mainly in Anum, Boso and Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar around Anum Apapam. The Mole-Dagbon have a
small population (9.9%) which is concentrated in the Afram Plains, though not the largest in the district.
The variation in ethnic group distribution and composition in the region has socio-cultural implications
that need to be taken into account in policy formulation.
Religious affiliation in the region follows the national pattern of Christianity, Islam and Traditional
religion. Christians constitute 82.8 per cent of respondents, followed by Moslems (6.1%) and adherents
of Traditional religion (2.4%). The Christian religion is further broken down into the Catholic (9.6%),
Protestant (26.7%), Pentecostal/ Charismatic (33.4%) and other Christians (13.1%). The Catholic faith
has the largest following in Afram Plains (22.1%) and Manya Krobo (15.3%) while the Protestants have a
large concentration in Akwapim North, (43.4%), East Akim (33.3%), and Asuogyaman (31.1%).
The Pentecostal/ Charismatics who have a greater following in the region have the largest followers in
Yilo Krobo, and Manya Krobo, Fanteakwa, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar and New Juaben. The followers of
Islam are predominant in New Juaben and West Akim. Whereas the strong presence of the Protestants
dates back to the arrival of the Methodist and Basel Missions, the growth of the Pentecostal and
Charismatic movement is a mid and late 20th Century phenomenon, which is still growing.
Themovement has drained most of its adherents from the mainstream Christian Churches, particularly
the youth. Islam, in spite of its relatively small proportion in the region, has remained stable. Males
predominate in the Catholic, the Moslem and Traditional groups, while females predominate in the
Protestant and Charismatic Churches in the region.
Mention must be made of the enormous contribution that religious institutions have made towards the
development of education in the region. The Basel Mission founded the Akropong Training College,
which has been the bastion of Presbyterian education since 1842 as well as a number of secondary
schools. The Catholics influence in education through their Secondary Schools and Seminaries, St.
Peter’s Secondary School for boys at Nkwatia and St Roses Secondary School for girls, are two of the
best secondary schools in the country.
Literacy
Literacy is measured by the ability to read and write a simple statement in any language with
understanding. The ability to read and write is essential for the population and the nation, as literacy
not only enables people to access information on what goes on in all spheres of life, but also enhances
vertical mobility in society.
15 years and older in the region, are literate. A higher percentage of the population in the region
(59.8%) than at the national level (54.5%), are literate in English only and in both English and a Ghanaian
a language. This consists of the critical mass of the people who can more effectively access
information on what goes on around them.
The level of literacy is higher for males (73.6%) than for females (54.4%) and is also higher than both
the national percentage for males (66.4%) and females (49.8%). However, the fact that 26.4 per cent of
males and 45.6 per cent of females in the region, are illiterate, gives cause for concern.
The situation at the district level is even more serious with 50.0 per cent of males and 65.9 per cent of
females in the Afram Plains being illiterate. Five other districts, Manya Krobo (55.5%), Yilo Krobo
(54.1%), Fanteakwa (52.4%), West Akim (52.6%) and Birim North (50.2%) also have very high levels of
female (above 50%), illiteracy.
The lowest rates of illiteracy are 11.4 per cent for males and 26.0 per cent for females in the New
Juaben municipality, which is the administrative and commercial centre of the region, with several
organizations, requiring literate personnel to function. In contrast, the Afram Plains District is mainly
rural with agriculture, which has a heavy concentration of migrant labourers with little or no education.
With the recent injection of funds from the HIPC and the Educational Trust Fund to improve
infrastructure and enhance educational opportunities for all, literacy levels are likely to improve with
time
Educational attainment
The question on education refers to someone “who has had a full-time education in an educational
institution”. The person should spend “at least four hours a day receiving general education in which
the emphasis is not on vocational skill or trade training”. The 2000 Census sought three main answers
on the educational levels of respondents.
Three options were given namely: those who have never had formal education; those who have ever
been to school and thirdly, those who are currently in school.
The question seeks also to know the highest grade the respondent completed at that level. Questions
were sought from persons aged three years or older. While almost the same percentage of males
(25.8%) and of females (25.3%), six years and older in the region, have attained Primary School level of
education, a third of the males (33.4%) compared with slightly higher than a fourth of the females
(26.8%), have attained Middle/JSS level of education.
This means that, for the region as a whole, a higher proportion of the population, six years and older,
have attained Middle/JSS level of education (30.1%) than the Primary School level of education (25.5%).
While Secondary/SSS level of education is very low in the region as a whole (5.8%), it is much lower for
the females (4.4%) than for males (7.3%). Secondary/SSS level of education is highest in the New
Juaben municipality, for both males (13.4%) and females (9.7%).
With the exception of both males and females in the New Juaben municipality, the Secondary/SSS level
of educational attainment for the males varies from 4.7 per cent in the Afram Plains District to 9.0 per
cent in the Akwapim South and the Asuogyaman Districts, and 9.5 per cent in the Akwapim North
District.
The relatively much lower percentage of female Secondary/SSS level attainment in the region is
reflected in the fact that the lowest percentage for males (4.7%) in the Afram Plains District, is higher
than the regional average for females (4.4%) and varies from 2.3 per cent in the Afram Plains District to
5.7 per cent in the Asuogyaman District.
The level of attainment for Vocational, Technical and Commercial education follows the same pattern
as that of the Secondary/SSS level but is at a much lower level, 3.0 per cent for males and 1.8 per cent
for females.
The New Juaben municipality has the highest level of educational attainment (4.2%) at the tertiary level,
followed by the Akwapim South (2.6%), Kwahu South (2.3%), Kwaebibirem (2.2%), and Manya Krobo
(2.2%) Districts, compared with the Afram Plains District, which recorded the lowest attainment (0.7%)
at the tertiary educational level.
Several reasons account for the differences in attained educational levels in the districts of the region.
The Afram Plains District, which has a lot of potential for the production of food, attracts migrants with
minimal educational attainment. By contrast, the New Juaben municipality hosts several institutions
that require personnel with higher educational attainment. Similarly, the scientific research stations at
Kwaebibirem, the University of Ghana Agricultural Research station and the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) Oil Palm Research Institute, and to some extent, the diamond mines, attract
personnel with skills that higher education offers.
Current school attendance
Out of a total enrolment of 513,068, six years and older in schools in the region, 62.4 per cent are at the
primary level, 23.1 per cent at the junior secondary school (JSS) level and 6.9 per cent at the senior
secondary school (SSS) level.
Apart from the primary level where the female proportion is higher, the proportion of male students at
each of the subsequent levels is only slightly higher than that of females. Analysis at the district level
also shows that a higher proportion of females, than males, six years and older, are in primary schools
in each of the 17 districts of the region.
This proportion varies from 70.4 per cent of females, in the Afram Plains, 69.8 per cent in Birim North,
and 66.7 per cent in Fanteakwa to 53.4 per cent in the New Juaben municipality. Incidentally, the New
Juaben municipality also has the lowest percentage of males (49.0%) in primary schools in the region.
The corresponding proportion of males in primary school level varies from 63.3 per cent in the Afram
Plains, to 65.7 per cent in the Birim North, District.
It is encouraging to note that a high proportion of children, especially females, are in primary schools in
the region. This raises the question as to how, and the extent to which, a significant proportion of those
now at primary schools, can be sustained and retained in the educational system at higher levels.
It equally raises the question of the quality and quantity of infrastructural facilities, at each of the next
higher levels, necessary to accommodate and effectively absorb substantially higher proportions of
pupils seeking admission to these higher levels.
The level of enrolment in the JSS in the region is almost the same for male and female pupils. It is not
clear whether the low level of enrolment at the JSS level in the region is due to lack of infrastructural
and staffing facilities or to pupils dropping out at the primary school level, or both. However, the
present ratio of 3.0 primary school pupils to 1.0 JSS pupil gives strong indications of a high primary to
JSS dropout rate.
The number of primary schools, 1,912 to 1,028 JSSs in the region, a ratio of about two primary schools
to one JSS, also suggests problems of non-availability of JSS facilities, relative to primary schools. This
also implies that many primary schools in the region have no complementary JSS facility.
Policy and programme actions should therefore be directed to sustaining pupils through the primary
school to the JSS, in addition to increasing the number of JSSs, to make room for the relatively high
enrolment in primary schools in the region, to continue to JSS.
Enrolment in senior secondary schools (SSSs) remains very low (6.9%) in the region, for both males
(7.4%) and females (6.3%). However, the disparity in the district level enrolment does not necessarily
reflect district specific differences in the actual level of those from the district in SSSs in the district. It
rather reflects differences in availability of SSSs in the particular district.
Thus, the New Juaben (11.4%), Asuogyaman (10.0%), Akwapim North (8.1%), Akwapim South (8.0%),
Manya Krobo (7.6%) and Yilo Krobo (7.3%), which are better endowed with SSSs, also have higher
percentages of pupils at the SSS level.
Since in the case of the SSS and higher levels of education, affordability rather than distance is the
issue, the ability of parents and guardians to afford the cost, and their willingness to maintain, their
children and wards in SSS, become important factors in children’s education at the SSS level and
beyond. Policies and programme actions should therefore be directly focused on empowering and
encouraging parents and guardians to send, and maintain, children and wards, in SSS education and
beyond.
Expanding such educational facilities should therefore become important policy and programme
concerns for the region’s development.
Enrolment in vocational/technical/commercial education remains regrettably very low for both males
(1.6%) and females (1.2%) in the region. Since such schools require much investment in equipment and
other infrastructure, they need not be multiplied in each district. It must be ensured that the facilities
exist in the region and are sufficient to accommodate the needs, and are well equipped to train the
right calibre, of students.
This argument is equally valid for the different categories of post secondary education, which are
currently at a very low level in the region for both males and females.
The region is endowed with two private Universities (one at Koforidua in the New Juaben municipality
and the other at Abetifi, Kwahu South, District) and a Polytechnic at Koforidua (New Juaben). However,
the region relies mostly on the national universities for its tertiary educational needs. Investment in
education, especially in SSS and beyond, is indispensable for the human resource development of the
region and therefore should be a major focus of regional and district development programme planning
and implementation.
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
Introduction
This section analyses the various activities of the 1,227,612 population, 15 years and older, enumerated
in the region. It relates to their roles as workers or non-workers, the type of occupation they were
engaged in, the industries they worked in, and their roles and capacities as employees or self-
employed.
Type of activity
Overall, three-quarters (75.5%) of the region’s population, 15 years and older, are economically active of
which 48.1 per cent are male and 51.9 per cent, female.
The highest proportion of the population who are economically active (85.5%) is in the Afram Plains
District, with 86.4 per cent of males and 84.6 of females. Corresponding figures for the lowest
percentages are 65.1 per cent of males and 64.6 per cent of females for the New Juaben municipality.
Almost nine out of ten economically active persons (87.0%) were engaged in economic and service
activities, seven days prior to the 2000 Census. Similar proportions, 87.8 per cent of males and 86.2 per
cent of females, were reported to have worked, and 4.1 per cent of males and 5.1 per cent of females
had a job but did not work, with 8.1per cent of males and 8.7 per cent of females, unemployed.
In all the districts in the region, there is a higher proportion of males who worked than females. In eight
districts, the proportion who worked is higher than the regional average of 87.0 per cent while in 13 out
of the 17 districts, the proportion who worked is higher than the national level (82.7%). The proportion
of males, who worked in nine districts and females in five districts, is higher than the corresponding
proportion who worked at the regional level.
The proportion that worked is highest in the Afram Plains District for both males (94.1%) and females
(92.6%) while the lowest for both sexes is in the East Akim District, 81.9 per cent of males and 79.6 per
cent of females.
Less than one in 16 of the economically active population, in all the districts of the region is
unemployed with a higher proportion of females than of males. The proportion of the unemployed in 10
of the 17 districts is lower than both the national average of 10.4 per cent and the regional average
(8.4%) in nine districts. The proportion of the unemployed males in 10 districts is lower than that of
both the national average (10.4%) and the regional average in five districts on the other hand; the
proportion of unemployed females is lower than both the national average (10.4%) in 11 districts and
the regional average (8.4%) in seven districts.
The highest proportion of unemployed for males (11.8%) is in Akwapim South and for females (13.1%)
is in East Akim, while the lowest for both males (2.6%) and females (3.3%) is in the Afram Plains
District. The proportion is almost the same for both males and females in the Yilo (5.7 and 5.8%) and
the Manya (6.8 and 7.2%), Krobo Districts.
Occupation
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fishing and Hunting are the major occupations of most people in all the
districts, representing 54.8 per cent of all occupational activities. Other occupations that are also
significant are Sales work (14.3%), Production and Transport Operators (14.0%), Professional, Technical
and related workers (6.9%) and Services (5.0%). Distribution by sex shows that 56.9 per cent of males
are in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fishing and Hunting compared with 52.7 per cent of females. A
higher percentage of females (21.8%), than males (6.5%), however are in Sales work.
The district distribution shows that, of the 17 districts, the highest percentage of workers in
Agriculture, including Animal Husbandry, Fishing and Hunting, is in the Afram Plains (84.0%), followed
by the Birim North District (69.4%) with the lowest percentage (14.5%), in the New Juaben municipality.
The data also show that 85.0 per cent of the males and 83.0 per cent of the females in the Afram Plains
District are in Agriculture. The highest percentage of workers in Sales, the second highest occupation
in the region, is in New Juaben (29.3%) with a preponderance of females (42.6%) over males (14.9%).
The lowest proportions for both males (2.1%) and females (6.9%) are in the Afram Plains. New Juaben
has the highest percentage of workers in Production, Transport and Equipment work (the third largest
occupation in the region) (22.2%), followed by the Kwaebibirem District (19.3%). The lowest percentage
is recorded in the Afram Plains (5.3%).
The highest percentage of males in Production, Transport and Equipment Operators and Labourers is
in the New Juaben municipality (28.6%), followed by the Kwaebibirem District with 23.9 per cent.
Females in the same two districts registered 16.3 per cent for New Juaben and 14.3 per cent for
Kwaebibirem.
Industry
There are three main industrial activities in the region, namely: Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry;
Wholesale/Retail Trade and Manufacturing. Agriculture/Hunting/ Forestry is the major industry for 54.9
per cent of the economically active population in the region, while 13.5 per cent are in Wholesale and
Retail Trade and 9.1 per cent in the Manufacturing industry.
The district distribution shows that Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry is highest in the Birim North
District, accounting for 75.6 per cent of the economically active population in the district while the
same industrial activity is 67.0 per cent in the Afram Plains District in addition to Fishing, (18.9%), the
highest in the region. This highlights Fishing as a significant aspect of the activities of workers in the
Afram Plains District.
While the New Juaben municipality has the lowest percentage of workers in Agriculture and related
activities, (15.9%) it leads the other districts in the second largest industry, Wholesale and Retail trades
(28.6%) and the third largest industry, Manufacturing (15.2%). The Afram Plains District has the lowest
percentage of workers in Wholesale and Retail Trade (4.2%) as well as in Manufacturing (3.7%).
Employment status
Overall, 77.7 per cent of the economically active persons in the region are self-employed without
employees, with an additional 4.3 per cent self-employed with employees, while 11.5 per cent are
employees. The private sector is thus the main source of employment for almost nine out of every 10
economically active persons in the region.
At the district level, the proportion of self-employed without employees is highest in the West Akim
(83.6%) and the Fanteakwa (83.8%) Districts. Six other districts have equally high proportions (above
80%) of self-employed without employees. The percentage of workers in the employee category is
highest in the New Juaben municipality (27.9%) followed by the Asuogyaman (20.5%) and the Akwapim
South (17.0%) Districts.
A number of factors account for the relatively high employee status of the New Juaben, municipality,
the Asuogyaman and the Akwapim South Districts. The New Juaben municipality, hosting both the
regional and district capital, Koforidua, is home to many people employed in the public services as well
as in the Service and industrial sectors; schools, colleges and a University College, all of which function
through direct employment of workers.
The Akosombo Dam and textile factory, which employ a large workforce, with a great variety of
professional and technical skills, are in the Asuogyaman District. Akosombo also has an inland port
from which the Volta Lake Transport Company carries goods, including imports and exports, through
the Tema Harbour, and passengers, to and from, Northern Ghana. All these industries have other spin-
off establishments, which attract employees.
Sex differences show that while the proportion of male self-employed without employees is highest for
the Fanteakwa District (81.7%) and lowest for the New Juaben municipality (47.0%), the percentage of
female self-employed without employees is highest for Yilo Krobo (87.1%) followed by West Akim
(86.9%) and the lowest New Juaben (68.8%).
The results have shown that, the informal sector, and not the private formal sector or the public sector,
is still the major source of employment for many people in the region. This situation has economic
consequences as it affects revenue levels and presents difficulties in tax collection. The private sector
businesses, being single-person, with a low capital base, are not big enough in scope, and can
therefore not create jobs for others.
Their informal nature makes effective monitoring also difficult, since many of them are not properly
registered. Any governmental policy initiative geared toward the strengthening of the private informal
sector will, therefore, be in the right direction.
Institutional sector of employment
The private informal sector provides employment for 80.5 per cent of the economically active people in
the region, with the private formal (2.3 per cent) and the public sector (6.1 per cent) a distant second
and third. The semi-public/parastatal accounts for only 0.6 per cent.
The private informal sector accounts for 77.2 per cent of the male and 83.6 per cent of the female
economically active population. On the whole, the sector provides work for more females than males. It
accounts for 88.4 per cent of females and 83.9 per cent of males in the Birim North District, 87.7 per
cent of females and 82.8 per cent of males in the West Akim District, 88.6 per cent of females and 81.6
per cent of males in the Yilo Krobo District, with the highest percentages, 92.7 of females and 90.6 of
males, in the Afram Plains, District.
The Asuogyaman, New Juaben, Birim South, Akwapim South, East Akim and Kwaebibirem are districts
with the highest proportions of workers in the private formal sector for both males and females. The
public sector accounts for 19.9 per cent of males and 12.0 per cent of females in the New Juaben
municipality and 11.2 per cent of males and 5.8 per cent of females in the Akwapim North District. In
the West Akim District, the public sector provides employment for 5.9 per cent of males and 2.9 per
cent of females, while in the East Akim District; the proportions are 9.2 per cent males and 5.1 per cent
of females. It is possible that, if ever the major bauxite deposits at Kibi, on the Atiwa range are mined,
this might change the employment climate, in the East and West Akim Districts, significantly.
Non-economically active population
The non-economically active population includes homemakers, students, retired/pensioners, old age
and persons with disability. The non-economically active population is made up largely of students
(35.6%) and homemakers (24.8%).
District variations show that of the 17 districts, Birim North and Afram Plains have the highest
proportions (42.6% and 42.4%, respectively) of the not economically active who are students. Male
students in the Afram Plains form the highest percentage (52.8%) of the non-economically active
population followed by Birim North (52.7%).
The proportions for female’s students in the same districts are among the highest in the region, 33.2
per cent for Birim North and 31.8 per cent for Afram Plains. The districts with the lowest female non-
economically active student population are Akwapim North of (22.2 %) followed by East Akim (23.3%).
The highest proportion of female (39.5%) and male (21.2%) homemakers and are in the Afram Plains
District. Retired/Pensioned males constitute 5.4 per cent of the not economically active population in
the New Juaben municipality, the largest in the region. The highest proportion of retired/pensioner
females (4.7%), is in the Akwapim North District while the Afram Plains District on the other hand, has
the lowest percentage of retired/pensioner females (0.6%) and retired/pensioner males (1.5%).
This district is mainly agricultural and farmers and fishermen normally do not retire at the public
service retirement age of 60 years but remain active, sometimes even into their late eighties. Males
with disability account for 4.9 per cent of the not economically active population in the Kwaebibirem
District, the highest in the region, while the highest (4.7%) for females with disability is in the
Fanteakwa District. The New Juaben municipality has the lowest percentage (2.1%) of females with
disability compared with 2.2 per cent for males with disability.
Type of activity of the young (7-14 years)
Even though the potential workforce of the region has been defined in terms of the population aged 15-
64 years, there is evidence that children, between 7-14 years and persons 65 years and older, actually
carry out economic activities in the region. 8.3 per cent of the population, 7-14 years were engaged in
economic activities, seven days prior to Census Night 2000. Of the 7-14 year-old economically active
persons in the Afram Plains, 27.5 per cent worked for one to seven days, compared with 14.0 per cent
in the Manya Krobo, and 3.8 per cent in the Akwapim North, Districts and 3.5 per cent in the New
Juaben municipality, the lowest in the region.
This is in line with the high rate of school enrolment in the two latter districts, and the low school
enrolment rate in the Afram Plains. These are consistent with the fact that while the Afram Plains
District is mainly agricultural, with very few educational institutions, students are in a greater
proportion in the New Juaben municipality which has many secondary schools, a Polytechnic and a
private University.
The fact that 27.5 per cent of children in the Afram Plains engage in economic activities, supports the
observation that 51.9 per cent of the population, six years and older, in this district, are out of school or
have never attended school. Of those who had a job but did not work, 4.0 per cent are in the
Kwaebibirem District and 0-1 per cent in the New Juaben municipality and the Akwapim South District.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
Introduction
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Housing stock
The region has a total number of 283,461 houses for a total population of 2,106,696, giving an average
of 7.4 persons per house . There are 456,663 households giving an average household size of 4.6. The
283,461 houses constitute 13.0 per cent of the total stock of houses in Ghana and represent 51.4 per
cent increase over the 1984 stock of houses in the region. The rural areas’ share of the regional
housing stock is 73.4 per cent, which is higher than the national average of 65.9 per cent.
Kwahu South has the highest share of the regional household stock (11.6%), followed by East Akim
(9.2%) the lowest share (4.1%) in Yilo Krobo. The size of the housing stock is meaningless if it is not
related to the population utilizing the houses. The population per house is therefore a better measure of
whether there is adequate housing in any given district. New Juaben has the highest number of
persons per house (10.9) followed by Akwapim South with 9.0.
The presence of a large population in a house has its social and health implications. Overcrowding in a
house is normally associated with pressure on the use of facilities such as toilets, bathrooms and other
utilities. The lowest house occupancy ratio is in the Afram Plains, with 1.1 households per house,
compared with the highest occupancy ratio in New Juaben, (10.9 persons per house and 2.7
households per house).
Type of dwelling
compound houses are the commonest type of dwelling units occupied by households in the region.
These account for 43.1 per cent of dwelling units, followed by separate houses (28.4%) and semi-
detached houses (16.8%). The percentage of semi-detached houses in the region (16.8%) is higher than
the national average of 15.3 per cent.
At the districts, level New Juaben has the highest percentage of households living in room(s) in
compound houses (67.1) which is far higher than the regional average (43.1%), followed by Yilo Krobo
with 52.0 per cent. Afram Plains has the lowest proportion (18.9%) of rooms in a compound house.
The Separate house, which is the second commonest type of dwelling occupied by households, is
commonest in the Afram Plains (64.7%), followed by Fanteakwa (35.6%). In New Juaben, 11.3 per cent
of households live in separate houses, which is the least common in the region. This means that people
in the rural areas are able to construct their own individual houses, because these are of inexpensive
material and of simple design.
The third common type of dwelling occupied by households in the region is the semi-detached house
of which Asuogyaman has the highest proportion (30.2%), followed by Manya Krobo (24.1%).
Households in flats and apartments as dwelling units are not common but can be found in New Juaben
where 7.4 per cent of households occupy such dwellings. These are mainly Government owned flats for
state organizations and institutions and the block of flats built recently by the Social Security and
National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) either for rent or for outright sale to tenants.
Another type of dwelling which needs mentioning, and which accounts for 4.3 per cent of all types of
dwellings in the region, is “huts/building on the same compound”. This type of dwelling is most
common in West Akim (7.4%), followed by Kwaebibirem (6.6%) with the lowest (2.2%) percentage in
Yilo Krobo.
Compared to the national average of 1.4 per cent a small but significant proportion of households
(1.7%), especially in New Juaben district, live in Kiosks, shipping containers and other improvised
dwelling units. These kiosks and containers are usually situated along the main roads and in crowded
commercial areas, thus adversely affecting the aesthetics of the towns. They are normally used for
both commercial and residential purposes.
The nature and quality of these kiosks and containers present dangers to the occupiers. Many of them
are makeshift structures that cannot stand the vagaries of inclement weather. They also present health
and environmental hazards, especially where sales and cooking of food and related goods are
combined with sleeping of household members.
They are badly ventilated, and do not have toilet facilities and other facilities for waste disposal. Since
containers are normally made of metal, they also pose a serious danger of potential electrocution,
while the wooden kiosks carry fire risks. District Assemblies will have to plan and take measures to
contain or completely arrest this situation before it gets out of hand and presents the sort of intractable
problems currently being experienced in some parts of Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.
Housing condition
Main material for outer walls
Overall, mud/mud brick/earth (56.2%) and cement blocks/concrete (33.5%) are the two main materials
used for the construction of outer walls in the region.
At the district level, the use of mud/mud brick/earth for outer wall construction is highest in the Afram
Plains and Birim North, accounting for 87.9 and 75.8 per cent respectively of the housing stock. They
are followed by Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (70.0%). The extent of usage of mud/mud brick/earth in the
three districts is far higher than the regional average (56.2%), which is also higher than the national
average (50.0%).
Mud/Mud brick is extensively used in the region to the extent that, apart from New Juaben (15.4%),
50.0-87.0 per cent of walls of households in 11 districts and 45.0-49.0 per cent in three districts in the
region are made with mud/mud brick. Thus, mud/mud brick is by far the most popular wall building
material in most districts in the region and the reason may be economic. The inhabitants of Afram
Plains are largely subsistence farmers, whose major occupation is Agriculture, Animal Husbandry,
Fishing and Hunting.
A majority of the people can only afford mud or mud bricks or earth for the construction of the outer
walls of their houses. In many cases, even when houses are constructed with mud/mind bricks, the
outer and inner walls are plastered with cement mortar to strengthen them. The stabilisation of the wall
can make the house last a little longer than if the outer walls were left to the vagaries of the weather
and erosion.
Although cement/concrete wall is the second commonest material used for walls, its wide use is mainly
in New Juaben (78.2%), Akwapim South (43.8%) and Akwapim North (40.7%). The use of this material
for walls reduces to between 30.0 - 39.0 per cent in five districts and between 20.0 and 27.0 per cent in
four districts. The use of cement/concrete block for walls is low in two districts, Birim South (15.9%)
and specifically in Afram Plains (6.9%).
The use of other materials for wall construction is rare, under 10.0 per cent of walls of households. The
highest use of wood for walls (4.2%) is (4.2%) in Kwaebibirem, and to some extent, in Birim South
(3.8%), Birim North (3.0%) and Kwahu South (3.5%).
Sancrete (4.7%), is the next most commonly used material for wall is mainly in Kwaebibirem (11.3%),
East Akim (8.3%), South Kwahu (6.3%) and Fanteakwa (4.2%). In all the other districts, sancrete is used
for construction of walls of less than 4.0 per cent of dwellings of households.
The highest use of burnt bricks for walls is in Akwapim South (2.5%), Kwahu South (2.1%). In the other
districts, the use of sandcrete is much lower than 2.0 per cent. The various other materials used for
wall construction, metal sheet, slate, stone, parking cases and palm leaves/thatch, account for less
than 0.5 per cent in most cases in most districts in the region.
Main roofing materials
The main materials used for roofing in the region include the corrugated metal sheet, thatch/palm leaf,
slate or asbestos, bamboo, wood, cement or concrete, roofing tiles and so on.
The corrugated metal sheet is the main roofing material accounting for 82.1 per cent of all roofing
materials. The corrugated metal sheet accounts for at least 71.1 per cent of roofs in all districts except
the Afram Plains, where the use of this roofing material is exceedingly low (29.6%).
For example, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar is the district with the highest proportion of household using this
material (95.4%) followed by Yilo Krobo (92.8%); it is least used in the Afram Plains (29.6%). The high
proportion of corrugated metal sheet used in Suhum-Kraboa- Coaltar reflects the remains of the cocoa
boom previously enjoyed in these areas.
The next main roofing material in the region is thatch/palm leaves (12.6%). It accounts for at least 10.0
per cent of all roofs in eight districts. Its use is highest in Afram Plains (69.7%) and Asuogyaman
(22.8%) and least in New Juaben (0.5%) and Yilo Krobo (3.2%)
Floor material
Materials used for the floor in many houses vary according to the economic circumstances of the
households.
Overall, cement or concrete is the main material used for floors of at least 73.0 per cent of households
in 12 of the 17 districts in the region and 60.0 per cent of households in two districts, Fanteakwa
(60.1%) and Manya Krobo (60.8%). This is encouraging for the region as a whole especially where
people sleep on the floor of rooms. The situation in Afram Plains, with only 35.9 per cent of dwellings
having cement floors, deserves serious concerns.
Earth or mud floors account for 23.9 per cent of dwelling units. Normally, even where a house is
constructed with mud or mud-brick, the floor is made with cement screeding. Apart from the
exceptional case of Afram Plains (63.4%) and to some extent, Fanteakwa (38.5%) and Manya Krobo
(36.3%) mud/mud brick is the constructional material for 20.0-25.0 per cent of dwellings of households
in seven districts and 10.0-19.6 per cent in four other districts. New Juaben (9.1%) is the only district in
the region with less than 10.0 per cent of floors of households made of mud/mud brick.
Terrazzo ceramic tile/vinyl tiles together are use in New Juaben (3.4%) and around 1.0 per cent in other
districts. Stone/wood flooring is rare in the region and together account for 1.0 per cent of floors in less
than half of the districts of the region
Tenure
Shelter is one of the basic needs of human beings. The acquisition of a dwelling place is therefore the
ambition of every individual. The percentage distribution of housing tenure of occupied housing units,
showing the extent of rent payment by households. Tenure may be in several forms, including renting,
owner-occupied, rent-free from a relative who may or may not be a member of the household,
mortgage, etc.
Overall, majority of household members are owners of their housing units. Almost three fifths (58.2%)
of occupants in housing units are owners, which is almost the same as the national average (57.4%).
Almost three in five dwelling units in the districts are owned by household members while 20.9 per cent
live in rented premises, one in five households (20.2%) do not pay rent and 0.7 per cent perch on
others. Perching is mainly by in-migrants actively seeking employment or attending school, who may
live with a friend or relative.
For the districts, owner occupied dwelling units are highest in Afram Plains (74.2%). Birim North has
the second highest percentage (70.9%) of ownership of dwelling units. This is explained by the fact that
85.3 per cent of male and 82.7 per cent of female economically active population in Afram Plains are
engaged in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fishing and Hunting activities.
This category of workers tends to live on their own farms or in their own dwellings. New Juaben has
the least percentage (33.9%) of owner-occupied dwellings. In 12 of the 17 districts, over 50.0 per cent
but not exceeding 75.0 per cent of households own the dwelling units they reside in.
In the other three districts, where dwelling units ownership is below 50.0 per cent, the percentage of
renting households and that of perching households are high. Renting of premises is highest in New
Juaben, accounting for 37.8 per cent of dwelling units.
This is due to the presence of a large number of economically active population in New Juaben who are
in-migrants from other districts working in sales, service, the public sector, etc. Such persons normally
prefer to rent a dwelling unit in the urban areas where they work, and may build a house in their
hometown or district, where they may retire to in their old age, or where they visit at weekends or from
time to time.
Asuogyaman with facilities such as the Akosombo dam, the textile and other factories, has many such
workers, hence the high (31.4%) proportion of renting tenants. In the remaining districts, around 20.0
per cent of households rent their dwelling units except Birim North (9.3%), Fanteakwa (11.0%) and
Afram Plains (13.2%).
Rent free tenure is most common in the Akwapim North accounting for 31.7 per cent of all types of
tenure followed by New Juaben (27.1%). Rent-free tenure accounts for around 20.0 per cent of
households in the remaining districts except Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (16.1%) Yilo Krobo (16.4%) Manya
Krobo (14.3%) and Afram Plains (11.7%)
Ownership of occupied housing units
Ownership of living units is mainly by private individuals who are household members (58.2%), followed
by others such as private individuals who are not household members (19.1%) and relatives who are
not members of household (12.8%). There are differences in the proportions of dwellings owned by
household members across the districts, ranging from a high of 74.2 per cent in Afram Plains to as low
as 33.9 per cent in New Juaben. In the Afram Plains, 87.9 per cent of dwelling units are low cost houses
built of mud or mud brick or earth, and owned by the occupants themselves.
Ownership of dwelling units by private employers is around 10.0 per cent in New Juaben (10.3%),
Akwapim North (10.4%); and around 8.0 per cent in Akwapim South (7.8%), Yilo Krobo (8.0%) and
Asuogyaman (8.8%). Ownership of dwelling units by private agencies, and public or government
agencies is rare in the region. It does not exceed 2.0 per cent in the districts except East Akim (2.0%),
New Juaben (3.2%) and Asuogyaman (5.4%).
Occupied rooms
For purposes of good ventilation and prevention of air borne diseases, occupants of rooms are better
off if their number matches with the rooms occupied. On the average, 36.1 per cent of households
occupy one room, which is below the national average of 38.0 per cent. While households occupying
two rooms account for 27.2 per cent those occupying three rooms account for (13.4%) per cent of
dwelling units.
There are wide variations in the proportions of households occupying single rooms across the districts.
These range from 48.0 per cent for West Akim district to a low 25.1 per cent for Manya Krobo district.
West Akim district has the highest percentage (48.0%) of single room dwelling units, which may be due
mainly to economic factors. These economic activities increase the demand on accommodation
especially on the availability of sufficient rooms for large families.
Household members own majority of dwelling units they occupy in the region. The next significant
ownership type is the private individual and the private employer. High proportions of households in
New Juaben, West Akim, Akwapim North and Asuogyaman, occupy such housing units. Hence about
20.0 to 40.0 per cent of workers in these districts find accommodation in one-room units.
Sleeping rooms
The research show that on the average, the single room predominates in the districts. It accounts for
almost half (48.6%) of all types of sleeping rooms showing that most household members in the region
have largely single room facilities which is below the national average of 49.9 per cent.
At the district level, the West Akim district has the highest percentage (59.2%) of households who sleep
in single rooms followed by New Juaben (58.7%). The proportion of households sleeping in single
rooms is lowest in Afram Plains (34.1%). Households with two sleeping room-facilities constitute about
twenty-four per cent (23.8%).
Afram Plains is the district with the highest percentage (30.4%) of two- room type of sleeping facilities
in the region followed by Fanteakwa (28.8%). West Akim has the lowest (20.8%) percentage. In West
Akim Given the fact that the average household size for West Akim is 4.6, the single room is certainly
inadequate when one considers the fact that household members use the same room as a store for
their personal effects.
Sleeping room occupancy by district
Any room occupancy ratio above two persons per room is considered to be on the threshold of
overcrowding. In this regard, the region appears to be fairly well in control of its room occupancy
situation, even though the regional average of 2.1 is still above the ideal ratio of 2.0 persons per room.
Of the 17 districts, six have room occupancy ratios of 2.0 or less, with the lowest (1.8) in Kwahu South
and Manya Krobo. Two other districts have a ratio of 2.1 persons per room and another five have a ratio
of 2.2 persons per room. Only two districts, West Akim and Akwapim South, have a population per
sleeping room (2.4) higher than the national average of 2.3, and the same as that of Accra Metropolis
(2.4).
West Akim has two major highly commercialized urban towns, Asamankese (the District Capital) and
Adeiso, which for a long time, was a major centre for Ghana’s cocoa industry. This may account for
considerable in migration which could result in inability to meet the housing needs and hence high
room occupancy. In the case of Akwapim South, both Nsawam and Aburi are urban towns, which are
very close to Accra (less than 30 kilometres), and therefore have received a sizeable proportion of in-
migrants who stay in these two towns and commute daily to Accra to work, to avoid the acute shortage
of housing in the Accra metropolis.
The room density for the region (2.1) is lower than the national average (2.3). Generally, the more
urbanized a district, the higher the population per sleeping room.
Household facilities and amenities
Indicators used to assess the living standard of a people include sources of drinking water, fuel used
for cooking and lighting, bathing facility, toilet facility and waste disposal.
Source of drinking water
< 23.6 per cent of households in the region use water from river/stream while 23.0 per cent depend on
wells.
Households that have access to pipe-borne water and potable water from tanker services form 28.8
per cent of the total. Households in Fanteakwa (54.5%), Afram Plains (36.5%) and West Akim (33.1%)
rely mostly on water from rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. The well is the second largest source of
drinking water in the region, (23.0%) with West Akim having the largest percentage (35.1%) followed by
Birim South (34.5%) and the Afram Plains with the least percentage (4.9%).
The largest proportion of households (39.0%) with pipe-borne water inside the dwelling is in New
Juaben municipality followed by Akwapim South (14.8%). Birim North (1.0%) has the least proportion of
households with pipe borne water inside their dwelling in the region. Potable water is woefully
inadequate for the New Juaben municipality and other districts.
The Ghana Water Company Limited in the region operates and maintains 27 water supply systems but
their installed capacities do not meet the demand for potable water of the population being served and
this calls for special mention. The installed capacity of the Koforidua water supply system is one million
gallons per day instead of a projected capacity of 5 million gallons per day.
In all, 69.7 per cent of households in the New Juaben district are served with treated pipe-borne water
inside the dwelling units, outside the dwelling units, or by tanker service. But this apparently high
proportion of treated water in the district is rather deceptive, because even though the infrastructure,
including a reservoir source, is available, the quantity per population is totally inadequate. The district
therefore suffers from perennial water shortages. There are, however, plans to rectify the situation by
increasing the reservoir capacity and improving the distribution system.
Access to public pipe-borne water (pipe-borne outside the dwelling units) is most common in the
Manya Krobo (34.1%), Kwaebibirem (30.6%) and least in Afram Plains (2.2%). Boreholes constitute the
third commonest source of drinking water in the region. Distribution by district shows that the highest
proportion of households that obtain drinking water from a bore-hole is in Birim North (46.7%) followed
by Afram Plains (26.6%). The least proportion of households with the borehole as a main source of
water (1.3%) is in the New Juaben district.
Source of lighting
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The use of kerosene lamp in homes features in all the districts, accounting for almost two-thirds
(64.3%) of all lighting facilities.
Apart from New Juaben (21.4%), between 60.0 per cent and 90.0 per cent of households in 12 districts
use the kerosene lamp as the main source of lighting. Usage of the kerosene lamp is below 60.0 per
cent in only three other districts, Akwapim South (55.7%), Akwapim North (59.4%) and Manya Krobo
(59.8%). Such widespread use of the kerosene lamp has important consequences in terms of frequency
and regularity of supply of kerosene.
Electricity is the main source of lighting in the region for about a third (34.8%) of households. Unlike the
kerosene lamp, there are important variations in the districts in the use of electricity for lighting. New
Juaben is the highest user of electricity for lighting (77.6%) distantly followed by Akwapim South
(43.4%). Apart from these two districts, between a third (33.1%) and two fifths, 40.0 per cent of
households in seven other districts use electricity for lighting. Electricity as a source for lighting is low
in Birim North (15.9%) but particularly low in the Afram Plains (9.4%).
A number of factors may influence the use of electricity for lighting particularly affordability of monthly
electricity bills and the availability or accessibility of electricity supply at the locality level. Cost
considerations may limit the use of generators for electricity for regular domestic use.
The use of the Gas lamp is really low, not attaining 0.5 per cent in any district. The use of solar energy is
still very rare. About 0.3 per cent of households in the region claim they use no light.
Type of fuel used for cooking
The type of fuel used for cooking includes wood, coconut husk, gas, electricity, kerosene and charcoal.
Overall, wood is the main fuel used for cooking in the districts, accounting for 68.8 per cent of fuel
used, which is far higher than the national average of 55.8 per cent.
This is followed by charcoal (22.0%). The two together accounts for 90.8 per cent of all sources of fuel
used for cooking in the region. The implications of this for the forest and the environment are far-
reaching.
For the districts, the data show that more than half of the households in the rest of the districts use
mainly wood as fuel for cooking. The largest use of wood as fuel for cooking is in Fanteakwa, (89.5%)
followed by Afram Plains (89.3%) and Birim North (88.9%). At least more than 54.0 per cent of
households in each of the 14 districts, apart from New Juaben (24.1%), use wood as the main fuel for
cooking. Charcoal is the second major source of fuel used for cooking.
Over half of the households in the New Juaben district (52.4%) use charcoal, the highest in the region,
followed by Manya Krobo (37.9%) and Akwapim South (31.6%). Birim North, which has a low usage of
charcoal (4.6%), also has a high use of wood (88.9%).
The highest use of L.P. Gas for cooking in the region is in New Juaben (12.5%) followed by Akwapim
South (7.3%) and Akwapim North (5.4%). In the remaining 12 districts the use of L.P Gas for cooking is
less than 3.5 per cent of households in any district. The current level of usage of the L.P. Gas for
cooking and for other domestic uses is very low compared to the cost relative to charcoal and
firewood. It is necessary for majority of households to shift from the current level of usage of firewood
and charcoal to L.P. Gas.
But this will only succeed if effective ways are found to sell gas in small affordable quantities for
specially designed gas stoves with the necessary safety precautions. Though charcoal is expensive
and less efficient, it is widely used because it can be bought in small quantities at a time.
Cooking space
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The percentage distribution of cooking space facility in occupied housing units. Overall, majority of
households (37.9%) use separate rooms exclusively designated as a cooking space while some
households (14.7%) share separate rooms for cooking with others.
The data indicate that 46.1 per cent of households in the Afram Plains use a separate room exclusively
for cooking, followed by Fanteakwa (45.5%) and Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (45.1%). The use of a separate
room shared with other households (14.7%) is the next commonest type of cooking space. It is
commonest in New Juaben (21.0%), followed by East Akim (19.5%) and Birim South, (18.3%).
The third commonest type of cooking facility is the “open space in the compound”, (13.2%). Akwapim
South has the highest percentage (22.7%) using the open space in the compound for cooking, followed
by New Juaben (18.9%), Asuogyaman (17.2%) and Afram Plains (17.1%). The open space in the
compound type of cooking space is used by at least 10.0 per cent of households in each district of the
region.
The veranda is used as a cooking space by 9.8 per cent of households regionally. The commonest use
of the veranda as a cooking space is in Manya Krobo (16.7%), New Juaben (14.3%), Yilo Krobo (14.0%),
Kwaebibirem (13.9%) and Asuogyaman (12.2%). In the remaining districts, the use of the veranda as a
cooking space is not common and accounts for less than 10.0 per cent of households.
The structure with roof without walls is commonest in Manya Krobo where it is used by about a fifth of
households (20.5%). It is equally common in Fanteakwa (18.2%), Asuogyaman (15.6%) and Yilo Krobo
(15.6%). It accounts for more than 10.0 per cent of cooking spaces in 11 of the 17 districts in the region.
Other facilities for cooking in the region include the bedroom/hall (3.3%), which is common in Manya
Krobo (7.1%), Yilo Krobo (6.5%), Afram Plains (4.9%) and Akwapim North (5.2%).
Cooking in the bedroom/hall is practiced in each district of the region to a negligible extent of less than
2.0 per cent of households in five districts and 2.0 to 3.0 per cent of households in the remaining
districts. Cooking in the bed room/hall and on the veranda are indicative of pressure on room space.
The practice presents health and fire hazards among others.
However, households which are squeezed into a small space for accommodation, especially in
compound houses, have no other choice, particularly in inclement weather, than to cook on their
veranda or use part of their one room accommodation for cooking.
Type of bathing facility
The data show that more than half (51.5%) of households in New Juaben share a bathroom. Yilo Krobo
follows with 35.8 per cent. Afram Plains, which has the lowest proportion of households that share
bathrooms (16.9%), also has the highest proportion (32.2%) of households that own bathrooms for their
exclusive use, followed by Kwaebibirem (29.1%) and Kwahu South (28.3%).
About a quarter (25.9%) of the households in Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar, 23.2 per cent in Yilo Krobo and
20.4 per cent in West Akim use shared open cubicles as a bathing facility. The open space bathing
facility is used in all districts, varying from 10.0 to 14.4 per cent in three districts and between 5.0 and
10.0 per cent in 11 other districts. It is in New Juaben (3.9%) that less than five per cent of households
use the open space for bathing.
A bathroom in another house is not common in the region. In three districts, between 5.0 to 8.0 per cent
of households have their bathing facility in another house; in six districts, the proportion is around 4.0
per cent and below 4.0 per cent in three other districts. The lowest proportion of household with a
bathing facility in another house is in New Juaben (1.3%).
The public bath facility is not common in the region. The proportion of households using this facility is
under 1.0 per cent in nine of the 17 districts and around 1.0 per cent in six of the remaining districts.
The fact that only a small proportion of households have bathrooms for exclusive use can be explained
by the fact that most households live in single rooms which means that most dwelling units do not have
sufficient rooms which can cater for bathing facilities.
Toilet facility
Many district authorities have been grappling with the problem of sanitation, especially the provision
and outlet for the disposal of solid waste in dwelling places.
The pit latrine inside the dwelling unit is the commonest type of toilet facility, used by 37.5 per cent of
households in the region while 29.8 per cent of households use public toilets which could be a W. C.,
KVIP, pit, pan, etc. in terms of district distribution, more than half of the households in the Fanteakwa
district (58.9%) use the pit latrine followed by Suhum- Kraboa-Coaltar (56.2%) and Yilo Krobo (55.4%).
The use of public toilets is the second common toilet facility across the districts, the highest proportion
being 39.5 per cent of households in New Juaben followed by West Akim (37.1%) and Birim South
(35.0%).
The water closet (WC) within the dwelling unit is used by 17.7 per cent of households in New Juaben,
which is the highest in the region. Asuogyaman follows with 10.1 per cent of households and Afram
Plains and Birim North have the least 0.8 per cent each. More than a third (37.5%) of the households in
the region rely on the pit latrine as their main toilet facility.
The proportions vary from a low of 16.2 per cent in New Juaben, to a high of 56.2 per cent in Suhum-
Kraboa-Coaltar and 58.9 per cent in Fanteakwa, district. This is indicative of the serious nature of the
inadequacy of toilet facilities in the region. Public toilet facilities however, cater for the needs of 29.8
per cent of households, which to a great measure, accounts for the fact that only 5.5 per cent of
households report having no toilet facility as compared to the national average of 20.2 per cent.
Solid waste disposal
Concerns have been expressed about indiscriminate disposal of solid waste into places such as rivers
and open drains. The most common method of solid waste disposal is by dumping in a publicly
designated facility (56.5%), followed by dumping elsewhere including drains and rivers (25.2%) and
burning by household (10.1%).
Collection from the dwelling place of households by specialised refuse collection companies is
minimal. For the districts, dumping of solid waste in public dumping places is most prevalent in Birim
South (72.5%) followed by the New Juaben municipality with 70.0 per cent and Afram Plains, the least
with 29.2 per cent.
Dumping of solid waste elsewhere, that is indiscriminately, is however most common among
households in the Afram Plains (48.9%). Fanteakwa followed closely with 40.6 per cent and New
Juaben with 11.0 per cent. The indiscriminate dumping of solid waste is bound to impact negatively on
the environment. For example, local residents are likely to fall victim to any outbreak of epidemics,
which can be either water-borne or air-borne.
Liquid waste disposal
Almost half (48.2%) of households in the region dispose of liquid waste onto the compound, on to the
open space in the house while another 31.6 per cent throw their liquid waste onto the street or outside
the dwelling and 17.8 per cent into a gutter or open drains. Only 2.0 per cent of liquid waste disposal is
through the sewerage system .
The district breakdown indicates that throwing liquid waste onto the compound is the most commonly
used method of liquid disposal in the Afram Plains (78.0%), Fanteakwa (68.8%) and Asuogyaman
(58.3%). Throwing liquid waste onto the street or outside is more common in Birim South (41.8%), Birim
North (39.3%) and Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (39.3%).
Throwing liquid waste into a gutter is not that common in most districts, except in New Juaben, where
44.1 per cent of households use this method of disposal, the highest among the districts. Akwapim
South follows with 24.4 per cent, then Birim South 23.4 per cent, with the least in Afram Plains (2.1%).
The relatively high proportion of households using gutters to dispose of liquid waste in New Juaben
and Akwapim South may be an indication that this practice is generally an urban phenomenon, since
urban centres tend to have more roads and streets bordered by open drains or gutters, than the rural
areas.
The use of the sewerage system for liquid waste disposal is highest in Asuogyaman, (7.1%). The reason
for this may be due to the level of infrastructural development in the Akosombo area. Akosombo is a
planned township constructed with all utility services, including the sewerage system unlike other
urban towns, which have simply grown haphazardly without much planning.
The next district with some appreciable use of sewerage systems is the New Juaben municipality
(6.9%), mainly because of its status as a regional and district capital. The common methods of
disposing of liquid waste unto streets and into gutters pose environmental and health hazards
particularly the breeding of mosquitoes. It should be a major concern of the District Assemblies to plan
for the sewerage system of disposing of liquid waste.
Community facilities
Post office
All the 17 districts in the Eastern Region have post office facilities but the districts differ in terms of
distribution and accessibility. The proportion of localities having a post office within the locality ranges
from 0.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent.
Asuogyaman has the highest per cent (5.8%) of localities with post office facilities within the locality,
followed by Kwahu South (4.6%) and New Juaben (3.6%). Afram Plains has the least proportion of
localities with post office facilities within the locality (0.3%).
The New Juaben municipality has the highest percentage of localities (77.1%) within 1-5 kilometres of
such a post office facility. Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar follows with 46.0 per cent, then Akwapim South
(32.4%). The least is Afram Plains (7.9%). The rest of the localities with no local post office have the
facility located 16 kilometres or more away. However, Afram Plains has close to 50 per cent of localities
that are more than 30 kilometres away from postal facilities.
Telephone
The district distribution shows that the New Juaben municipality has the highest percentage of
localities (7.9%) with telephone facilities within the localities. This is followed by Akwapim North (6.2%),
while West Akim and Fanteakwa has the least proportion of localities (0.3% each).
The New Juaben municipality also has the highest percentage of localities (73.5%) with telephone
facilities within a distance of five kilometres, followed by Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (35.8%) while Afram
Plains (8.2%) has the lowest percentage of localities with telephone facilities within five kilometres.
The majority of localities have access to fixed line telephone facilities within distances between six and
20 kilometres, a situation which compromises on the ability of the communities to communicate with
each other and with those in other regions.
Good governance and socio-economic development require active participation of the entire populace.
Access to, and availability of, an effective medium of communication are necessary and important
because people must have the platform to articulate their views on development. Communities that do
not have access to any form of communication cannot participate fully, if at all, in issues concerning
development that affects their well-being.
On the whole however, the Eastern Region is comparatively fairly well endowed with
telecommunication facilities, particularly mobile or cell phone systems. The region is served by Ghana
Telecom’s fixed land line telephone system, as well as the various mobile telephone companies.
Teledensity for the region (0.2 per 100 persons) which is the same as that of the Western Region, is
however not as high as would be desirable. The national average is 0.7, compared with 3.2 per 100
persons for Greater Accra and 0.5 for Ashanti.
The advent of cell phone communication on the Ghanaian scene has revolutionised telecommunication
in the whole country. The Areeba Company has 76 networks nationally, 19 of which are located in the
Eastern Region. These are Abetifi, Aburi, Akim Swedru, Akosombo, Akuse, Akwatia, Anyinam, Boadua,
Kade, Koforidua, Mpraeso, Nkawkaw, Nsawam, Akim Oda, Krobo Odumase, Somanya, Suhum, Akim
Tafo and Osino. Mobitel services also cover Koforidua, Oyoko, Tafo, Akropong, Mpraeso, Aburi,
Nkawkaw, Tweneduase and Kade.
Ghana Telecom on the other hand operates the “one touch” cell phones and prepaid services on fixed
lines. In the Eastern Region, Ghana Telecom has 265 “one touch” post paid subscribers while 4,970
prepaid subscribers patronized the prepaid facilities for the period 2000- 2003. In addition, the region
has 3,174 fixed lines with 1,400 fixed lines in the regional capital alone (44%).
The region is the most widely covered by this company, which transmits from eight locations in seven
districts in the region, out of the 41 locations countrywide. The locations are Nkawkaw, Mpraeso,
Koforidua, Suhum, Oda, Asamankese, Akosombo and Nsawam. The Eastern Region is therefore, the
most widely covered by mobile/cell telephone systems in the country.
Most of the urban centres have “communication centres” where those without their own individual
telephones can go and make phone calls. Many of these centres also provide other communication
services such as e-mail, fax, photocopy and other secretarial services. Thus, the region is presently
relatively well endowed with telecommunication channels, which should make for active participation
of her population in social and economic activities undertaken to raise their standard of living of the
people.
Traditional health facility
Traditional healing facilities are the most readily available of the three health facilities in all the districts.
Between 63.2 and 99.3 per cent of localities in the districts have traditional healing facilities, within the
localities.
Of the 17 districts, Manya Krobo has the highest proportion (99.3%) of localities with a traditional
healing facility within the locality, followed by Yilo Krobo (97.4%), Suhum-Kraboa- Coaltar has the
lowest proportion (63.2%) of localities with a traditional health facility within the locality. Unlike
hospitals and clinics, the proportion of traditional healing facilities available to the population
decreases with distance.
There is hardly any inhabitant who accesses a facility beyond five kilometres. Even in Suhum-Kraboa
Coaltar, 97.5 per cent of localities are within five kilometres of such a facility. The population therefore
finds it easier to access the services of a traditional healer than that of a doctor in a hospital or a clinic.
Traditional medical practitioners (TMPs)
The ratio of population to registered traditional medical practitioner (TMP) is also very low compared
with the population per allopathic doctor and population per nurse. The regional ratio is one registered
traditional medical practitioner to 762 people, which is lower than the national average of 953 to 1.
Asuogyaman (434) has the lowest ratio, followed by Akwapim South (444), with the highest in the Afram
Plains (1,192) followed by Birim North (1,112).
Akwapim South, Akwapim North and New Juaben have three very highly developed traditional healing
facilities. The centre established by Dr. Nartey in Nsawam in Akwapim South, over 50 years ago,
operates virtually like a conventional hospital, with a diagnostic laboratory and admission wards.
Apaak Traditional Healing Centre, with a factory and a clinic at Koforidua (New Juaben) and another
Clinic in Accra, operates similarly.
The best facility is in Akwapim Mampong, in the Akwapim North District. This is the Centre for
Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM), also established over 50 years ago, by Dr. Oku
Ampofo, an Edinburgh trained allopathic doctor who pioneered the integration of western medicine and
traditional medicine in Ghana. The centre now runs as a Government-owned research and healing
centre with a resident allopathic doctor.
The centre operates two medicinal plant arboretums at Akwapim Mampong and Ayikuma (Dangme
East). The centre also collaborates with the Tetteh-Quashie Memorial Hospital located a few metres
away, offering traditional healing services to patients of that hospital who are deemed to require such a
service, or who may be part of a research or clinical trial programme. The resident doctor at the centre
is on secondment from the Tetteh Quashie hospital.
It also collaborates with various researchers from the country’s universities and research institutes, as
well as traditional healers from all over the country, who also sometimes have their discoveries tested
at the centre for quality, efficacy and toxicity. It operates a pilot plant for the development or
formulation of new or improved plant medicine products. The Centre’s facilities are however totally
inadequate, and staffing is a major problem.
The Centre renders services not only to the inhabitants of the district, but also to a large number of
people from all over the country, on visits for specialized traditional healing services. In view of the
above innovative ways, (including investment by the pharmaceutical companies), will have to be
evolved to improve the funding and equipment base of the centre, to attract high calibre qualified staff,
including doctors, traditional healers and scientific research staff.
Doctors
The distribution of medical personnel in the various districts, particularly doctors, is inadequate and
badly skewed in favour of the relatively urbanised districts rather than population size and needs. The
uneven distribution of doctors in the region is best appreciated if one notes that the New Juaben
District, with only 6.5 per cent of the regional population, has 36.8 per cent of the doctors in the region.
This contrasts with Birim North, which has 5.9 per cent of the regional population but no doctor. Yilo
Krobo, with 4.1 per cent of the regional population, also has no Doctor. However, in Kwaebibirem, the
district’s share of the regional population (8.5%) is commensurate with the district’s share of Doctors
(8.5%). In Manya Krobo, Kwahu South, Asuogyaman, and Akwapim North, the district’s share of
Doctors is higher than the district’s share of the regional population.
Human Resource Division of the Ministry of Health
In sum, of the 106 doctors in the region, 39 (36.8%) are in New Juaben, followed by Kwahu South 12
(11.3%). All the 39 doctors in New Juaben are in the Regional/District Capital, Koforidua, with 25 of
them in the Koforidua Regional Hospital and six in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital. In Kwahu South,
eight of the 12 doctors are at Nkawkaw, with another four at Atibie/Mpraeso, the district capital, just
about 10 kilometres from Nkawkaw.
Three districts, Fanteakwa, Birim North and Yilo Krobo, have no doctor. Hence, for Fanteakwa for
example, emergency or serious cases requiring the attention of a doctor have to be sent to either
Koforidua, in New Juaben, or Kibi, in East Akim, and both places are over 30 kilometres from the
Fanteakwa district capital Begoro. Similarly, patients requiring a doctor’s attention in any part of Birim
North, with a population of 135, 925, (almost the same as New Juaben (136,768), will have to be taken to
Nkawkaw in Kwahu South, Akwatia in Kwaebibirem or Kibi in East Akim, which are all over 50
kilometres from the district capital.
Even for districts with doctors, the population to doctor ratio is very high. The population to doctor
ratio in the region is 19,874 to one doctor, but in the Afram Plains the ratio is one doctor to 67,963
people, while in West Akim one doctor caters for 77,081.
This is in sharp contrast to the regional capital where the ratio is 1 doctor to 3,507, better than even the
national average of one doctor to 9,418 people. Many doctors are reluctant to serve in the rural areas
for several reasons, including economic, social and cultural factors.
For young doctors with young families, educating their children is a major factor in determining where
they would accept to serve, and with the very poor educational facilities in virtually all the rural
communities, doctors would prefer to serve in Koforidua, Nkawkaw, Akwatia or other urban towns
where good schools are available. More radical measures and incentives will therefore have to be taken
to ensure equitable distribution of medical personnel in the region.
The distance travelled to reach a health facility could affect the chances of survival of a sick person
especially where it is an emergency situation. The Eastern Regional Health Administration (2002)
provided data for the infrastructural situation in the region. The data indicate a total of 209 facilities
offering health services by close of 2001 in the region with a breakdown as follows:
The total manpower of the Ghana Health Service in the region by close of 2001 stood at 4,059, which is
below the ceiling of 4,600 given by the region’s Ghana Health Service (GHS). The situation has created
several unfilled positions particularly for skilled professionals like Medical Officers, Specialists and
Nurses.
There are 106 doctors, comprising 97 in the public sector and nine in the private sector. This gives a
regional population to doctors ration of 19, 874. The official policy of the Ministry of Health is that every
community must have a health facility within a maximum of 8-kilometre radius.
Hospital
The percentage of localities, which have no hospital facility, but are within five kilometres of such a
facility is highest for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar (19.2%) followed by Manya Krobo (17.9%), West Akim
(17.7%) and Fanteakwa (0.9%). New Juaben has only 0.8 per cent of localities with hospitals within the
locality while another 12.3 per cent are within five Kilometres of the facility.
Accessibility to hospital facility increases with distance. For example, whereas Afram Plains has only
12.2 per cent of localities within 10 kilometres of a hospital, over 50 per cent (52.6%) of localities are 31
kilometres or more, from such a facility. Similarly, Birim North has 8.9 per cent of localities within 10
kilometres of a hospital while 45 per cent are 31 Kilometres or more away.
Clinic
Akwapim North has the highest per cent (9.5%) of localities with a clinic within the locality, followed
closely by Asuogyaman (9.3%) and least in Fanteakwa (0.8%). New Juaben has the highest percentage
of localities (48.6%) within five kilometres of a clinic facility, followed by Asuogyaman (43.0%). Afram
Plains, which has the least proportion of localities with a clinic within five kilometres (12.1%), also has
the highest proportion of localities (35.3%) with a clinic 31 kilometres or more from the locality.
Educational facility
Data from the Eastern regional Office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) indicate that the region has
964 kindergarten schools, 1,912 primary, 1,028 JSS, 74 SSS and six Teachers Training Colleges. In
addition to the number of educational facilities in the region, the GES provided figures for the numbers
of teachers in the region as 19,512 (both trained and untrained).
Of this number, 18,037 or 92.4 per cent are in the basic schools, 1,302 (6.7%) teach in the second cycle
and the rest 173, (0.9%) are in the training colleges. Ministry of Education’s official policy is that school
facilities, especially at the basic level, should not more than five kilometres from any community.
Number of schools by district
The data show that availability of educational facilities decreases with the level of education. SSS is
less available to many localities compared with primary schools and JSS. Whereas primary school
educational facilities are available within the locality to between 4.4 and 39.8 per cent of localities, JSS
facilities are available within the locality, to between 3.0 and 18.0 per cent of localities.
The percentage is lower for SSS, which are within only between 0.2 and 4.7 per cent of the localities.
Manya Krobo has the highest percentage (39.8%) of localities which have primary school facilities
within the locality, closely followed by Yilo Krobo (38.6%) and Fanteakwa (31.3%). The lowest
proportion is in Kwaebibirem (4.4%).
Over 70.0 per cent of localities have primary schools within five kilometres varying from Akwapim
South (94.1%), Yilo Krobo (94.0%), Manya Krobo (91.0%), New Juaben (93.7%) to Birim South (73.7%)
and Afram Plains (73.4%). All the primary schools in New Juaben and Akwapim North are within 10
kilometres of the locality. Except Birim South (93.3%) and Afram Plains (90.1%), between 97.3 and 99.9
per cent of localities in the region are within 10 kilometres of a primary school. For localities with
schools between 6-10 kilometres away, Birim South has the highest proportion (19.6%) followed by
Afram Plains (16.7%) and the least is Yilo Krobo (4.3%).
District distribution of JSS facilities shows that Asuogyaman has 18.0 per cent of the localities with JSS
within the locality, followed by Yilo Krobo (16.7%) and New Juaben (16.6%). Districts with a high
proportion of localities with a JSS within 1-5 kilometres from the facility are, Akwapim South (84.5%),
New Juaben (76.3%), and West Akim (72.2%). Once again the Afram Plains has the lowest proportion
(42.2%) of a JSS facility within 1-5 kilometres. Asuogyaman district has the highest per cent of
localities with SSS facilities (4.7%) followed by Akwapim North (2.5%).
East Akim district (0.2%) has the least percentage of localities in the SSS facilities. In each district, the
proportion of localities with a primary school facility is far higher than that with a JSS facility, indicating
that in each district many primary schools do not have their complement of JSS. This implies that post-
primary pupils have to travel to another locality for a JSS facility or end their education at the primary
school level.
SUMMARY
Summary indicators
the findings on the demographic, social, economic, housing, community facilities and their policy
implications and interventions for the Eastern Region. Of the 17 districts, the Birim North District has
the highest fertility followed closely by the Afram Plains District.
The New Juaben municipality has the lowest fertility and the highest child survivorship among the
districts. It is known that there is a strong relationship between high child survivorship and lower
fertility. This is consistent with the lowest fertility in the urbanized New Juaben municipality. It is worth
noting that the New Juaben municipality has the largest concentration of population in the 15-64 year-
age group, for both males and females.
Social indicators
The proportion of male heads of household is about twice that of females in all the districts except the
Afram Plains. Male headship is more than three times in Afram Plains (3.3 times) and more than twice in
eight other districts.
Marriage is higher among females than males in the districts except the Akwapim North, Yilo Krobo
and the Kwaebibirem Districts. The reverse is true for the never married, with a larger proportion of
males than females. In each district, the proportion of females who have never attended school is
higher than that of males.
Economic indicators
Unemployment is highest in the East Akim District and that female unemployment is higher than that of
males, in all the districts except the Afram Plains, where the reverse is the case. Agricultural and
Fishing activities are the dominant work for males while Sales work and Wholesale/Retail activities are
predominantly female occupations.
A higher proportion of females, than males, are self-employed without employees, particularly in the
private informal sector.
Housing condition indicators
Over three quarters (77.6%) of households in the New Juaben municipality use electricity, as the main
source of lighting, the highest among the districts. The rest of the districts use largely kerosene as the
main source of fuel for lighting. Access to pipe-borne water is highest in the New Juaben municipality
than in the other districts in the region. Wood as fuel for cooking is widely used in all the districts,
especially in the Afram Plains. On the other hand, charcoal is widely used in the New Juaben
municipality.
Conclusion
The data analysis presented in this report brings into sharp focus the conditions of living in the 17
districts of the region. It highlights the inadequacies in facilities such as education, housing and the
amenities available to the households and the social and economic characteristics of the people in the
region, district by district.
. It has provided a wealth of detailed information for district level planning, which has been the prime
goal of the District Assembly system of governance.
The District Assemblies will therefore be better placed to plan, using reliable and readily available data,
to achieve the socio-economic development objectives of their districts.
An additional advantage of the district analysis is the comparability of the data between districts. It
should foster a competitive spirit for better development among the districts, which must be
encouraged by the Regional Co-ordinating Councils. The Regional Coordinating Councils will also have
a better overall preview of the region, and be able to determine more rationally, where development
priorities should be.
Policy implications and interventions
Education
Literacy
Over the years, successive governments since independence, have consistently placed considerable
emphasis on the development of education on the premise that it forms the bedrock for the
development of the country’s human resources and the socio-economic development. The literacy rate
for the country as a whole is 57.9 per cent and 63.6 per cent for the Eastern Region. Literacy in both the
English language and a Ghanaian language is however 38.1 per cent for the country and 46.4 per cent
for the region.
The rates for females, (54.6%) compared to males, (73.6%) are rather low. The fact that 50.0 per cent of
males and 65.9 per cent of females in the Afram Plains and 55.5 per cent of females in the Manya Krobo
Districts, among others, are not literate in English and a Ghanaian language, poses a serious challenge
to the regional and district administrations in their efforts to improve on the situation. <
The educational attainment at the various levels of education in the region is not satisfactory. A large
proportion of the school population do not proceed beyond the primary level, with those at the junior
secondary and senior secondary levels faring even poorer.
In the region, about a quarter (22.5%) of the pupils terminate their education at the primary level, made
up of almost the same proportion of males (25.8%) and females (25.2%). At the JSS level, 30.1 per cent
complete the level, made up of a third (33.4%) of the males and a quarter (26.8%) of the females, while
at the senior secondary school level, 5.8 per cent, comprising 7.3 per cent of males and 4.4 per cent of
females, complete the level.
A significant number of pupils and students drop out of school at the various levels, mainly because of
lack of adequate facilities at the next levels. The number of JSSs is just about half the number of
primary schools, while there are only 74 Senior Secondary Schools and less than five Vocational and
Technical (VOTEC) institutes, and one Polytechnic in the region to absorb all the JSS leavers. This
points to the urgent need for more physical infrastructural facilities and staff for the schools in the
districts of the region.
Policy intervention
Basic schools
The District Assemblies, under the decentralized administration regime, are responsible for
infrastructural projects at the basic level. Under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND), the 17
districts of the region are each constructing four basic schools to mitigate some of the structural
constraints of the educational system. In addition, the Agricultural Development Bank is sponsoring the
reconstruction of selected basic schools with 4-Seater KVIP Blocks in 12 of the 17 districts of the
region.
Secondary education
Government has been concerned with providing quality education and improving access to senior
secondary schools, especially in the rural areas, and has since January 2001, provided funds for the
rehabilitation of schools and the construction of additional facilities.
Under the GETFUND, an amount of ¢569 million was released for the provision of classroom blocks,
Home Science/Science blocks and workshops, including equipment, hostels/dormitories, especially for
girls, staff accommodation and others, for eight senior secondary schools in 2001. In 2002, approval
was also given for the completion/continuation of projects for three Technical Institutions, seven
institutions for the physically challenged and 29 senior secondary schools at the cost of ¢2.6 billion,
under the normal yearly MOE/GES Investment activities.
There has also been a Government policy decision that one secondary school, in each district, should
be selected for rehabilitation and refurbishing into a model secondary school. This project has now
commenced in some districts.
Koforidua polytechnic
The construction and rehabilitation of infrastructural facilities such as classroom blocks, workshops
and staff accommodation, workshop for a computer centre and an engineering workshop have been
undertaken at the Koforidua Polytechnic.
Courses in Banking and Accountancy have also been added to the curriculum to provide quality
education for the middle level professional. It is planned that a Degree in Computer Science, and other
advanced Diploma Courses to convert the Koforidua Polytechnic into a fully-fledged tertiary institution.
Economic activity
Policy implication
Students constitute the greater proportion of the not economically active population in all the districts
of the region. At the district level, the proportions of the not economically active population which are
students are 52.7 per cent of males and 33.2 per cent of females in Birim North, 40.5 per cent of males
and 25.6 per cent of females in Kwaebibirem and 52.8 per cent of males and 31.8 per cent of females in
the Afram Plains.
The average for the 17 districts is 44.9 per cent of males and 27.7 per cent of females. The inevitable
consequence has been the consistent pressure that has been exerted on the nation’s resources for the
provision of classrooms, textbooks, equipment and other facilities, including bursaries, for the
management of the educational system.
The homemaker category is the second highest proportion of the not economically active group. It
varies from 15.6 per cent of males and 29.1 per cent of females for the Birim North District to 19.2 per
cent of males and 35.1 per cent of females in the Kwaebibirem District. The average for the 17 districts
is 17.3 per cent of males and 31.2 per cent of females.
This picture, taken within the context of occupational distribution in the districts, where agriculture and
related industries absorb more than 50.0 per cent of the working population, indicates that, but for the
many constraints, the agricultural industry should be able to offer employment to a greater proportion
of the economically active population.
Over three quarters (77.8%) of the working population in the districts are self-employed without
employees. The self-employed who engage other workers range from 2.6 per cent of the economically
active population (15 years and older) in the Asuogyaman District to 5.6 per cent in the New Juaben
municipality.
The high levels of self-employed persons without employees are an indication of low economic
performance. Such businesses are based on low skill levels and low access to capital. Programmes for
skills acquisition and easier access to capital should enable them to expand their businesses and
create employment.
Agriculture
Agriculture already provides employment for over one-half of the economically active population and
has the potential to create more employment opportunities. Government, through the District
Assemblies, needs to utilize technological advancements in the agro-industrial sector such as the
production of soap, pomades and a variety of drinks, in the wake of the breakthrough of the Cocoa
Research Institute of Ghana, at Akim Tafo.
Entrepreneurs should be encouraged to spearhead the mass production of these products to provide
extra employment and economic potential of agriculture in the region. In addition, the region is also
active in the industrial production of pineapples, pawpaw, cola, and oil palm; a massive export drive
must therefore be encouraged in these industries. In this regard, it is worth noting the interventions
already made by Government and non-governmental development agencies to create employment and
enhance the welfare of the people in the districts.
These have been undertaken in the form of assisted projects, namely, the Adventist Development and
Relief Agency (ADRA), the Root and Tuber Improvement Project, the President Special Initiative (PSI),
the Land and Water Management Project (LWMP) and the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP).
(a.) Under the ADRA project, citrus seedlings are supplied to each farmer who is made to cultivate one
acre of field under the programme. The seedlings are paid for after the citrus bears fruits. ADRA is also
supporting the reforestation of the Densu River basin. The leading districts in citrus production are
Kwaebibirem, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar, Birim North, Birim South and West Akim. Employment is thereby
created for communities in these districts.
(b.) Under the Root and Tuber Improvement Project, improved planting materials, particularly cassava,
are produced and distributed to farmers in the following five districts: Akwapim North, Akwapim South,
Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar, Birim South and Asuogyaman. The programme also undertakes the education
of bakers and matrons of institutions and others on the use of cassava flour as substitutes in their
baking activities.
(c.) The President’s Special Initiative Cassava Starch Project uses the Corporate Village Enterprise
(COVE) concept within the contiguous districts of Asuogyaman, Fanteakwa, Yilo Krobo, Manya Krobo,
Akwapim North, as well as parts of Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar and New Juaben, to produce enough starch
to be processed for export at a minimum of 100,000 tons of industrial starch per annum. Each
participating district has identified a minimum of 50 acres of cassava multiplication farm for the
purpose of producing enough material for distribution to farmers in the year 2003.
(d.) The Village Infrastructural Project involves about 60 on-going projects. Projects being funded
include construction of markets and feeder roads, provision of agro-processing machines, irrigation
equipment and sinking of bore-holes in all the 17 districts.
Housing and community facilities
Stock of housing
Policy implication
The total stock of housing in all the districts of the region is 283,461. This represents a 51.4 per cent
increase over the 1984 stock (183,950) to cater for a 25.3 per cent increase in population over the same
period. The rural stock of houses accounts for 73.4 per cent and the urban, 26.6 per cent.
The average number of household members owning their dwelling unit is 58.2 per cent, ranging from a
high of 74.2 per cent in the Afram Plains, 70.9 per cent in the Birim North, to a low of 48.4 per cent in
Asuogyaman, and 33.9 per cent in the New Juaben, Districts. Those who rent their dwelling units
constitute a significant proportion, ranging from a high of 37.8 per cent in New Juaben, 31.4 per cent in
Asuogyaman, to a low of 11.0 per cent in Fanteakwa and 9.3 per cent in Birim North, Districts.
The provision of any additional stock of houses by the District Assemblies should be designed, taking
into consideration the peculiar needs of particular districts. Urban area needs will not be the same as
rural area needs, and particular designs such as flats, which may suit certain types of urban
households may not necessarily be suitable for the majority rural population.
For example, most of the dwelling units in compound, separate and the semi-detached, houses, afford
the occupants a similar degree of privacy as the flats and apartments, but at a lower cost. While flats
might be suitable for small, young, single persons or single parent urban households, other house
designs also provide privacy, and might be suitable for rural and some urban households.
Main source of water
Policy implication
The bi-modal heavy rainfall pattern in the region leads to most rivers overflowing their banks during the
rainy season. Thus, there is plenty of water for domestic use during the raining season.
As the land is cleared for farming activities, however, excessive evaporation takes place leading to
shortage of water. But the districts have good sources of ground water, which are tapped as borehole
water. Hence, wells, rivers/streams, and boreholes are the main sources of water in the majority of the
districts. Pipe-borne water, inside the house and outside the house, is also available to communities in
the urban settings but it is woefully inadequate for their consumption.
Implication
There is therefore a strong policy implication for adding to, and improving upon, the sources of water in
all the districts. A more realistic measure will be through deep wells and boreholes. The District
Assemblies, through the Community Water and Sanitation Scheme, should accelerate their efforts in
that respect. Approaches should also be made to interested development partners such as DANIDA,
which specialize in the provision of water to assist in improving upon the provision of potable water in
the region.
There is, also on the drawing board, a scheme by which towns, able to contribute five per cent of the
total cost of construction of pipe-borne water, would be beneficiaries of the facility. As many towns as
possible should be encouraged to be part of the scheme. A serious consideration should also be given
to rainwater harvesting schemes.
Interventions
Out of 340 borehole/hand-dug wells earmarked for the region from January 2001 to December 2002,
166 were completed by the end of 2002 while 174 are on-going in 11 districts, under the auspices of
DANIDA. Also, 862 existing wells constructed by various donors have been rehabilitated by the end of
year 2002. In addition, and under the Small Towns Water Supply Project (EVORAP), the following towns:
Donkokrom, Asiakwa, Abomosu, Ayirebi, New Abram, Abase, Appeared, Akroso and Adeiso, where
District Assemblies have paid five per cent of total cost, will be provided with treated potable water.
Main fuel for lighting
Policy implication
Even though electricity for lighting is available in all the districts, an average of only 34.8 per cent of the
households in the region have access to it. The use of electricity, as a source of household lighting,
varies from a low of 9.4 per cent of households in the Afram Plains District to a high of 77.6 per cent in
the New Juaben municipality.
The majority of households (64.3%) in the region use kerosene for lighting. The lowest use of kerosene
is in the New Juaben municipality where one out of five households (21.4%) use kerosene for lighting
compared with the Afram Plains District, which has the highest percentage use of kerosene (89.5%) in
the region.
Even though the cost of kerosene is still almost 50.0 per cent subsidised by Government, the price of
¢17,500 per gallon, is still considered high for the rural populations who use it most. Distribution is also
difficult and sometimes erratic, as poor roads hamper transportation to remote areas. It is worth noting
that some District Assemblies are undertaking block supply of kerosene in their districts to overcome
these problems.
Type of fuel used for cooking
Fuel used for cooking includes wood, coconut husk, gas, electricity, kerosene and charcoal. With the
exception of the New Juaben municipality, where only 24.1 per cent of households use fuel wood, the
overwhelming majority of households in the districts (68.8%) use fuel wood for cooking.
The rate of usage in the other districts varies from 54.1 per cent in Akwapim South, to a high of 89.3 per
cent in the Afram Plains and 89.5 per cent in the Fanteakwa District. The next common fuel used for
cooking is charcoal which varies from 4.6 per cent of households in Birim North, 7.8 per cent in the
Afram Plains, 37.0 per cent in the Manya Krobo District, to 52.4 per cent of households in the New
Juaben municipality. Since charcoal is derived from wood, the pattern of fuel use in the districts means
that 90.0 per cent of households use wood as fuel for cooking. This adds significantly to the havoc
created to forest resources by chain saw operators, and estate developers, among others.
There is therefore the need for the District Assemblies to intensify reforestation programmes in
addition to assuming greater responsibilities in this initiative. But this exercise is not proving to be a
satisfactory substitute in the New Juaben municipality, where LPG usage is only 12.5 per cent of
households, mainly because of the high initial capital outlay for cookers and gas cylinders, which many
rural dwellers cannot afford.
Also, the cost of replacement of large gas cylinders is beyond the capability of most people in the
districts. Promotion of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the as an alternative to firewood and charcoal,
can therefore only succeed if ways can be found to sell gas, in small affordable quantities, for specially
designed gas stoves. Though charcoal is expensive and less efficient, it is widely used because it can
be bought in small quantities at a time.
Toilet facility
Policy implication
All districts in the region have adequate access to toilet facilities of some sort; as a result, only a low
proportion of the population (5.4%) have no toilet facilities compared with a national average of 20.0
per cent. However, the quality is poor and presents possible health hazards.
There is therefore the need to improve upon the nature and quality of all toilet facilities. The urban
areas should preferably invest in proper sewerage system. Already, construction of improved facilities
such as the Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit (KVIP) system by DANIDA and other development partners
is being intensified, but it will be better if more of these are provided within dwelling units instead of
being provided as public facilities
Solid waste (litter) and liquid waste disposal
Solid waste in the districts is collected, burnt, dumped or buried. In all the districts, it is only in the
Asuogyaman and the Kwaebibirem Districts where 11.1 per cent and 6.4 per cent of households have
their garbage collected. An average of 56.5 per cent of households in the districts have their solid
waste disposed in the public dump.
The range is from 29.2 per cent of households in the Afram Plains, to 72.5 per cent in the Birim South,
Districts. A significant number of households, that is, an average of 25.2 per cent, dislodge their waste
elsewhere, which boils down to rivers, gutters and others. The heaps of rubbish that are becoming a
feature of the urban landscape are indicative of the inadequacy of the dumps to the task. The attendant
problems are environmental pollution - air and water pollution, and a threat to human and plant life.
A cleaner way of dealing with solid waste disposal is the house-to-house garbage collection. But that
has its own problem of cost of collection as the case of Accra has demonstrated. Waste collection
agencies charge fees that are considered exorbitant, even for urban centres such as Accra, to the
extent that some of garbage collecting agencies recently threatened to go on strike. Besides, the
problem of dumping sites is still another hurdle. It poses a serious challenge to the ingenuity of the
District Assemblies, which may have to resort to the HIPC funds to build incinerators to address the
problem caused by mounting refuse.
Liquid waste is disposed of mainly by being thrown onto the compound, which accounts for an average
of 48.2 per cent of households. It is the most commonly used method in the districts varying from a
high of 78.0 per cent of households in the Afram Plains, 68.8 per cent in Fanteakwa and 58.3 per cent in
Asuogyaman, 42.0 per cent in Kwahu South, to 33.2 per cent of households in the Birim South,
Districts. The next disposal method is throwing the liquid waste into the street outside, practised by
41.8 per cent of households in the Birim South and 39.3 per cent in the Birim North, Districts.
Only 19.0 per cent of households in the Afram Plains and 21.4 per cent of those in the Fanteakwa,
Districts use this method. The next method of liquid waste disposal is throwing it into a gutter, which is
significant mainly in the New Juaben municipality (44.1%), Akwapim South (24.4%), Birim South (23.4%)
and Kwahu South (19.7%), Districts.
Apart from these outlets of liquid waste disposal being inadequate, they pose environmental hazards
such as stench and the breeding of mosquitoes. The preferable outlet is the disposal through the
sewerage system but only 6.9 per cent of households in the New Juaben municipality have access to
the sewerage system, which is negligible in the other districts. Hence, the District Assemblies may
have to resort to the use of the age-old sanitary inspectors to ensure cleanliness in the households and
to avoid health epidemics in the communities.
Policy recommendations
The analysis has shown inadequacies in the conditions of living in all the districts such as educational
facilities, housing community facilities and employment generation. The following recommendations
are therefore made in the hope that they will help improve the conditions of living in the districts.
Education
Close to thirty per cent of students complete their education at the JSS level. The very high drop out
rate is due principally to lack of infrastructural facilities at the SSS level. While the Government is
seriously grappling with providing additional facilities for the schools, the Ghana Education Service
should consider a policy of examination resits for drop outs to enable them also to take advantage of
the additional facilities being created.
The educational system also presents a situation in which a large number of students, aged 14-15
years, write their JSS terminal examinations in April and stay unoccupied till about September, when
the deserving ones proceed to the SSS level.
The period gap is too long and not effectively utilized. It is therefore recommended that the GES should
officially organize school camps and other such activities to engage and to put to good use the
youthful energies during the period of/on vacation. Alternatively, the school year can be so structured
that students take their final JSS and SSS examinations in July so that they do not have to wait idly for
too long before entry to the next stage.
Employment
In the region, agriculture provides employment for about 50.0 per cent of the economically active
people, with the capacity to create even more employment opportunities. It is therefore recommended
that the Government provides the District Assemblies with the necessary support to utilize
technological advancements in the agro-industrial sector, particularly, in the wake of the breakthrough
of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana at Tafo.
Entrepreneurs should be encouraged, supported and resourced to spearhead the mass production of
these and similar products to provide extra employment and economic potentials for agriculture in the
region.
Lighting
The majority of the people in the region use kerosene for lighting: 64.3 per cent compared with the
national 54.9 per cent. However, the price of kerosene is that high at ¢17,500.00 per gallon, which is
close enough to that of petrol, of ¢20,000.00 per gallon. Besides the high price, in most rural areas,
kerosene is not easily accessible and therefore sells at between ¢18,000.00 and ¢20,000.00 per gallon.
District Assemblies in the region therefore have to ensure the block supply of kerosene in their
respective districts, as has been the case in the Birim North District. Government should also find a
means of subsidising the price of kerosene in the rural areas along the policy line of the sale of pre-mix
petrol to fishermen.
Fuel for cooking
The overwhelming majority of households (68.8%) in the districts use firewood for cooking, thus,
adding to the havoc that chainsaw operators and housing estate developers are creating to our forests.
Hence, the need to keep harping on the tree re-planting exercise and stopping the menace of chainsaw
operators in addition to encouraging the planting of woodlot to be used as firewood.
The drive by the Ghana Oil Company to encourage households to use liquefied petroleum gas took off
well and many households still prefer its use to charcoal or fuel wood. However, the response to the
use of L. P. Gas has been slowing down because of the initial cost of procuring cylinders. When motor
vehicle owners resorted to liquefied gas in their vehicles instead of petrol because the price of the
former was low, the response of Government was the increase of the price of gas to the level of petrol.
This affected domestic users of liquefied gas too.
The Government needs to re-consider the lowering of the price of gas to domestic users and imposing
a liquefied gas levy on motorists who should be made to apply to use gas commercially and pay the
levy at the point of licensing. As an immediate measure, steps need to be taken to encourage the large-
scale production of gas cylinders in smaller sizes to facilitate the purchase of gas for cooking in
smaller quantities at a time.
Toilet facilities
The inadequacy of toilet facilities in the districts is a matter of grave concern, which creates
considerable embarrassment, especially when functions such as festivals and funerals bring many
more people into the communities. The District Assemblies and the Government also share in this
embarrassment. The provision of public toilets should therefore take centre stage in the list of priorities
in the communities and part of the HIPC funds be committed for the purpose.
Solid waste
The management of solid waste has been far from satisfactory in all the districts and indeed
throughout the whole of Ghana. The attendant problem is environmental pollution - air and water
population - and a threat to human and plant life. It is necessary that the District Assemblies resort to
the HIPC or similar funding to build incinerators to address what is becoming a menace.

Ghana Eastern Region

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Ghana Eastern Region

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21/03/2022, 16:05 Ghana Eastern Region

Ghana Eastern Region

The region has 17 administrative districts, with Koforidua as the regional

Household composition and structure

Marital status of the population

Education and literacy

Current school attendance

Employment status and sector

Rooms and sleeping rooms for households

Household facilities and amenities

Fuel and space for cooking

Solid waste disposal

Liquid waste disposal

The region has four main geographical features, namely:

Cultural and social structure

Household composition and structure

Institutional sector of employment

Age-sex structure, sex ratios and population pyramid

Population distribution by age and sex

Population density, urbanization and urban-rural composition

Birthplace and migratory pattern

Fertility and child survival

vertical mobility in society.

Current school attendance

Institutional sector of employment

Non-economically active population

Type of activity of the young (7-14 years)

Main material for outer walls

Main roofing materials

Ownership of occupied housing units

Sleeping room occupancy by district

Household facilities and amenities

Source of drinking water

Type of fuel used for cooking

Type of bathing facility

Solid waste disposal

Liquid waste disposal

most widely covered by mobile/cell telephone systems in the country.

Traditional health facility

Traditional medical practitioners (TMPs)

Human Resource Division of the Ministry of Health

Number of schools by district

Housing condition indicators

Policy implications and interventions

Housing and community facilities

Main source of water

Main fuel for lighting

the New Juaben municipality.

Type of fuel used for cooking

Solid waste (litter) and liquid waste disposal

waste disposed in the public dump.

Fuel for cooking

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