Assembly Profile

1.1 Background

The Kadjebi District was created as an Assembly by Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 1465 in 1989. It was carved out of the Jasikan-Buem Local Council. The District is located in the lower belt of the Volta Region of Ghana and forms part of the six (6) northern districts of the Region with a total land area of 689.91 square kilometers. The 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC), puts the total population of the District at 59,303, made up of 50.5 percent of males and 49.5 percent of females.

1.2 Physical features

The physical features of the District are made up of the natural environment (climate, vegetation, relief and drainage), location and size. Together with the social and cultural environment they determine the conditions under which the people live, develop and grow and ultimately derive their quality of life. The physical and natural environment is therefore an essential element or factor contributing to socio-economic development of the district.

1.2.1 Location and area

The District is bordered to the north by the Nkwanta South District, to the south by the Jasikan District, to the south west by the Biakoye District and to the North West by the Krachi East District. It also has a long border that stretches eastwards to the Republic of Togo. 

1.2.2 Climate

The climate in the District is characterized by an average monthly temperature of about 25oC. Rainfall is between 1400mm and 1800mm and is generally heavy and starts from March and ends between October and November each year. The peak of rainfall occurs in June. These conditions are conducive for agricultural production.

1.2.3 Vegetation

The Kadjebi District is generally green with trees covering beautiful landscape of mountains, hills and valleys; this is particularly true in the rainy season. About 90 percent of the District is predominantly covered with secondary rain forest. The forests have economic trees such as wawa, mahogany, odum, red wood, raffia palm and bamboo grooves to support the wood processing industry. Animal and bird species such as antelopes, monkeys, grass cutters, weaverbirds and parrots abound in the forest. The forest reserve with its animal and bird species is a potential for eco-tourism development in the District.

1.2.4 Relief and drainage

The District has an average height of about 180 metres above sea level rising to about 600 metres towards the Ghana-Togo border. The District is blessed with beautiful landscape of hills, mountains and valleys. The landform is however not a hindrance to road construction in the District. Three major rivers run through the entire District which are the Asukawkaw, Wawa and Menu rivers that take their source from the Akwapim-Togo hills and drain into the Volta Lake. River Asukawkaw is the largest of the three and flows for about 25 km into the lake. These rivers offer possible basis for the introduction of small-scale irrigation activities in the agricultural sector.

1.3 Political and Administrative Structure

The governance structure in the District is of two folds; that is administrative and political. The District Chief Executive is the political head of the District whilst the District Coordinating Director is the head of the administrative wing of the Assembly. Thus the District Co-ordinating Director co-ordinates the activities and programmes of all decentralized departments. Under the local governance system, Town/Area Councils as well as the Unit Committees form the base structure of participatory approach to development. The District has six Town and Area Councils. These are: Kadjebi Town Council, Asato Area Council, Ahamansu Area Council, Dodo Area Council, Dodi Area Council, and Dapaa/Pampawie/Ampeyo Area Council. The District has one constituency and thirty-five electoral areas. The local legislative and deliberative Assembly is made up of thirty-five elected members and fifteen government appointees in addition to the Member of Parliament (MP) and the District Chief Executive (DCE) who are ex-officio members.

1.4 Social and Cultural Structure

The everyday life of the people in the District follows some widely accepted basic norms, beliefs, traditions and conventions and these unite them.

1.4.1 Languages and ethnicity

The Akan language is the predominant language spoken in all the major communities and Ewe is the second most widely spoken language in the District. Other spoken languages include Hausa, Kotokoli and Chamba. English is the official spoken and written language. The Kadjebi District is ethnically diverse. It is predominantly a settler community. Only 19.4 percent of the population is made up of indigenous Akans. About 47.5 percent of the population is made up of Ewes and the remaining 33.1 percent is shared amongst the Guans, Kotokolis, Ga-Dangmes, Mole Dagbanis and so on.

1.4.2 Chieftaincy

There are eight paramount chiefs with a number of community chiefs and sub-chiefs and clan heads. These traditional leaders are the custodians of the rich cultural heritage of the people. They also hold in trust land and other valuable properties on behalf of the people.

1.4.3 Festivals

There are two major festivals celebrated by the Akans in the District. The Kwasidakese or Kuntukunu festival is celebrated by the people of the eight Traditional areas. It takes place on Sunday, the last forty-two days to the end of the year. The Dawurokese festival is celebrated by the people of Kadjebi once every three years. The Fontonfrom, Adowa, Kete and Ositi drums are played at such celebrations. These festivals bring together chiefs and people of the traditional areas to assess past performances and to also raise funds for the support of development programmes and projects for the areas.

1.4.4 Telecommunication

MTN, Tigo, Vodafone and Expresso telecommunication services are available in the District even though the network coverage is not encouraging. The presence of these networks, offers people the opportunity to reach out to others within and outside the District.

1.4.5 Tourism

The Kadjebi District has a number of sites of historical, cultural, scenic and ecological importance for the promotion of tourism. These include: – ? The Fetish Shrine at Totto Hill (Dodo Traditional Area) ? Stone Pillar found at Nyonku No. 1, 3 km North-East of Dodi-Papase ? Stone cave which is found at Bakpa, 6.5 km West of Papase ? Obuletey cave which is located in the Asato Menu ? Range Hills and 7 km North-East of Asato ? Embroided Inscription on a rock found at Butabe ? Crocodile Pond found at Koru Carvings, basket making as well as kente weaving are undertaken in some localities in the District. Dress making and tailoring, hairdressing, shoe-making are the popular vocations undertaken in most parts of the District. These activities also serve as tourist attractions.

1.5 Economy

1.5.1 Structure of the local economy

Agricultural production is the predominant sector of the District in terms of employment opportunities and incomes. The residents of the District, who are predominantly rural, provide the maximum contribution to the District’s share of food security. Cocoa production was dominant long ago but has declined and has given way to food crop production as the dominant agricultural activity in the District. Productivity levels in the cocoa industry have also fallen. Presently, three cocoa nurseries established at Ampeyo, Dzindziso and Ahamansu are raising seedlings for farmers all over the District to reactivate their abandoned cocoa farms. Also, there is an oil palm nursery established at Ahamansu under the Presidential Special Initiative Scheme to produce oil palm seedlings for interested farmers. The first phase of the programme began in June, 2006. The District can boast of some industries including a Palmnut Processing Plant at Ahamansu junction, Production of Plywood at Titiaka and Solar Lamp Industries in Kadjebi. Agro processing is the most predominant and most important industry in the District. Agro-based industries include cassava processing into gari, agbelimor and chips, soap making, local gin distilleries (akpeteshie), oil palm extraction, pepper processing and palm wine tapping. Forest and wood processing include saw milling, carpentry and joinery and charcoal burning. The District is endowed with forest products which feed the six saw mills located at Ahamansu, Titiaka, Dodo-Amanfrom, Dapaa, Kadjebi and Menuso. Currently, wood processing supports local housing and furniture industries in the District. There are also metal works such as steel bending, and black-smiting in places like Kadjebi where there is electricity. Local farm implements like hoes, axes and cutlasses are fabricated in the District. The installation of a three-phase electricity system in Kadjebi is expected to improve industrial production in the District.