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The Western Region covers an area of approximately 21,391 square kilometres, which is about 10 per cent of Ghana’s total land area. The region has about 75 per cent of its vegetation within the high forest zone of Ghana, and lies in the equatorial climatic zone that is characterized by moderate temperatures. It is also the wettest part of Ghana with an average rainfall of 1,600mm per annum. It is bordered on the east by the Central Region, to the west by the Ivory Coast (Cote D’Ivoire), to the north by Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Regions, and to the south by the Gulf of Guinea. The southernmost part of Ghana lies in the region, at Cape Three Points near Busua, in the Ahanta West District.
Background Information on the Region
The Analysis of District data has become necessary due to the ever-increasing demand for data at the district level for local government administration and planning. It is also of relevance because most interventions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international partners are at the local level and such a report would provide an in-depth knowledge of disaggregated data for each district in the Western Region for informed decision-making.
Physical features
The Western Region covers an area of 23,921 square kilometres, which is about 10 per cent of Ghana’s total land surface. It is located in the south-western part of Ghana, bordered by Ivory Coast on the west, Central Region on the east, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Regions on the north and on the south by 192 km of coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. The southernmost part of Ghana, Cape Three Points, near Busua, is in the Ahanta West District of the region.
The region has about 75 per cent of its vegetation within the high forest zone of Ghana. The south-western areas of the region are noted for their rain forest, interspersed with patches of mangrove forest along the coast and coastal wetlands, while a large expanse of high tropical forest and semi-deciduous forest is also found in the northern part of the region. The Western Region has 24 forest reserves, which account for about 40 per cent of the forest reserves in the country. Prominent among them are the Bia Reserve, Cape Three Points National Park, and the Ankasa/Nini Suhyien Forest and Game Reserve.
The Western Region lies in the equatorial climatic zone that is characterised by moderate temperatures, ranging from 22°C at nightfall to 34°C during the day. The Region is the wettest part of Ghana, with a double maxima rainfall pattern averaging 1,600 mm per annum. The two rainfall peaks fall between May-July and September/October. In addition to the two major rainy seasons, the region also experiences intermittent minor rains all the year round. This high rainfall regime creates much moisture culminating in high relative humidity, ranging from 70 to 90 per cent in most parts of the region.
Political and Administrative Structure
The Western Region was one vast province covering the present Western and Central Regions, and known as the Western Province, with its capital in Cape Coast, until the country achieved republican status in 1960. The Region, as presently constituted, became a separate administration in July 1960, with Sekondi as its capital, when the Central Region was carved out of the erstwhile province. Present day urbanised settings have made Sekondi and Takoradi one big metropolis.
The Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), which is the highest decision-making body, comprises the Regional Minister who is also its Chairperson, District Chief Executives, Presiding Members of the various District Assemblies and two Paramount Chiefs nominated by the Regional House of Chiefs. There is also a Regional Coordinating Director, who is the Secretary to the RCC and the head of the civil administration of the region. The Region is divided into 11 districts.
Each of the districts has a District Assembly headed by the District Chief Executive. The District Chief Executive is appointed by the President, but has to be endorsed by a two-thirds majority of members of the Assembly. Meetings of the Assembly are chaired by a Presiding Member elected by members of the Assembly. Majority of members of the District Assembly are elected by secret ballot on a non-partisan basis. In addition to the elected members, there are also members nominated to represent various specified stakeholders, in accordance with the constitution.
The Region has 19 Parliamentarians representing the people at the constituency level at the National Assembly. The Members of Parliament are also members of the various district assemblies in the districts in which their parliamentary constituencies are located. At the community level, there are two urban councils, thirty town councils and several unit committees under the jurisdiction of the district assemblies. These local authorities complement the functions of the district assemblies.
Economic Infrastructure
Notwithstanding the great economic potential of the region, the development of the region, which would increase economic activity and bring progress, is lagging behind the two other industrial regions of Greater Accra and Ashanti. The region’s road network is one of the worst in the country, and the road system to the rich mining and cocoa growing areas is in a terrible state7. Very often, during the rainy season, cocoa and food crops are locked up in the interior of the region because of inaccessible roads. Rail transport used to play a very important role in the region’s development by facilitating transportation of goods and people, export of bauxite, manganese, timber and timber products and cocoa through the port at Takoradi. It also kept the mining industries running, and made commerce and trade functional. But this is now in a very bad state.
The line from Takoradi to Kumasi and Awaso, known as the Western Line, is however still the only long-distance section of Ghana’s railway system which still functions, though rather inefficiently. The deep-water port at Takoradi handles about 75 per cent of Ghana’s export trade of timber, cocoa, manganese and bauxite. The present state of the harbour necessitates major rehabilitation and expansion to enable it handle the increase in exportable commodities from the region, and also take the pressure off the Tema Port for some imports. Its waterways need to be deepened to be able to handle larger container ships, to support the level of industrialisation needed to accelerate the economic development of the region and the country. This, when linked with the Export Free Zone (EPZ) enclave and the Aboadze Thermal Station would increase industrial activity and create more employment opportunities.
The economic activities of the region also developed around these important resources, namely cocoa, timber and minerals. The region is now the country’s largest producer of cocoa, and has the highest concentration of individual gold mines in the country. Only Ashanti Goldfields in Obuasi surpasses the mines in the region in both size of operations and quantity of gold production. The region also has the country’s only active bauxite and manganese mines. The manufacturing of cocoa products at a factory in Takoradi, timber processing in Sekondi-Takoradi, the Sefwi and Bibiani areas and the Amenfi and Aowin areas around Samreboi and Enchi and gold and manganese mining in the Wassa areas, have attracted migrants in search of jobs to the region, including the commercial sea port of Takoradi.
The only rubber-processing factory in the country is also located at Agona Junction, and with plans to revive the former Firestone tyre factory at Bonsa still theoretically on the drawing board, the region may soon have two rubber processing factories to fully utilise the vast raw material base found in the large rubber plantations of the region. The country’s only glass factory, which has unfortunately collapsed after being divested to a private investor, was also located at Aboso in the Wassa West district. There are large deposits of good silica sand and lime deposits as raw materials in the Jomoro district that could feed the factory. It therefore still has a good chance of possible revival with good planning and a more efficient investment programme. The lime deposits could also be exploited as raw material to feed the cement factory at Takoradi, but this has not yet happened.
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