WELCOME TO NANUMBA SOUTH DISTRICT
Participation: Involvement of key stakeholders in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of service delivery
Client focus: ensuring that client requirements are used to prioritize services
Transparency: provide stakeholders easy access to adequate and timely information regarding decisions and actions taken by the District Assembly.
Accountability: we take responsibility for our actions/inactions in rendering services and informing citizens on the use of public resources.
Professionalism: we demonstrate requisite skills and competencies in the delivery of services to the satisfaction of the client whiles adhering to ethical standards.
Vision
“To be a peaceful District where quality agricultural and economic goods and services, educational and health care delivery are equitably accessible to all in a sustainable manner irrespective of gender”
Mission
The Nanumba South District Assembly exists to “facilitate the improvement of the quality of life of the people within the Assembly’s’ jurisdiction through equitable provision of services for the total development of the District within the context of good governance”.
Location & Size
Nanumba South District was carved out of the former Nanumba District as one of the twenty-eight (28) newly created districts and was inaugurated on 27th August 2004 it is located between Latitude 8.5o N &9.0o N and Longitude 0.5oE & 0.5oW of the Greenwich Meridian, which more or less divides the district into two parts. The district is found in the eastern corridor of the Northern Region of Ghana and shares boundaries with Zabzugu District and the Republic of Togo to the east, East Gonja to the west, Nkwanta District of the Oti Region to the south-east, Nanumba North Municipal to the North and Kpandai District to the south west. The District covers a land mass of 1,789.2 Km Square.
Population Size and Distribution
Population by age, sex and type of locality is presented in Table 1.2. The population of Nanumba South district in 2010 is 93,464 comprising 46,776 males and 46,688 females respectively. About 82.1 percent of the population lives in the rural areas compared to 17.9 percent in the urban areas, which implies that the district is predominantly rural.
Age and Sex Structure
The population in the 0-4 age group represent the highest (18.6%) proportion among the age groups. The proportions decrease consistently as age increases except for age groups 60-64, 70-74 and 80-84 years which recorded higher population than 65-69 years age group. Persons in 0-14 year’s age group constitute 47.4 percent of the district population. The 15-64 age groups constitute 48.7 percent whilst population 65 and older represent 3.9 percent. The urban-rural distribution according to age shows that the population in all the age groups in the rural areas are higher than those in the urban areas.
Culture & Traditional set up
There are five paramount chiefs: Wulensi, Juali, Nakpayili, Kukuo, and Chichagi. As positive cultural practices, we have traditional festivals, such as Fire Festival and Damba Festival. These festivals bring all major ethnic groups together and therefore contributing to strengthen peaceful atmosphere in the district. Major celebrations that bring the people from all over the country to their traditional homes include funerals and festivals such as yam festival. These celebrations could be used to raise funds to support major development efforts in the District.
There is high communal spirit among community members in occasions such as funeral performance but very little is seen in terms of communal labour on self-help projects.
Structure of the local economy
The Economy is basically agrarian and industries such as manufacturing and services are underdeveloped, although they exist on a small scale to serve only the local population.
Major economic activities (farming)
A variety of crops, such as tubers (yam and cassava), cereals (maize, guinea corn, rice) and legumes (beans, groundnuts, tiger nuts, ‘‘Bambara beans’’) are cultivated in the district. Middle men from urban areas such as Accra and Kumasi come to buy mainly yams throughout the year, and this contributes to income at the household and the district level. However, the road condition does not allow big trucks to directly access inland communities, and this hampers some farmers to increase their income. Livestock and poultry keeping are done by almost every household but on a small scale. Fishing is yet another important agricultural activity carried out by the people (Ewes and Hausas) living along the rivers that flows in the district.
Agriculture
The major occupation of the people is agriculture. Conservative indications are that about 85% of the people are in this sector. Crops grown are roots and tubers, cereals, legumes and tree crops such as cashew and teak. The district is a net exporter of legumes and roots & tubers. According to data available, it is clear that Yam, Groundnuts, Maize and Cassava are produced in the district to feed other areas in the country. Farmers in yam cultivation mostly employ the bush fallow method in particular and shifting cultivation is mostly practiced by Konkombas. And this has some effects on the provision of basic social infrastructure such as boreholes, toilet facilities, etc.
Intermediaries for the urban markets (Accra and Kumasi) come to buy mainly yams through the year by big trucks, and this contributes positively to the economy at the household level as well as the district level. However, the road condition does not allow big trucks to directly access inland communities, and this hampers some farmers to increase their income.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector of the district is made up of Agro-processing; black smiting, and cashing of cooking pots.
(a) The agro-processing sector is made up of:
– Oil extraction i.e. groundnut, shea butter
– Cassava processing into gari and chips
– Rice processing
– Akpeteshie distillers and pito brewing.
– Food processing (bread baking, chop bar operating, etc).
Closely associated with food processing is grain banking which involves purchase, treatment and storage of cereals and legumes.
(b) Blacksmithing is done to produce tools such as hoe blades cutlasses/knives, sickles, bicycle racks as well as cooking pots.
(c) Smock weaving; dressmaking and tailoring also constitute an important segment of the manufacturing sector in this district.
Tourism
The tourism sector remains unexploited coupled with undeveloped infrastructure. However, the district has a few guesthouses operated by two (2) individuals and the District Assembly, which are woefully inadequate.
Tourism potentials that exist in the district include among others:
(a) Kukuo scarp and witches shrine,
(b) Kpalga Ancient Mosque (Slave Mosque)
(c) Fetish Groves
– Nakpa-Gbeini Grove has a special water body from which the Nakpa-naa is prohibited from taking a drink or even fish from it.
– Dakpam grove noted for wild crocodiles and is significant as far as the Bangyili gate of Nanumba State is concerned.
– Dalaayili Grove, where the ‘Damli’ the staff by any enskinned Bimbilla-naa.
(d) Juale Defence wall and Gorge on the Oti River.
(e) Chieftaincy and traditional festivals.
