Shama District Assembly
The Shama District Assembly with Shama as its capital was established in 2007 by Legislative Instrument (LI 1882) was one of the twenty-two (22) Administrative Authorities in the Western Region.
The District was carved out of the then Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly and was officially inaugurated in March, 2008. The Assembly has a membership of 27 made up of seventeen (17) elected Members, eight (8) appointees, the District Chief Executive and a Member of Parliament. In line with the 1992 Constitution and Act 462 of 1993 the Assembly has the following Sub-District Structures;
§ Shama Area Council,
§ Aboadze-Abuesi Area Council,
§ Inchaban Area Council,
§ Shama Junction Area Council,
§ Beposo- Supom Dunkwa Area Council; and
§ Assorko-Essaman Area Council
§ Unit Committee (There are eighty-five )
Location and Size
The District population according the 2010 Population census was 81, 966. Using the Growth Rate of 2.2% Per Annum, the Population currently stands at about 90, 981
v Females are about 48, 020 representing about 52.78% of the population
v Males population is about 42, 961 representing 47.22% of the population.
v Population growth rate is about 2.2%. (Source: Ghana Statistical Service).
v About 72.3% of the population falls within the economically active group (i.e. 15-64)
A district with people of culture within a serene environment with the best social amenities and economic opportunities
The Shama District Assembly exists to facilitate the improvement of the quality of life of the people in the district through the provision of basic social services and the promotion of socio-economic development within the context of good governance.
District Assembly Economy
The local economy of the Assembly is made up of agriculture, industry and commerce/service. The Agriculture sector forms the backbone of the district and employs majority of the labour force whiles industrial and service sectors supports the Agriculture sector in terms of employment. The District economy can be divided into sectors such as
Road Network and Transport Service
v The District has an extensive network of arterial roads, which consist of connectors and access roads. The total length of roads in the District is about 145Km with about 18.1Km2 tarred.
v Transport services are provided by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union in collaboration with other organized transport unions while water transport is also provided by some Canoe owners from Shama to Anlo Beach and its surroundings.
Industry
Industries employ 3.5% whilst services and commerce engaged about 25.2% of the active labour force.
Stone quarrying and sand-winning activities are also being carried out on commercial basis employing about 1.5% of the active labour force
Agriculture
The Agriculture sector is growing at a slow pace. Activities identified in the Agriculture sector include
a. Fishing, livestock and crop and staple food production.
b. About Forty-Two percent (42%) of the active labour force in the district are engaged in the agriculture sector, that is, fishing and farming.
Education
The District has 5 Educational Circuits managing 49 pre-schools, 38 Primary, 33 Junior High School, a Senior High School and a Special School (School of the Deaf) The District currently has 5 schools benefiting from the school feeding programme. The performance of students presented for BECE was as follows;
Year %Performance
2011 37.03
2012 52.80
2013 72.28
2014 58.87
Tourism
The District has various tourism sites such as the Fort Sebastian, the White Cross, the Pra Estuary all of which needs to be developed for revenue generation and employment creation
There are various mineral deposit that requires capital investment for the creation of employment within and around the District
This table shows the type of minerals and their locations in the District;
Minerals and their locations in the Shama District.
S/N | Type of Mineral | Location in the District |
1 | Gold | Along River Pra and its Valley |
2 | Salt | Anlo Beach, Krobo and Bosomdo |
3 | Clay | Inchaban, Aboadze, Komfueku and Ituma |
4 | Kaoline | Apimenim, Ohiamadwen and Anto |
5 | Quarry Stones | Aboso, Supomu-Dunkwa, Anto, Apimenyim, etc. |
Source: Shama 2014 – 2017 MTDP
Electricity coverage in the District is about 85.5%. However the incessant power outages and fluctuations of voltage is a major challenge to the Assembly Administration and other business activities in the District
v There is one main financial institution in the District; Lower Pra Rural Bank with branches at Aboadze and Abuesi and its head office in Shama.
v There are four non-financial institutions comprising of Shama Cooperative Credit Union and four (4) Micro-finance institutions.
Coverage Of Portable Water Supply From Constructed Boreholes And Ghana Water Company Is About 73%. 28 Boreholes Have Been Constructed Since 2010 To Date While The International Development Agency Under SRWSP Is Also Undertaken Various Water And Sanitation Projects Yet To Be Completed. Upon Completion This Year, It Is Estimated That Water Coverage In The District Would Be About 89%
Health
There are Seventeen (17) health facilities comprising of two (2) hospitals, Three (3) Health Centers and Twelve (12) CHPs Compounds in the District.
NHIA
v The number of people insured under the NHIS is about 76, 061 representing about 83.60% of the total population.
v 7,264 members were registered as at June, 2015 while 21, 155 have cards were renewed
v Payments made from January to December, 2014 was GH¢4, 056, 880.82
v Payment to facilities as June, 2015 was GH¢975, 061.98