INTRODUCTION
LOCATION
The Shama District was carved out of the former Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly. It is bordered to the North by the Mpohor Wassa East District, to the South by the Gulf of Guinea, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly to the West (all in the Western Region) and Komenda Edina Eguafo-Abirem District to the East in Central Region.
SIZE
The District covers a land area of 215 km2 and has a total of sixty seven (67) settlements. The predominant occupation of the people in the District is mainly farming and fishing.
DISTRICT CAPITAL
The District Capital is Shama and it is located 15 km from Sekondi, the Regional Capital and 280 km West of Accra, the national capital.
POPULATION AND AGE
The District has a population of eighty thousand three hundred and fourteen (88,314), two thousand (2000 projections). This is made up of forty three thousand four hundred and thiry-six males and forty four thousand nine hundred and seventy-eight (44,978) females. Forty-four (44%) of the population is below the age of fourteen (14). Fifty –one (51%) is between fifteen (15) and sixty- four (64), while those above sixty-four (64) are only 3.3%.
URBAN CENTRES
Shama, Aboadze, Inchaban, and Supomu-Dunkwa.
RELIEF AND DRAINAGE
Shama District is within the low- laying areas of Ghana with elevation in most parts less than eighty (80) meters above sea level. The landscape is undulating generally, with average height of about seventy (70) meters. Highest elevation ranges between one hundred and fifty (150) and two hundred (200) meters, even though few areas (mainly the valleys of the main river Pra) are below one hundred and fifty (150) meters above sea level.
CLIMATE
The District lies within the tropical climatic zone and experiences two (2) rainy seasons.
RAINFALL
Major Season: March – July
Minor Season: September – November
Mean Annual Rainfall: 138 cm
Lowest Rainfall: 100 cm
Highest Rainfall: 170 cm
About seventy (70%) of the rainfall occurs in the season.
TEMPERATURE
Relatively mild temperatures are experienced in the District ranging between 22 oC and 28 oC. Temperature conditions readily support crop cultivation including cassava, oil palm, maize, coconut and vegetables among others.
VEGETATION
Mainly coastal thicket, thin to dense shrub. The Northern part of the District is made of thick bushes with other small size trees. In the coastal area, the thicket is intermingled with tall grass species including mangrove swamps and raffia groves at the estuary of the river Pra.
SOIL
Parent material at the coastal areas have faulty shelves and sand of various types resting on hard basement of granite, gneiss and schists. Non coastal areas have lower Birimian, Dixcove granite, Cape Coast granite soils. Sandy to sandy loams are predominant.
MAIN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Farming, fishing, commerce, services and mining are the dominant economic activities.
OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF LABOUR FORCE
78% of the active labour force in the District are engaged in agriculture.
Industry employs 1.5%
Services and commerce employ the rest of the 20.5% of the active labour force
FISHING
The major fishing communities in the District are Shama, Abuesi and Aboadze. These occupy about 7 km out of the 19 km strip of the coast of the District. The three (3) fishing communities have about 1,500 registered sea worthy canoes. An annual catch of about thirty thousand metric tons is recorded annually.
AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Export of fish e.g. Lobsters
Development of cold storage and fishing preservation facilities
Fishing, farming
Oil palm plantation
Large scale production of rice
Coconut plantation etc
OTHERS
PORTABLE WATER FACILITIES
About 65% of the people in the District enjoy portable water. Sources of the water include pipe-borne, boreholes and hand-dug wells.
POSTAL FACILITIES
Postal services are available at Shama and Inchaban.
TELECOMMUNICATION
Cellular phone network services cover the entire District. The following communities also enjoy fixed line services: Shama, Aboadze, Inchaban and Abuesi.
ROAD NETWORK
The asphalted road stretching from Sekondi to Cape Coast passes through the District. All other road networks are untarred.
BANKINGFACILITIES
Shama, Beposo and Aboadze have banking facilities among others.
ELECTRICITY
Almost the entire District is connected to the National grid made up of hydro electric power from Akosombo in the Eastern Region and Aboadze Thermal Plant located in the District.
HEALTH FACILITIES
Two (2) hospitals
Two (2) Health Centres
One (1) Clinic