{"id":147,"date":"2016-07-29T09:25:08","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T09:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/ercc\/?page_id=147"},"modified":"2024-03-18T14:45:26","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T14:45:26","slug":"kwaebibirem","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/kwaebibirem\/","title":{"rendered":"Kwaebibirem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Location and Size of the District<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kwaebibirem District is located in the South-western corner of the Eastern Region of Ghana, between Latitudes 1 degree 0\u2019W and O degree 35.\u2019E and Longitudes 6 degrees 22\u2019N and 5 degrees 75\u2019S.\u00a0 On the North, it is bounded by the Birim North District, on the East by Atiwa District and East Akim Municipal, on the south by Denkyembour District.<\/p>\n

Brief History of the District<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kwaebibirem district is one of the 26 Districts in the Eastern Region, with Kade as its capital. The district, which has a land area of about 12.30 km\u00b2 (472.4 sq miles), however, Denkyembour was created out of Kwaebibirem under LI 2042 leaving Kwaebibirem as a District under LI 2043 in (2012).<\/p>\n

According to 2010 Population and Housing Census, the current population is 113,721 with 42.7% and 57.3% living in the urban and rural areas respectively. Farming is the predominant economic activity, employing about 47.8% of the economically active population and thus serves as the main source of livelihood.<\/p>\n

The dominant tribe is Akan, though pockets of tribes like Akuapems, Ningos, Northerners Ewes and Krobos have come to settle either as farmers or miners throughout the District.<\/p>\n

Relief and Drainage<\/strong><\/p>\n

The major mountain range, the Atiwa, is found in the North-East of the District around Dwenase and Apinamang.\u00a0 Apart from this area, the general climb in the District is less than 500 meters, in between heights are extensive marshlands.<\/p>\n

The Birim River traverses the District from the North to the South.\u00a0 Besides the Birim, there are other notable rivers such as Kadepon, Pram, Subinsa, Mmo and Apaam.\u00a0 One major feature of these rivers, except the Birim, is that it easily gets flooded during the rainy season which affects large tracts of low-lying lands.<\/p>\n

Temperature<\/strong><\/p>\n

Temperature ranges between a minimum of 26.50<\/sup>C and a maximum of 270<\/sup>C.<\/p>\n

Rainfall<\/strong><\/p>\n

The District lies within the semi-equatorial climate zone with a double maximal rainfall regime.<\/p>\n

The highest annual rainfall of 2024<\/strong>mm was recorded in 2011. The District\u2019s maximum rainfall period coincides with the planting season.\u00a0 For planning and more specifically for<\/p>\n

Agricultural activities, distribution of rainfall rather than its intensity is more relevant.<\/p>\n

Gender Mainstream<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

A little over half of the District\u2019s population are females and logically needs specific attention targeted at prioritised projects and programmes aimed at improving the living conditions of this target group.<\/p>\n

Within this target group, there are aggregate of special groups with different needs.\u00a0 These special groups include-girl child, women in various occupations to the issues of gender with specific reference to women and girl child intends to collaborate with the NCCE, Department of Social Welfare and Department of Community Development.\u00a0 The priority will be focused on providing legal aid and legal education for women, to empower women through access to justice programme as well as promote and protect women\u2019s rights through the provision of legal aid and legal education.\u00a0 The project intends to share trends of women\u2019s rights violations and create quick referrals systems among the actors, including the Police, judiciary and non-governmental organisations. The programme intends to educate women at the markets and the community on their human rights through the organisation of community outreaches and to offer legal services.\u00a0 Other activities include encouraging women to go to court to seek redress and educate them on economic, marital, property rights and child maintenance.\u00a0 Gender issues with particular emphasis on women is given priority through the activities of Business Advisory Centre under the supervision of National Board for Small Scale Industries trains women in entrepreneurial skills to upgrade their knowledge and competence in production, packaging and marketing.<\/p>\n

The rationale of the project is to empower the targeted groups (women) who are regularly denied their property rights and child support for their children.\u00a0 The girl child is to be targeted and supported through STME while education will be given to the traditional authorities to moderate the treatment of widows. Strategies include prioritizing NBSSIs activities targeting training of women and interested men in entrepreneurial skills. Priority will be given to the education of parents on the importance of girl child education, PTA, SMC, DEOC and STME for girls. In addition, cultural education, formation of virgin clubs will be encouraged.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Economic Dependency<\/strong><\/p>\n

The role of resources, especially human resources, in generating growth and development cannot be over-looked in any development scheme.\u00a0 It is for this reason that this section seeks to assess the nature and level of dependency as it relates to the economic development of the district.\u00a0 Primary information gathered from socio-economic surveys gave an economic dependency ratio of 1:1.14, which shows that an employed person takes care of a person who is unemployed in addition to him or herself.\u00a0 The situation is not bad but should not be allowed to again further currency in the light of low per capita incomes and high per capita consumption expenditures.<\/p>\n

Rural-Urban Split<\/strong><\/p>\n

Information from the 2010 PHC indicated 42.7% of the\u00a0 district\u2019s population resides in Urban locality while 57.3% are in the Rural locality.\u00a0 At current growth rate 1.9 it is expected that settlements like, Abaam,\u00a0 Takyiman ,Nkwantanang, an Otudmi will assume urban status in the near future.\u00a0 This is a welcomed development as it provides an opportunity for concentrating investments at this centers and making them growth poles with the expected trickle-down\u00a0 or multiplier effects to neighboring settlements.<\/p>\n

Employment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The predominant occupation in the district is in Agriculture, which engaged 47.8% of the economically active labour force. The next after agriculture is\u00a0 Trade\/Commerce in the form of Wholesale and retail; repair of motorcycles\u00a0 accounting for 15%.\u00a0 Manufacturing employed 12.5 % and Accommodation and food service activities5.5% respectively.<\/p>\n

The presence of abundant potentials in mining and agricultural sectors of the district economy is the recipe for the influx of people from other parts of Ghana.\u00a0 Table 1.11below shows the tribal distribution in the district.<\/p>\n

The people are predominantly of the Akyem tradition and this reflects in their culture. The area falls under the Akyem Abuakwa jurisdiction with the Okyehene as its traditional head. In terms of division, the area is under the Oseawuo, with the Oseawuohene as the divisional head. The next in command to the Oseawuo are the Osabarimas who are four in the district. Following the Osabarimas are the Barimas who are chiefs of the various towns and villages in the area. The last in rank are the Adikoros in charge of smaller settlements who have been nominated to take charge of other settlements. They may not be necessary of Akyem extraction.<\/p>\n

The major festivals of the Akyem Abuakwa people are Ohum kan and Ohum kyire which are celebrated between June\/July and September respectively every year. However the people of Kade have of late created their own festival.The people of Kade celebrate the Ekaade festival which is celebrated during the last quarter of the year. These week long festivals climaxed with a grand durbar of the chiefs and people where funds are raised to support development projects in the towns. Aside the development oriented nature of these festivals, the period is used to remember the dead and purify the various black stools.<\/p>\n

Chieftaincy disputes in the district is not a major problem, however there are two towns namely Nkwantanang and Pramkese which have serious chieftaincy problems. The problems have existed for years and this has affected development and communal spirit in these two towns.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n

People who come from the District constituted 96.4% of the entire population, other Ghanaians by dual nationality and naturalization were 2.1%, the rest of the population thus 1.5% are non Ghanaians such as ECOWAS, Africans other than ECOWAS and people from outside Africa. Considering the place of birth, 68.8% of the people counted were born at the same locality of enumeration, 17.8% born at different locality and 13.5% of the people were born outside the District.<\/p>\n

ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scenic Areas<\/strong><\/p>\n

In planning the spatial development of\u00a0 the Kwaebibirem District, attention was\u00a0 given to the forest cover and the mineral resources of the land.\u00a0 As these resources form the basis for economic development, due consideration\u00a0 exercised so that the natural endowment of the district was\u00a0 not over exploited at the expense of cultural and environmental conservation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Farming<\/strong><\/p>\n

The people of Kwaebibirem District are peasant farmers, who depend on rain-fed irregation, labour intensive and relatively cheap subsistence agriculture.\u00a0 This trend is likely to continue for a long time.\u00a0 In this wise over exploitation of the forest cover can change this medium of sustenance, hence creating more problems for the district as well as for the nation.\u00a0 It is therefore important that the resources of the district are exploited sustainably with emphasis on good\u00a0 environmental practices.<\/p>\n

Soil Erosion<\/strong><\/p>\n

In some of the settlements notably Kade, Abaam ,Asuom, Kwea and Adankrono erosion has eaten deep into buildings and for that matter\u00a0 their foundations are exposed.\u00a0 It was therefore important to ensure that physical development activities are established within a safe distance (200-1000 feet) from\u00a0 a\u00a0 foot-hill of a high area\u00a0 so as to prevent land slides and accelerated soil erosion. Also in the built environment, tree planting was recormended to people as part of development with the aim of reducing the incidence of soil erosion.<\/p>\n

Rivers and Streams<\/strong><\/p>\n

The district is drained by the Birim, which flows from the north to the south.\u00a0 In addition to the Birim River, other notable rivers such as Kadepon, Pram, Subinsa and Abaam exist.\u00a0 Apart from the Birim River, all the other rivers are bounded by large tracks of low lying lands that are liable to flooding in the rainy season.<\/p>\n

As land around was cleared for farming activities, the smaller rivers experienced excessive evaporation for most parts of the year.\u00a0 This led to water shortage especially in the dry seasons.<\/p>\n

This situation was adequately addressed by embarking on reforestation along the bank of rivers as well as checking the rate of pollution of the river.\u00a0 Drainage systems for streams within built- up areas was properly managed to avoid flooding during rainy seasons.<\/p>\n

Deforestation and Small-Scale Mining<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deforestation within the district has been caused by the prevalence of bush burning, illegal chain saw operations and over exploitation of forest resource by timber firms.\u00a0 Trees, most especially the economic ones, have been destroyed which has subsequently affected the micro-climatic conditions in the area. This situation was most felt in the urban areas.\u00a0 For the forests to continue to play their role in the economic and environmental conditions of the district, the emphasis in the management of the environment should lean towards that of protective forests.\u00a0 And for that matter, Forestry Commission has been well equipped to check illegal timber felling, and also to arrest unlicensed chain saw operators. Chain saw operators were encouraged to form co-operative societies to serve as watch dogs to curb the activities of illegal operators and also planting of trees.<\/p>\n

Activities of illegal mining in Kwaebibirem District are concentrated in Abodom, Abaam, Okyenso Krobo respectively.\u00a0 This activity was causing serious environmental hazards to the district, as pits are created and scattered about the area and vegetation destroyed. Galamsey operators are been arrested and prosecuted and sometimes compelled to reclaim the destroyed lands. This exercise was usually spear-headed by DISEC, led by the District Chief Executive. By this, adequate land had been reclaimed or reserved for agriculture and other purposes reducing the pollution of natural water bodies.<\/p>\n

Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Results from the 2010 PHC indicated that, out of the various sources of cooking fuel, the three most significant sources were woodfuel constituting 57%, charcoal 26.4% and Gas 8%.This implied that a larger percentage of the population depended heavily on the forest (woodfuel and charcoal) for their source of cooking fuel.This situation was alarming, considering the fact that the forests is\u00a0 increasingly been exploited\u00a0 as against agriculture and other forest use.\u00a0 This was creating environmental problems.\u00a0 It was then\u00a0 very necessary to prevent this trend and as a result, the District Assembly in collaboration with other stakeholders such as the Forestry Commission, the Agricultural Department etc. initiated the following measures, thus,\u00a0\u00a0 encouraged\u00a0 residents to use liquified petroleum\u00a0 gas (LPG), as well as the introduction of a near-substitute in the form of improved stoves i.e. cube\/compressed saw-dust, which are noted for conserving energy.<\/p>\n

They also undertook educational outreach on the effects of deforestation. Individuals and organized bodies in the\u00a0\u00a0 local communities were encouraged to embark on wood lot cultivation for their domestic fuel consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Location and Size of the District The Kwaebibirem District is located in the South-western corner of the Eastern Region of Ghana, between Latitudes 1 degree 0\u2019W and O degree 35.\u2019E and Longitudes 6 degrees 22\u2019N and 5 degrees 75\u2019S.\u00a0 On the North, it is bounded by the Birim North District, on the East by Atiwa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/147"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582,"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/147\/revisions\/2582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}