MUNICIPAL PROFILE
- A) Location and Size
Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality is located approximately 23km from Accra, the national capital.
It is situated in the South Eastern part of the Eastern Region between latitude 5.45’N and 5.58’N and longitude 0.07’W and 0.27’W and covers a land area of about 175 square kilometer.
In terms of spatial interaction, it is bordered to the South by the Ga West and Ga East Municipalities in the Greater Accra Region and to the North by Akuapem South District. It is also shares boundaries in the North-West with Ayensuano District and in the South West with the Upper West Akim District.
The proximity of the Municipality to Accra and Tema is a potential for development. For instance, the Accra–Tema conurbation provides the single largest market in the country and provides ready market for farm produce and industrial products from the Municipality. Thus, the Municipality, for instance, can focus on market gardening in agricultural development.
The Municipal capital, Nsawam is a gap town along the main highway linking the coastal lands to the Northern part of the country that is the Accra–Kumasi Road.
This provides opportunities for commercial activities in the town, particularly the marketing of bread and pastries.
- B) Demographic Characteristics
The Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality is estimated to have a population of about 86,000 (2010 Population and Housing Census Report). The population density of the Municipality is 465 persons per sq km. Population growth is estimated at 1.6% per annum which is lower than that of the country at 2.7% but slightly higher than the regional population growth rate of 1.4% per annum.
- C) Population Size and Distribution
The population composition by age and sex influences fertility, mortality, migration and other demographic processes that underline population growth and ultimately socio-economic development.
This section discusses the population in the Municipality by age, sex and locality. It also provides data on sex ratios, fertility and mortality levels.
Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality has a population of 86,000, comprising 42,733 (49.7%) males and 43,267 (50.3%) females. Urban population constitutes 50,864 (59.1%) whilst rural is 35,136 (40.9%). The Municipality is densely populated with a density of 465 persons per square kilometers.
- D) Ethnicity and Religion
The Municipality is predominated by Akuapems who constitute about 63% of the population. Ewes constitute about 9%, Ga-Adamgbes make up 7%, and other Akans other than Akuapems constitute 17%. The remaining 4% are from other tribes, including Northern and other tribes. The dominance of the Akans has created a social cohesiveness, which is ideal for community development.
Sanitation facilities in the municipality though inadequate are crude dumping of liquid waste, refuse dumping, septic tank latrines, KVIPS, W/Cs and few pan latrines.
There is no final waste disposal site for liquid waste in the municipality. Liquid waste is therefore, transported in cesspool emptier to a lagoon in Accra. The Assembly has one cesspool emptier which conveys the wastes from the 12 withholding tanks. The Assembly currently has been using a site at Adipa in the municipality as a final waste disposal site for solid waste. There are two refuse trucks, one cesspool emptier, and a refuse tractor. There are 47 community public toilets in the municipality. This is made up of one (1) water closet, Twenty-one (21)-aqua privy, Four (4) VBT, Eleven (11) KVIP and Two (2) Pit latrines.
Sanitation issues, which are of critical concern in the municipality, include:
- Lack of solid and liquid waste disposal Sites
- Inadequate public places of convenience
- Domestic refuse disposal site.
- Lack of modern slaughter houses – Adoagyiri, Nsawam
- Non pounding of animals
- Inadequate manpower at the Environmental Health Section
In the area of household toilets and public latrines, the proportion is 41 percent and 59 percent respectively, therefore there is urgent need to encourage house owners to construct household latrines, as pubic ones are difficult to maintain.
On refuse disposal, 95 percent of the population relies on crude dumping to dispose of their household refuse. The practice has resulted in huge mountains of refuse dumps in the communities, some as close as 10 meters to the nearest dwelling houses.
There is only one slaughterhouse in the Municipality located at Djankrom – Nsawam which is in a deplorable state. This is however located in the middle of the community which proves to be a nuisance to the inhabitants. The need to relocate the slaughter-house to a more convenient place has necessitated the allocation of piece of land at Wangara in Nsawam; where a new modernized slaughter-house is under construction.
In addition to the public toilets, the municipality has through DANIDA constructed 31 institutional latrines and 362 household latrines under the community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA).
This is the staring picture confronting the municipality as far as sanitation is concerned.
As part of efforts by the Assembly’s aim at finding lasting solution to the disposal of liquid waste in the Municipality, the Assembly in collaboration with MDF, Training and Consulting BV in The Netherlands with office in Accra has secured a Four Million Seven Hundred Thousand Euros (GH₵4,700,000.00) grant from The Netherlands Government for the construction of a Liquid Waste Treatment Plant at the Nsawam Prisons under The Special Treat Project.
- II) Water
The major sources of potable water in the Municipality include pipe borne water, borehole and hand-dug wells. Supply of pipe-borne water in the municipality is woefully inadequate- only about 40 percent of the required volume is supplied.
The result is that only areas like Nsawam, Adoagyiri, Sakyikrom, Djankrom, Ntoaso, Amoakrom, Owuraku, Prisons, Dobro and Atsikope benefit from the supply of pipe-borne water.
The reason for the shortfall in pipe borne supply is due to old weak and broken transportation lines, which were installed in the 1950s. Only few lines have been replaced recently during the rehabilitation exercise.
About 30 percent of the municipality’s population enjoys pipe-borne water. 47.9 percent of the municipality’s population, covering mainly small towns and rural areas, has been provided with boreholes and hand dug wells. 45 percent communities have been covered with boreholes while 62 percent are covered with hand-dug wells. 45 communities have been provided with hand-dug wells.
Lastly, there are two (2) communities, Fotobi and Akwakupom who are currently enjoying paddle flow of water system. Water supply in the municipality is handled by agencies such as Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) which is being funded by DANIDA and the Ghana Water Company.
- F) Human Settlement Pattern
Nsawam being the Municipal Capital has the largest population of 32,531. It is the only first order of settlement with facilities like a hospital, banks, pipe borne water, electricity, and post and telecommunication services.
The population of the twenty major settlements in the Municipality and the major facilities available are as indicated below.
| No. | Settlement | Population | Facilities Available |
| 1 | Nsawam | 32,531 | Post office, telephone, hospital, clinic, banks, primary school, JHS, SHS, police station, court, government offices, market, lorry park |
| 2 | Adoagyiri | 14,660 | Primary school, JHS, SHS, Post office, Telephone, Hospital, Clinic, Banks |
| 3 | Ankwa Dobro | 3,728 | JHS, Primary School, |
| 5 | Sakyikrom | 2,105 | JHS, Primary, Clinic, SHS |
| 6 | Fotobi | 2,008 | JHS, Primary School, FM station. |
| 7 | Ahwerease | 1,794 | JHS and Primary school |
| 8 | Ntoaso | 1,696 | JHS and Primary school |
| 9 | Ahodwo | 1,466 | JHS and primary school |
| 10 | Oparekrom | 1,391 | JHS and primary school |
| 11 | Nsumia | 1,318 | JHS and Primary school |
| 12 | Owuraku | 843 | JHS and Primary school |
| 13 | Otukwadwo | 804 | JHS and Primary school |
| 14 | Yaw Adipa | 587 | JHS and Primary school |
| 15 | Ankwani Dobro | 582 | JHS and Primary school |
| 16 | Asikabew | 566 | JHS and Primary school |
| 17 | Panpaso | 565 | JHS and Primary school |
| 18 | Wangara | 541 | JHS and Primary school |
| 19 | Signboard | 528 | JHS and Primary school |
| 20 | Nkyenenkyene | 515 | JHS and Primary school |
Nsawam with population of about 32,531 could be classified as a first order settlement and Adoagyiri with a population of about 14,660 as a second order settlement. The settlements that have enough services to cater for the many third order settlements include Sakyikrom, Fotobi, Ankwa Dobro, etc. and over a hundred and thirty settlements scattered all over the Municipality.
It must however be noted that the sphere of influence of these first and second order settlements excludes settlements as Ahodwo, Ahwerease, Nsumia, Oparekrom, Dago, Obregyima, who have to rely on other service centers outside the Municipality. This situation calls for the provision of some best services for education, health and telecommunication to make the place attractive especially to the youth.
Characteristically, the human settlement pattern to a great extent is influenced by the road network, with settlements dotted along the main arterials to Nsawam and also along the rail lines connecting Accra to Cocoa and Gold producing hinterlands.
- H) Security
In the area of security, the Municipality has two main police stations located at Nsawam and Obodan. These stations operate through the following units:
- District Administration (the focal point of command)
- Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD)
- District CID
- Station CID
- Dovvsu
- Arms & Ammunition Unit
- Courts Unit
- Community Policing Unit
- Visibility Unit
- I) Prison Service
The prison service is mandated to ensure the staff custody and welfare of prisoners, provide adequate feeding and medical care. It also undertakes reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners for their successful reintegration into society.
- J) Ghana National Fire Service
To ensure that fire disaster is minimized in the Municipality, National Fire Service operates a station at Nsawam manned by 69 personnel. The service currently operates from an old wooden structure, which serves as its office accommodation.
There is no residential accommodation for the personnel and there are only five (5) fire hydrants which are not adequate to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
- K) Agriculture
Agriculture is the major economic activity in terms of employment and income generation in the Municipality. Data gathered from the field indicate that majority of the working population (about 37%) are engaged in agriculture. About 40% of this population is female with men forming about 60%.
The major crops produced in the Municipality include maize, cassava, plantain, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, citrus, cola pineapple pawpaw and cashew etc.
- L) Education
Knowledge acquired, through education provides the individual the power to take control of one’s environment, optimizing the use of its resources for one’s benefit. Thus education can be said to be the key to unlock the potentials of an area’s human resource to enable them make optimum use of all other resources for its development. Knowledge through education creates opportunities that enhance understanding of events and situations, and facilitates the infusion of innovations in technology into the production system.
The overall effect of all these is to improve productivity and aggregate production in all sectors of the local economy in particular and the entire macro-economy in general.
It is in recognition of this fact that, the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly places so much emphasis on education as one of the key issues in its human resource development.
The provision of adequate educational facilities throughout the Municipality has being a nagging problem to the Assembly. Thus the Assembly has directly established, and indirectly, facilitated the establishment of several educational institutions in the Municipality so as to provide quality education to the people therein.
| Type of School | Public | Private | Total. |
| Kindergarten | 44 | 45 | 89 |
| Primary school | 52 | 45 | 97 |
| J. H. S. | 37 | 23 | 60 |
| S. H. S. | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| TVET | 0 | 3 | 3 |
- ENROLMENT BETWEEN 2010/2011 TO 2014/15 (PUBLIC & PRIVATE)
| Year | Primary | JHS | SHS | ||||||
| Girls | Boys | Total | Girls | Boys | Total | Girls | Boys | Total | |
| 2010/11 | 12,505 | 12,817 | 25,322 | 3,418 | 3,913 | 7,331 | |||
| 2011/12 | 12,817 | 12,505 | 25,322 | 3,418 | 3,913 | 7,331 | 1,017 | 1,212 | 2,229 |
| 2012/13 | 8,553 | 8,081 | 16,634 | 2,839 | 2,799 | 5,638 | 1,289 | 1,373 | 2,662 |
| 2013/14 | 7,672 | 7,830 | 13,502 | 2,602 | 2,595 | 5,197 | 1,579 | 1,372 | 2,951 |
| 2014/15 | 7,187 | 7,405 | 14,592 | 2,639 | 2,486 | 5,725 | 1,572 | 1,715 | 3,287 |
- M) Health
The Municipality has one very good hospital i.e. Nsawam Government Hospital, which has been designated as the Municipal hospital. To support the hospital, there have been established five Health Centres/Clinics and two Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compounds at Obotweri and Kofisah. There are also at least two Private Maternity Homes and a number of Private Clinics throughout the Municipality.
As a result of the extreme pressure on the Nsawam Government hospital which catchment area goes beyond the Nsawam Adoagyiri, the Assembly in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service has established a Health Centre in Nsawam as the first point of call for patients. The structures are ready and the facility is operational.