MPOHOR DISTRICT

Copyright © 2014 Ghana Statistical Service

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 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

No meaningful developmental activity can be undertaken without taking into account the
characteristics of the population for whom the activity is targeted. The size of the population
and its spatial distribution, growth and change over time, in addition to its socio-economic
characteristics are all important in development planning.
A population census is the most important source of data on the size, composition, growth
and distribution of a country’s population at the national and sub-national levels. Data from
the 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC) will serve as reference for equitable
distribution of national resources and government services, including the allocation of
government funds among various regions, districts and other sub-national populations to
education, health and other social services.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) is delighted to provide data users, especially the
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, with district-level analytical reports based
on the 2010 PHC data to facilitate their planning and decision-making.
The District Analytical Report for the Mpohor District is one of the 216 district census
reports aimed at making data available to planners and decision makers at the district level. In
addition to presenting the district profile, the report discusses the social and economic
dimensions of demographic variables and their implications for policy formulation, planning
and interventions. The conclusions and recommendations drawn from the district report are
expected to serve as a basis for improving the quality of life of Ghanaians through evidence-
based decision-making, monitoring and evaluation of developmental goals and intervention
programmes.
For ease of accessibility to the census data, the district report and other census reports
produced by the GSS will be disseminated widely in both print and electronic formats. The
report will also be posted on the GSS website: [Link].
The GSS wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Government of Ghana for providing
the required resources for the conduct of the 2010 PHC. While appreciating the contribution
of our Development Partners (DPs) towards the successful implementation of the Census, we
wish to specifically acknowledge the Department for Foreign Affairs, Trade and
Development (DFATD) formerly the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for providing resources for
the preparation of all the 216 district reports. Our gratitude also goes to the Metropolitan,
Municipal and District Assemblies, the Ministry of Local Government, Consultant Guides,
Consultant Editors, Project Steering Committee members and their respective institutions for
their invaluable support during the report writing exercise. Finally, we wish to thank all the
report writers, including the GSS staff who contributed to the preparation of the reports, for
their dedication and diligence in ensuring the timely and successful completion of the district
census reports.

Dr. Philomena Nyarko

Government Statistician

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................iii

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................vii
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................viii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Physical Features ....................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Political Administration ............................................................................................. 3
1.4 Social and Cultural Structure ..................................................................................... 3
1.5 Economy .................................................................................................................... 3
1.6 Census Methodology, Concepts and Definitions ....................................................... 4
1.7 Organization of the Report....................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER TWO: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS......................................... 15
2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 15
2.2 Population Size and Distribution ............................................................................. 15
2.3 Age-Sex Structure, Sex Ratio and Population Pyramid........................................... 15
2.4 Age-Dependency Ratio ............................................................................................ 16
2.5 Population Pyramid .................................................................................................. 17
2.6 Fertility, Mortality and Migration ............................................................................ 17
CHAPTER THREE: SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS .................................................... 23
3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 23
3.2 Household Size, Composition and Structure ........................................................... 23
3.3 Marital Status ........................................................................................................... 24
3.4 Nationality................................................................................................................ 28
3.5 Religious Affiliation ................................................................................................ 29
3.6 Literacy and Education ............................................................................................ 29
CHAPTER FOUR: ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ............................................... 33
4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 33
4.2 Economic Activity Status ........................................................................................ 33
4.3 Occupation ............................................................................................................... 35
4.4 Industry .................................................................................................................... 36
4.5 Employment Status .................................................................................................. 37
4.6 Employment Sector .................................................................................................. 38
CHAPTER FIVE: INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY .............. 39
5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 39
5.2 Ownership of Mobile Phones................................................................................... 39
5.3 Household Ownership of desktop or laptop computers ........................................... 40
CHAPTER SIX: DISABILITY ........................................................................................... 41
6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 41
6.2 Population with Disability ....................................................................................... 41
6.3 Type of Disability .................................................................................................... 41

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 6.4 Distribution of PWDs by Type of Locality.............................................................. 42
6.5 Disability and Activity ............................................................................................. 43
CHAPTER SEVEN: AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES ................................................... 45
7.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 45
7.2 Households in Agriculture ....................................................................................... 45
CHAPTER EIGHT: HOUSING CONDITIONS ............................................................... 47
8.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 47
8.2 Housing Stock .......................................................................................................... 47
8.3 Type of Dwelling, Holding and Tenancy Arrangement .......................................... 48
8.4 Construction Materials ............................................................................................. 51
8.5 Room Occupancy ..................................................................................................... 52
8.6 Access to Utilities .................................................................................................... 53
8.7 Main Source of Water for Drinking and for Other Domestic Use ........................... 55
8.8 Method of Waste Disposal ....................................................................................... 57
CHAPTER NINE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY
IMPLICATIONS ................................................................................. 60
9.1 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................... 60
9.2 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 63
9.3 Policy Implications .................................................................................................. 63
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 65
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 66
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS ................................................................................................ 68

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: Population by age and sex ..................................................................................... 16

Table 2.2: Age dependency ratio ............................................................................................ 16
Table 2.3: Reported total fertility rate, general fertility rate and crude birth rate ................... 18
Table 2.4: Female population 12 years and older by age, children ever born, children
surviving and sex of child ...................................................................................... 19
Table 2.5: Total population, deaths in households and crude death ....................................... 20
Table 2.6: Cause of deaths in households ............................................................................... 21
Table 2.7: Birthplace by duration of residence of migrants .................................................... 22
Table 3.1: Household size by locality of residence ................................................................ 23
Table 3.2: Household population by composition and sex ..................................................... 24
Table 3.3: Population household by structure and sex ........................................................... 24
Table 3.4: Persons 12 years and older by sex, age-group and marital status .......................... 26
Table 3.5: Persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and level of education ............. 27
Table 3.6: Persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and economic .......................... 28
activity status ......................................................................................................... 28
Table 3.7: Population by nationality and sex .......................................................................... 29
Table 3.8: Population by religion and sex .............................................................................. 29
Table 3.9: Population 11 years and older by sex, age and literacy status ............................... 30
Table 3.10:Population 3 years and older by level of education, school attendance
and sex ................................................................................................................... 32
Table 4.1: Population 15 years and older by activity status and sex ...................................... 34
Table 4.2: Activity status of population 15 years and older by age and sex ........................... 35
Table 4.3: Employed population 15 years and older by occupation and sex .......................... 36
Table 4.4: Employed population 15 years and older by industry and sex .............................. 37
Table 4.5: Employed population 15 years and older by employment status and sex ............. 38
Table 4.6: Employed population 15 years and older by employment sectors and sex ........... 38
Table 5.1: Population 12 years and older by mobile phone ownership, internet
facility usage and sex ............................................................................................. 39
Table 6.1: Population by type of locality, disability type and sex .......................................... 42
Table 6.2: Persons 15 years and older with disability by economic activity
status and sex ......................................................................................................... 44
Table 7.1: Households by agricultural activities and locality ................................................. 45
Table 7.2: Distribution of livestock and keepers .................................................................... 46
Table 8.1: Stock of houses and households by type of locality .............................................. 48
Table 8.2: Ownership status of dwelling by sex of household head and type of locality ....... 49
Table 8.3: Type of occupied dwelling unit by sex of household head and type of locality ... 50
Table 8.4: Main construction material for outer wall of dwelling unit by .............................. 51
type of locality ....................................................................................................... 51
Table 8.5: Main construction materials for the floor of dwelling unit by type of locality ..... 52
Table 8.6: Main construction material for roofing of dwelling unit by type
of locality ............................................................................................................... 52
Table 8.7: Household size and number of sleeping rooms occupied in dwelling unit ........... 53
Table 8.8: Main source of lighting of dwelling unit by type of locality ................................. 54
Table 8.9: Main source of cooking fuel, and cooking space used by households .................. 54
Table 8.10: Main source of water of dwelling unit for drinking and other ............................. 55
domestic purposes ................................................................................................. 56
Table 8.11: Bathing facility and toilet facilities used by household ........................................ 58
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Table 8.12: Method of rubbish and liquid waste disposal by households ............................... 59
Table A1: Population by sex, number of households and houses in the 20 largest
communities .......................................................................................................... 66
Table A2: Population by age group in the 20 largest communities ....................................... 67

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Map of Mpohor district .......................................................................................... 2

Figure 2.1: Population by locality of residence ...................................................................... 15
Figure 2.2: Population pyramid .............................................................................................. 17
Figure 2.3: Reported age specific death rates by sex .............................................................. 21
Figure 3.1: Persons 12 years and older by marital status ........................................................ 25
Figure 3.2: Population 3 years and older by school attendance and sex ................................. 31
Figure 6.1: Bar chart showing types of disabilities among PWDs ......................................... 42

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 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AGI Association of Ghanaian Industries

AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
CBR Crude Birth Rate
CDR Crude death Rate
CEB Children Ever Born
CEDAW Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination
CERSCIS Centre for remote and Geographical Information Systems
CHPS Community-based Health Planning Services
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
CS Children Surviving
CWIQ Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire
DANIDA Danish International Development Agency
DCD District Coordinating Director
DCE District Chief Executive
DFID Department for International Development
DMTDP District Medium Term Development Plan
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
fCUBE Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education
GDHS Ghana Demography Health Survey
GFR General Fertility Rate
GPRTU Ghana Private Road Transport Union
GPS Global Positioning System
GSS Ghana Statistical Service
GSGDA Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda
GYEEDA Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency
HIV Human Immune Virus
ICT Information Communication Technology
ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupation
ISIC International Standard Classification of Industry
JHS Junior High School
JSS Junior Secondary School
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
MMDAs Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
MOFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture

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MOTI Ministry of Trade and Industry
MP Member of Parliament
NCA National Communication Authority
NCTA National Census Technical Advisory Committee
NDPC National Development Planning Commission
NGOs Non-governmental Organisations
NHIS National Health Insurance Scheme
OIC Opportunities Industrialisation Centres
PAS Population Analysis Spread sheet
PASEX Population Analysis System
PDA Portable Digital Device
PES Post Enumeration Survey
PHC Population and Housing Census
PHC Population and Housing Census
PNDC Provisional National Defense Council
PHD Mpohor District
PPP Public-Private Partnerships
PWDs Persons with Disabilities
SADA Savannah Accelerated Development Authority
SAP Structural Adjustment Programme
SHC Senior High School
SHS Senior High School
SSS Senior Secondary School
TBAs Trained Birth Attendants/Traditional Birth Attendants
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Education Fund
W.C Water Closet
WHO World Health Organization

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction
The District census report is the first of its kind since the first post-independence census was
conducted in 1960. The report provides basic information about the District. It gives a brief
background of the District, describing its physical features, political and administrative
structure, socio-cultural structure and economy. Using data from the 2010 Population and
Housing Census (2010 PHC), the report discusses the population characteristics of the District,
fertility, mortality, migration, marital status, literacy and education, economic activity status,
occupation, employment; Information Communication Technology (ICT), disability,
agricultural activities and housing conditions of the District. The key findings of the analysis
are as follows (references are to the relevant sections of the report).

Population size, structure and composition

The population of the Mpohor District, according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census,
is 42,923 representing 1.8 percent of the region’s total population. Males constitute 50.1 percent
and females represent 49.9 percent. Almost three quarters (74.8%) of the population is rural.
The District has a sex ratio of 100.2. The population of the District is youthful (14.9%) of the 0-
4 age group, depicting a broad base population pyramid which tapers off with a small number
of the 70 plus years (1.2%). The total age dependency ratio for the District is 78.8, the age
dependency ratio for males is higher (79.7) than that of females (77.9).

Fertility, mortality and migration

The Total Fertility Rate for the Mpohor District, the General Fertility Rate is 125.8 births per
1000 women aged 15-49 years. The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is 30.3 per 1000 population. The
crude death rate for the District is 9 per 1000. The death rate for males is highest for the age
group 65 plus years representing more than almost 70 deaths per 1000 population while for the
females the highest death rate of 40 deaths per 1000 population is for the age group 70 plus
years. Out of the total deaths in the region of 14,825, there had been 390 cases of deaths in the
Mpohor District. Majority of migrants (56.6%) living in the District were born in another region
while 43.4 percent were born elsewhere in the Western Region. For migrants born in another
region, those born in Eastern Region constitute 7.6 percent followed by those born in Volta
Region with 5.2 percent.
Household size, composition and structure
The District has a household population of 41,979 with a total number of 11,572 households.
The average household size in the District is 4 persons per household. Children constitute the
largest proportion of the household structure accounting for 41.8 percent. Spouses form about
12.6 percent. Nuclear households (head, spouse(s) and children) constitute 39.5 percent of the
total number of households in the District.
Marital status
Almost half (47.1) of the population aged 12 years and older are married, 35.1 percent have
never married, 5.5 percent are in consensual unions, 4.9 percent are widowed, 5.9 percent are
divorced and 1.6 percent are separated. By age 25-29 years, more than two thirds of females
(64.9%) are married compared to a little over a quarter of the male population (45.3%). At
age 65 and above, widowed females account for as high as 55.3 percent while widowed
males account for only 13.6 percent. Among the married, 30.4 percent have no education

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while only 8.1 percent of the unmarried have never been to school. More than eight out of
every ten of the married population (85.5%) are employed, 1.9 percent are unemployed and
12.6 percent are economically not active. A greater proportion of those who have never
married (60.7%) are economically not active with 2.7 percent unemployed.
Nationality
The proportion of Ghanaians by birth in the District is 96.6 percent. Those who have
naturalised constitute 0.5 percent and while the non-Ghanaian population in the District is
one percent.
Proportion of the Christian population in the Mpohor District is about 81.1 percent. Among
the Christian groups, the Pentecostals/ Charismatic constitute the majority (31.3%) followed
by Protestants (Anglican Lutheran etc.) with 21.2 percent and Catholics 8.9 percent.
Literacy and education
Of the population 11 years and above, 75.5 percent are literate and 24.5 percent are non-
literate. The proportion of literate males is higher (55.9%) than that of females (44.1%).
Almost six out of ten people (60.9%) indicated they could read and write both English and
Ghanaian languages.
With reference to school attendance, of the population aged 3 years and above, 21 percent has
never attended school, 39 percent are current ly attending and 40 percent have attended in the
past.
Economic activity status
More than seven out of ten (75.7%) of the population aged 15 years and older are
economically active while 24.3 percent are economically not active. Of the economically
active population, 96.7 percent are employed while 3.3 percent are unemployed. For those
who are economically not active, a larger percentage of them are students (42.8%), 30.8
percent perform household duties and 5.6 percent are disabled or too sick to work. More than
six out of ten (61.3%) of the unemployed are seeking work for the first time.

Occupation
Of the employed population, about 48 percent are engaged as skilled agricultural, forestry
and fishery workers, 16.5 percent in Plant and machine operators and assemblers, 12.6
percent in service and sales, 9.6 percent in craft and related trade with only 5.7 percent
engaged as managers, professionals and technicians.
Employment status and sector
Of the population 15 years and older, 58.9 percent are self-employed without employees,
21.4 percent are employee, 9.1 percent are contributing family workers and 4.6 percent are
casual workers. Only 0.5 percent are domestic employees (house helps). Overall, women
constitute the highest proportion in each employment category except the casual workers and
employees. The private informal sector is the largest employer in the District, employing 84.8
percent of the population followed by the private formal with 10.9 percent.
Information Communication Technology
Of the population 12 years and above, 35.7 percent have mobile phones. Men who own
mobile phones constitute 44.9 percent as compared to 26.5 percent of females. About two
percent of the population 12 years and older use internet facilities in the District. Only 51

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households representing 0.4 percent of the total households in the District have
desktop/laptop computers.
Disability
About six percent of the District’s total population has one form of disability or the other.
The proportion of the female population (4.0%) with disability is higher than male (3.9%).
The types of disability in the District include sight, hearing, speech, physical, intellect, and
emotion. Persons with sight disability recorded the highest of 44.2 percent followed by
emotional disability (28.7%). The disability pattern is the same for both urban and rural
localities with physical and sight disabilities remaining the predominant cases. About 64.8
percent of the economically active and employed have various forms of disability with
emotional disability accounting for the majority of 71.6 percent.

Agriculture
A little over half of the population (64.%) of households in the District are engage in
agriculture, Crop farming is the main agricultural activity with more than nine out of ten
(95.4%) households engage in it. Those in livestock rearing account for 39.2% and tree
planting 0.4%. In the rural localities, more than seven out of ten households (72.0%) are
agricultural households but 40.9 percent are in the urban localities. Poultry (chicken - 61.5%)
is the dominant animal reared in the District.
Housing
The housing stock of Mpohor District is 8,666 with 11,572 households. Households in the
rural areas constitute 74.0 and the rest are in the urban areas. The population per house in the
District is 5 compared to 7 in the region.
Type, tenancy arrangement and ownership of dwelling units
Almost two thirds (36.4%) of all dwelling units in the District are separate houses; 34.5
percent are compound houses and 11.6 percent are semi-detached houses. More than half
(54.6%) of the dwelling units in the District are owned by members of the household; 19.3
percent are owned by Relative not a household member and 13.6 percent are owned by other
private individuals.; and only 1.7 percent are owned by public or government. A little over
one percent (1.1%) of the dwelling units is owned through mortgage schemes.
Material for construction of outer wall, floor and roof
The main construction material for outer walls of dwelling units in the District is Mud
brick/Earth accounting for 52 percent. Six out of every ten (60.3 %) of outer walls of
building in rural localities are constructed with Mud bricks or Earth block or concrete. More
than eight in ten (85.9%) floors are constructed with cement or concrete. Metal sheet is the
main roofing material (69.3) for dwelling units in the District.

Room occupancy
One room constitutes the highest percentage (76.4%) of sleeping rooms occupied by
households in dwelling units in the District. About 21.7 percent of households with 10 or
more members occupy single rooms.
Utilities and household facilities
The three main sources of lighting in dwelling units in the District are electricity (60.8%),
flashlight/torch (21.9%) and kerosene lamp (15.9%). The main source of fuel for cooking

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for most households in the District is wood (61.5%). The proportion for rural (71.0%) is
higher than that of urban (34.6%). The four main sources of water in the District are
borehole, river stream, public tap and pipe borne water. Almost a third of the households
(29.5%) drink water from Bore-hole/Pump/Tube well, 21.7 percent drink water from the river
or stream while 12.7 percent drink water from Pipe-borne outside dwelling and 10.6 percent
from Bore-hole/Pump/Tube well.
The most common use toilet facility in the District is the public toilet (WC, KVIP, Pit, Pan)
accounting for 54.2 percent followed by pit latrine (28.0%). More than seven percent of the
households (7.3%) in the District have no toilet facility. Almost a third of the household
(26.9%) in the District also share separate bathrooms in the same house while 21.8 percent
share open cubicle and 22.1 percent own bathrooms for their exclusive use.

Waste disposal
The most widely method of solid waste disposal is by public dump in the open space
accounting for 64.6 percent. About twelve percent of the households dump their solid waste
indiscriminately. House to house waste collection accounts for only two percent. For liquid
waste disposal, throwing waste onto the compound (40.6 %) and thrown into gutter (26.9%)
are the two most common methods used by households in the District.

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 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
The Government of Ghana has operated the decentralized system of development since 1988
with the Assemblies as the planning authority. The overall level of development and
demographic structure of the country conceals differences between and within Regions,
Districts, Urban and Rural localities.
In all of these, population and its characteristics are of primary importance because
development is by people, for people and of people. An understanding of the population, its
characteristics and dynamics, is therefore crucial for realistic development planning.
The objective of this report is to make available to the general public, the District Assembly
and its various organs, analysis of the results of the 2010 Population and Housing Census and
their full implication for policy and planning in the District. Issues discussed in this chapter
include the physical features, political administration, social and cultural structure of the
Mpohor district.

1.2 Physical Features

The physical features of the Mpohor District is made up of natural environment namely
climate, vegetation, relief and drainage, location and size, the social and cultural environment
in which the people live. The physical features are therefore essential elements or factors
affecting the socio-economic development of the District.

1.2.1 Location and size

The Mpohor District is one of the 22 districts in the Western Region. The District is located
at the south-eastern end of the region and was carved out from the erstwhile Mpohor Wassa
East District in 2012 and established with a legislative instrument (L.I). It is bounded on the
west by Ahanta West District, east by Wassa East District, north-west by Tarkwa-Nsueam
Municipal and Shama District (figure 1.1). The District covers a total land area of 524.533
square kilometers. The District capital Mpohor is located 19 km off the Takoradi-Agona
Nkwanta main road.

1.2.2 Climate
The District falls within the tropical climate zone. The mean annual rainfall is 1500mm and
ranges from 1300 to 2000mm. The wet period in the District is between March and July
while November to January is dry. Generally, the rainfall pattern is supportive of agricultural
activities.

1.2.3 Relief and drainage

The District lies within the low-lying areas of the country with most parts below 150 metres
above sea level. The landscape is generally undulating landscape with an average height of
about 70 metres. The highest elevation ranges between 150 and 200 metres above sea level.
The drainage pattern of the Mpohor District is largely dendritic. There are a number of rivers
and streams in the District (e.g. Subri, Butre and Hwini).

1
Figure 1.1: Map of Mpohor district

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, GIS

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1.2.4 Soils, geology, minerals and vegetation
There are four main categories of rock and soil types which underlie the District namely:
Lower Birimian, Dixcove granite, Cape Coast granite and Tarkwaian. More than half of the
soil consists of Cape Coast granitic soils. Existing underground rocks in certain communities
hinder the drilling of water facilities. The District therefore has large deposits of gold, traces
of iron and kaolin hence the upsurge of mining activities which has resulted in the pollution
of water resources in the District. The vegetation is tropical rainforest. (Extracted from
DMTDP July, 2012)

1.3 Political Administration

The Mpohor District Assembly is the highest political authority in the District as stipulated
under Section 10 of the Local Government Act, 1993 (ACT 462). It has been empowered to
be responsible for the overall development of the District as stated in Section 2 of the
National Development Planning Systems Act (Act 480). The Assembly is politically headed
by a District Chief Executive and administratively by a Co-ordinating Director who is
assisted by other Sectional/Departmental Heads. There are twenty (20) assembly members
with two-third elected and the remaining one-third appointed by the president of Ghana in
consultation with the traditional authority and recognized interest groups in the District. The
District is comprised of 13 Electoral Areas and 13 Unit Committees which are Ankobea,
Atwereboana, Ohiawoamaanwu, Bronikrom, Adum Banso Upper, Adum Banso Lower,
Adum Dominase, Manso, Adansi, Mampong/Botodwina, Ayiem, Bopp and Angu. Mpohor
District has four Area Councils namely Mpohor, Adum Banso, Manso and Ayiem.

1.4 Social and Cultural Structure

1.4.1 Culture
The District has a single paramountcy which is headed by the paramount chief of Mpohor.
There are however some sub-chiefs of certain communities within the District that swear
allegiance to the Wassa Fiase paramountcy at Tarkwa in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality.
There are Asafo groups in some communities. The indigenous people celebrate Odwira
festival.

1.5 Economy
1.5.1 Agricultural activities
The District is predominantly an agrarian economy. The predominant cash crops are cocoa
and oil palm. Cocoa is usually cultivated in small to medium sized plantations mostly by
settler farmers. Oil palm is cultivated on a large-scale by Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP)
NORPALM and Ayiem Oil Mills. The major staple food crops produced include cassava,
plantain, maize, cocoyam and vegetables. The output per yield is substantially low in the
District due to traditional methods of farming with an average farm size of one acre per
farmer.
Most of the farmers own their farm lands by inheritance and from family heads. Abunu and
Abusa systems where land is given out for farming after which proceeds are shared either
into two or three as predetermined are also practiced. Other means of land acquisition for
farming which are not common are outright purchase that is, freehold titles as well as
household titles from traditional leaders and other indigenous people.

3
1.5.2 Manufacturing Industries
The following are the large scale industries in the District. Golden Star (Wassa mines)
Limited in Akyempim, Benso Oil-Palm Plantation (BOPP) in Adum Banso and Norpalm
Ghana Limited in Pretsea. The medium scale industries include Ayiem Oil Mills Limited in
Mpohor and West – West Agro- Processing Factory in Ayiem (find out). A number of micro
enterprises for agro-processing can be found in most parts of the District. Specific locations
include an oil palm processing facility in Adum Banso, Small-scale mining activities are
carried out in areas like Mpohor, Manso and several other communities. Again, there is
prospecting for iron ore in Adum Banso.
1.5.3 Banking and credit facilities
Lower Pra Rural Bank is the only bank with a branch in Mpohor, the District capital. Credit
Union Association (CUA) can be found in Mpohor. Others that provide credit support in the
District are Adum Banso Area Susu and Loans support Scheme and Phandy Micro Finance in
Mpohor.

1.5.4 Communication
The District has poor road network making some of the settlements inaccessible during rainy
season. Interaction between the District and other communities is difficult and expensive for
that matter. Telecommunication is improving in the District with regard to mobile facilities
and some of the mobile phone networks operating in the District are Tigo, Vodafone Airtel,
Expresso and MTN. An ICT and postal service centre constructed in Mpohor is in operation.
Some of the communities such as Mpohor, Adum Banso, Manso and Botodwina have
community information centre.

1.5.6 Health care

There are nine health facilities in the District. Majority are government operated with only
one being operated privately. These health centres in the District are: Adansi
Community Health Planning Service (CHPS), Manso Community Clinic, Mpohor Health
Centre, Adum Banso Community Clinic, Ayiem Community Health Planning Service
(CHPS), Angu Community Health Planning Service (CHPS), Bomba Community Health
Planning Service (CHPS), Adum Dominase Community Health Planning Service (CHPS) are
all government owned with only and Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) Clinic being
privately owned.

1.6 Census Methodology, Concepts and Definitions

1.6.1 Introduction
Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) was guided by the principle of international comparability
and the need to obtain accurate information in the 2010 Population and Housing Census
(2010 PHC). The Census was, therefore, conducted using all the essential features of a
modern census as contained in the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for
countries taking part in the 2010 Round of Population and Housing Censuses.
Experience from previous post independence censuses of Ghana (1960, 1970, 1984 and 2000)
was taken into consideration in developing the methodologies for conducting the 2010 PHC.
The primary objective of the 2010 PHC was to provide information on the number,
distribution and social, economic and demographic characteristics of the population of Ghana
necessary to facilitate the socio-economic development of the country.

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1.6.2 Pre-enumeration activities
Development of census project document and work plans
A large scale statistical operation, such as the 2010 Population and Housing Census required
meticulous planning for its successful implementation. A working group of the Ghana
Statistical Service prepared the census project document with the assistance of two
consultants. The document contains the rationale and objectives of the census, census
organization, a work plan as well as a budget. The project document was launched in
November 2008 as part of the Ghana Statistics Development Plan (GSDP) and reviewed in
November 2009.
Census secretariat and committees
A well-structured management and supervisory framework that outlines the responsibilities
of the various stakeholders is essential for the effective implementation of a population and
housing census. To implement the 2010 PHC, a National Census Secretariat was set up in
January 2008 and comprised professional and technical staff of GSS as well as staff of other
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) seconded to GSS. The Census Secretariat was
primarily responsible for the day-to-day planning and implementation of the census activities.
The Secretariat had seven units, namely; census administration, cartography, recruitment and
training, publicity and education, field operations and logistics management, data processing,
and data analysis and dissemination.
The Census Secretariat was initially headed by an acting Census Coordinator engaged by the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2008 to support GSS in the planning of the
Census. In 2009, the Census Secretariat was re-organised with the Government Statistician
as the National Chief Census Officer and overall Coordinator, assisted by a Census
Management Team and a Census Coordinating Team. The Census Management Team had
oversight responsibility for the implementation of the Census. It also had the responsibility of
taking critical decisions on the census in consultation with other national committees. The
Census Coordinating Team, on the other hand, was responsible for the day-to-day
implementation of the Census programme.
A number of census committees were also set up at both national and sub-national levels to
provide guidance and assistance with respect to resource mobilization and technical advice.
At the national level, the committees were the National Census Steering Committee (NCSC),
the National Census Technical Advisory Committee (NCTAC) and the National Census
Publicity and Education Committee (NCPEC). At the regional and district levels, the
committees were the Regional Census Implementation Committee and the District Census
Implementation Committee, respectively.
The Regional and District Census Implementation Committees were inter-sectorial in their
composition. Members of the Committees were mainly from decentralized departments with
the Regional and District Coordinating Directors chairing the Regional Census
Implementation Committee and District Census Implementation Committee, respectively.
The Committees contributed to the planning of district, community and locality level
activities in areas of publicity and field operations. They supported the Regional and District
Census Officers in the recruitment and training of field personnel (enumerators and
supervisors), as well as mobilizing logistical support for the census.

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Selection of census topics
The topics selected for the 2010 Population and Housing Census were based on
recommendations contained in the UN Principles and Recommendations for 2010 Round of
Population and Housing Censuses and the African Addendum to that document as well as the
needs of data users. All the core topics recommended at the global level, i.e., geographical
and internal migration characteristics, international migration, household characteristics,
demographic and social characteristics such as age, date of birth, sex, and marital status,
fertility and mortality, educational and economic characteristics, issues relating to disability
and housing conditions and amenities were included in the census.
Some topics that were not considered core by the UN recommendations but which were
found to be of great interest and importance to Ghana and were, therefore, included in the
2010 PHC are religion, ethnicity, employment sector and place of work, agricultural activity,
as well as housing topics, such as, type of dwelling, materials for outer wall, floor and roof,
tenure/holding arrangement, number of sleeping rooms, cooking fuel, cooking space and
Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Census mapping
A timely and well implemented census mapping is pivotal to the success of any population
and housing census. Mapping delineates the country into enumeration areas to facilitate
smooth enumeration of the population. The updating of the 2000 Census Enumeration Area
(EA) maps started in the last quarter of 2007 with the acquisition of topographic sheets of all
indices from the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission. In addition, digital
sheets were also procured for the Geographical Information System Unit.
The Cartography Unit of the Census Secretariat collaborated with the Survey and Mapping
Division of the Lands Commission and the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic
Information Services (CERSGIS) of the Department of Geography and Resource
Development, University of Ghana, to determine the viability of migrating from analog to
digital mapping for the 2010 PHC, as recommended in the 2000 PHC Administrative Report.
Field cartographic work started in March 2008 and was completed in February 2010.
Development of questionnaire and manuals
For effective data collection, there is the need to design appropriate documents to solicit the
required information from respondents. GSS consulted widely with main data users in the
process of the questionnaire development. Data users including MDAs, research institutions,
civil society organizations and development partners were given the opportunity to indicate
the type of questions they wanted to be included in the census questionnaire.
Documents developed for the census included the questionnaire and manuals, and field
operation documents. The field operation documents included Enumerator’s Visitation
Record Book, Supervisor’s Record Book, and other operational control forms. These record
books served as operational and quality control tools to assist enumerators and supervisors to
control and monitor their field duties respectively.

Pre-tests and trial census

It is internationally recognized that an essential element in census planning is the pre-testing
of the questionnaire and related instructions. The objective of the pre-test is to test the
questionnaire, the definition of its concepts and the instructions for filling out the
questionnaire.

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The census questionnaire was pre-tested twice in the course of its development. The first pre-
test was carried out in March 2009 to find out the suitability of the questions and the
instructions provided. It also tested the adequacy and completeness of the responses and how
respondents understood the questions. The second pre-test was done in 10 selected
enumeration areas in August, 2009. The objective of the second pre-test was to examine the
sequence of the questions, test the new questions, such as, date of birth and migration, and
assess how the introduction of ‘date of birth’ could help to reduce ‘age heaping’. With regard
to questions on fertility, the pre-tests sought to find out the difference, if any, between proxy
responses and responses by the respondents themselves. Both pre-tests were carried in the
Greater Accra Region. Experience from the pre-tests was used to improve the final census
questionnaire.
A trial census which is a dress rehearsal of all the activities and procedures that are planned
for the main census was carried out in October/November 2009. These included recruitment
and training, distribution of census materials, administration of the questionnaire and other
census forms, enumeration of the various categories of the population (household,
institutional and floating population), and data processing. The trial census was held in six
selected districts across the country namely; Saboba (Northern Region), Chereponi (Northern
Region), Sene (Brong Ahafo Region), Bia (Western Region), Awutu Senya (Central Region),
and Osu Klottey Sub-Metro (Greater Accra Region). A number of factors were considered in
selecting the trial census districts. These included: administrative boundary issues, ecological
zone, and accessibility, enumeration of floating population/outdoor-sleepers, fast growing
areas, institutional population, and enumeration areas with scattered settlements.
The trial census provided GSS with an opportunity to assess its plans and procedures as well
as the state of preparedness for the conduct of the 2010 PHC. The common errors found
during editing of the completed questionnaires resulted in modifications to the census
questionnaire, enumerator manuals and other documents. The results of the trial census
assisted GSS to arrive at technically sound decisions on the ideal number of persons per
questionnaire, number of persons in the household roster, migration questions, placement of
the mortality question, serial numbering of houses/housing structures and method of
collection of information on community facilities. Lessons learnt from the trial census also
guided the planning of the recruitment process, the procedures for training of census field
staff and the publicity and education interventions.

1.6.3 Census enumeration

Method of enumeration and field work
All post- independence censuses (1960, 1970, 1984, and 2000) conducted in Ghana used the
de facto method of enumeration where people are enumerated at where they were on census
night and not where they usually reside. The same method was adopted for the 2010 PHC.
The de facto count is preferred because it provides a simple and straight forward way of
counting the population since it is based on a physical fact of presence and can hardly be
misinterpreted. It is thought that the method also minimizes the risks of under-enumeration
and over enumeration. The canvasser method, which involves trained field personnel visiting
houses and households identified in their respective enumeration areas, was adopted for the
2010 PHC.
The main census enumeration involved the canvassing of all categories of the population by
trained enumerators, using questionnaires prepared and tested during the pre-enumeration
phase. Specific arrangements were made for the coverage of special population groups, such
as the homeless and the floating population. The fieldwork began on 21st September 2010
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with the identification of EA boundaries, listing of structures, enumeration of institutional
population and floating population.
The week preceding the Census Night was used by field personnel to list houses and other
structures in their enumeration areas. Enumerators were also mobilized to enumerate
residents/inmates of institutions, such as, schools and prisons. They returned to the
institutions during the enumeration period to reconcile the information they obtained from
individuals and also to cross out names of those who were absent from the institutions on
Census Night.
Out-door sleepers (floating population) were also enumerated on the Census Night.
Enumeration of the household population started on Monday, 27th September, 2010.
Enumerators visited houses, compounds and structures in their enumeration areas and started
enumerating all households including visitors who spent the Census Night in the households.
Enumeration was carried out in the order in which houses/structures were listed and where
the members of the household were absent, the enumerator left a call-back-card indicating
when he/she would come back to enumerate the household. The enumeration process took off
smoothly with enumerators poised on completing their assignments on schedule since many
of them were teachers and had to return to school. However, many enumerators ran short of
questionnaires after a few days’ work.
Enumeration resumed in all districts when the questionnaire shortage was resolved and by
17th October, 2010, enumeration was completed in most districts. Enumerators who had
finished their work were mobilized to assist in the enumeration of localities that were yet to
be enumerated in some regional capitals and other fast growing areas. Flooded areas and
other inaccessible localities were also enumerated after the end of the official enumeration
period. Because some enumeration areas in fast growing cities and towns, such as, Accra
Metropolitan Area, Kumasi, Kasoa and Techiman were not properly demarcated and some
were characterized by large EAs, some enumerators were unable to complete their assigned
tasks within the stipulated time.
1.6.4 Post enumeration survey
In line with United Nations recommendations, GSS conducted a Post Enumeration Survey
(PES) in April, 2011 to check content and coverage error. The PES was also to serve as an
important tool in providing feedback regarding operational matters such as concepts and
procedures in order to help improve future census operations. The PES fieldwork was carried
out for 21 days in April 2011 and was closely monitored and supervised to ensure quality
output. The main findings of the PES were that:

 97.0 percent of all household residents who were in the country on Census Night (26th
September, 2010) were enumerated.

 1.3 percent of the population was erroneously included in the census.

 Regional differentials are observed. Upper East region recorded the highest coverage
rate of 98.2 percent while the Volta region had the lowest coverage rate of 95.7
percent.

 Males (3.3%) were more likely than females (2.8%) to be omitted in the census. The
coverage rate for males was 96.7 percent and the coverage rate for females was 97.2

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 percent. Also, the coverage rates (94.1%) for those within the 20-29 and 30-39 age
groups are relatively lower compared to the coverage rates of the other age groups.

 There was a high rate of agreement between the 2010 PHC data and the PES data for
sex (98.8%), marital status (94.6%), relationship to head of household (90.5%) and
age (83.0%).

1.6.5 Release and dissemination of results

The provisional results of the census were released in February 2011 and the final results in
May 2012. A National Analytical report, six thematic reports, a Census Atlas, 10 Regional
Reports and a report on Demographic, Social, Economic and Housing were prepared and
disseminated in 2013.
1.6.6 Concepts and definitions
Introduction
The 2010 Population and Housing Census of Ghana followed the essential concepts and
definitions of a modern Population and Housing Census as recommended by the United
Nations (UN). It is important that the concepts, definitions and recommendations are adhered
to since they form the basis upon which Ghana could compare her data with that of other
countries.
The concepts and definitions in this report cover all sections of the 2010 Population and
Housing Census questionnaires (PHC1A and PHC1B). The sections were: geographical
location of the population, Household and Non-household population, Literacy and
Education, Emigration, Demographic and Economic Characteristics, Disability, Information
Communication Technology (ICT), Fertility, Mortality, Agricultural Activity and Housing
Conditions.
The concepts and definitions are provided to facilitate understanding and use of the data
presented in this report. Users are therefore advised to use the results of the census within the
context of these concepts and definitions.
Region
There were ten (10) administrative regions in Ghana during the 2010 Population and Housing
Census as they were in 1984 and 2000.
District
In 1988, Ghana changed from the local authority system of administration to the district
assembly system. In that year, the then existing 140 local authorities were demarcated into
110 districts. In 2004, 28 new districts were created; this increased the number of districts in
the country to 138. In 2008, 32 additional districts were created bringing the total number of
districts to 170. The 2010 Population and Housing Census was conducted in these 170
administrative districts (these are made-up of 164 districts/municipals and 6 metropolitan
areas). In 2012, 46 new districts were created to bring the total number of districts to 216.
There was urgent need for data for the 46 newly created districts for planning and decision-
making. To meet this demand, the 2010 Census data was re-programmed into 216 districts
after carrying out additional fieldwork and consultations with stakeholders in the districts
affected by the creation of the new districts.

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Locality
A locality was defined as a distinct population cluster (also designated as inhabited place,
populated Centre, settlement) which has a NAME or LOCALLY RECOGNISED STATUS.
It included fishing hamlets, mining camps, ranches, farms, market towns, villages, towns,
cities and many other types of population clusters, which meet the above criteria. There
were two main types of localities, rural and urban. As in previous censuses, the classification
of localities into ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ was based on population size. Localities with 5,000 or
more persons were classified as urban while localities with less than 5,000 persons were
classified as rural.
Population
The 2010 Census was a “de facto” count and each person present in Ghana, irrespective of
nationality, was enumerated at the place where he/she spent the midnight of 26th September
2010.

Household
A household was defined as a person or a group of persons, who lived together in the same
house or compound and shared the same house-keeping arrangements. In general, a
household consisted of a man, his wife, children and some other relatives or a house help who
may be living with them. However, it is important to remember that members of a household
are not necessarily related (by blood or marriage) because non-relatives (e.g. house helps)
may form part of a household.

Head of household
The household head was defined as a male or female member of the household recognized as
such by the other household members. The head of household is generally the person who has
economic and social responsibility for the household. All relationships are defined with
reference to the head.
Household and non-household population
Household population comprised of all persons who spent the census night in a household
setting. All persons who did not spend the census night in a household setting (except
otherwise stated) were classified as non-household population. Persons who spent census
night in any of the under listed institutions and locations were classified as non-household
population:
(a) Educational Institutions
(b) Children's and old people’s homes
(c) Hospitals and healing centers
(d) Hotels
(e) Prisons
(f) Service barracks
(g) Soldiers on field exercise
(h) Floating population: The following are examples of persons in this category:

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 i. All persons who slept in lorry parks, markets, in front of stores and offices, public
bathrooms, petrol filling stations, railway stations, verandas, pavements, and all
such places which are not houses or compounds.
ii. Hunting and fishing camps.
iii. Beggars and vagrants (mentally sick or otherwise).
Age
The age of every person was recorded in completed years disregarding fractions of days and
months. For those persons who did not know their birthdays, the enumerator estimated their
ages using a list of district, regional and national historical events.
Nationality
Nationality is defined as the country to which a person belongs. A distinction is made
between Ghanaians and other nationals. Ghanaian nationals are grouped into Ghanaian by
birth, Ghanaian with dual nationality and Ghanaian by naturalization. Other nationals are
grouped into ECOWAS nationals, Africans other than ECOWAS nationals, and non-
Africans.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity refers to the ethnic group that a person belonged to. This information is collected
only from Ghanaians by birth and Ghanaians with dual nationality. The classification of
ethnic groups in Ghana is that officially provided by the Bureau of Ghana Languages and
which has been in use since the 1960 census.

Birthplace
The birthplace of a person refers to the locality of usual residence of the mother at the time of
birth. If after delivery a mother stayed outside her locality of usual residence for six months
or more or had the intention of staying in the new place for six or more months, then the
actual town/village of physical birth becomes the birthplace of the child.
Duration of residence
Duration of residence refers to the number of years a person has lived in a particular place.
This question is only asked of persons not born in the place where enumeration took place.
Breaks in duration of residence lasting less than 12 months are disregarded. The duration of
residence of persons who made multiple movements of one (1) year or more is assumed to be
the number of years lived in the locality (town or village) since the last movement.
Religion
Religion refers to the individual’s religious affiliation as reported by the respondent,
irrespective of the religion of the household head or the head’s spouse or the name of the
person. No attempt was made to find out if respondents actually practiced the faith they
professed.

Marital status
Marital status refers to the respondent’s marital status as at Census Night. The question on
marital status was asked only of persons 12 years and older. The selection of the age limit of
12 years was based on the average age at menarche and also on the practice in some parts of
the country where girls as young as 12 years old could be given in marriage.
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Literacy
The question on literacy referred to the respondent's ability to read and write in any language.
A person was considered literate if he/she could read and write a simple statement with
understanding. The question on literacy was asked only of persons 11 years and older.
Education
School attendance
Data was collected on school attendance for all persons three (3) years and older. School
attendance refers to whether a person has ever attended, was currently attending or has never
attended school. In the census, school meant an educational institution where a person
received at least four hours of formal education.
Although the lower age limit of formal education is six years for primary one, eligibility for
the school attendance question was lowered to three years because pre-school education has
become an important phenomenon in the country.
Level of education
Level of education refers to the highest level of formal school that a person ever attended or
was attending. This information was obtained for persons 3 years and older.
Activity status
Activity status refers to economic or non-economic activity of respondents during the 7 days
preceding census night. Information on type of activity was collected on persons 5 years and
older. A person was regarded as economically active if he/she:
a. Worked for pay or profit or family gain for at least 1 hour within the 7 days preceding
Census Night. This included persons who were in paid employment or self-
employment or contributing family workers.
b. Did not work, but had jobs to return to.
c. Were unemployed.
The economically not active were persons who did not work and were not seeking for work.
They were classified by reasons for not being economically active. Economically not active
persons included homemakers, students, retired persons, the disabled and persons who were
unable to work due to their age or ill-health.

Occupation
This referred to the type of work the person was engaged in at the establishment where he/she
worked. This was asked only of persons 5 years and older who worked 7 days before the
census night, and those who did not work but had a job to return to as well as those
unemployed who had worked before. All persons who worked during the 7 days before the
census night were classified by the kind of work they were engaged in. The emphasis was on
the work the person did during the reference period and not what he/she was trained to do.
For those who did not work but had a job to return to, their occupation was the job they
would go back to after the period of absence. Also, for persons who had worked before and
were seeking for work and available for work, their occupation was on the last work they did
before becoming unemployed. If a person was engaged in more than one occupation, only the
main one was considered.

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Industry
Industry referred to the type of product produced or service rendered at the respondent’s work
place. Information was collected only on the main product produced or service rendered in
the establishment during the reference period.
Employment status
Employment status refers to the status of a person in the establishment where he/she currently
works or previously worked. Eight employment status categories were provided: employee,
self-employed without employees, self-employed with employees, casual worker,
contributing family worker, apprentice, domestic employee (house help). Persons who could
not be classified under any of the above categories were classified as “other”.

Employment sector
This refers to the sector in which a person worked. The employment sectors covered in the
census were public, private formal, private informal, semi-public/parastatal, NGOs and
international organizations.
Disability
Persons with disability were defined as those who were unable to or were restricted in the
performance of specific tasks/activities due to loss of function of some part of the body as a
result of impairment or malformation. Information was collected on persons with visual/sight
impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, emotional or behavioural disorders and
other physical challenges.
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
ICT questions were asked for both individuals and households. Persons having mobile
phones refer to respondents 12 years and older who owned mobile phones (irrespective of the
number of mobile phones owned by each person). Persons using internet facility refers to
those who had access to internet facility at home, internet cafe, on mobile phone or other
mobile device. Internet access is assumed to be not only via computer, but also by mobile
phones, PDA, game machine and digital television.
Households having Personal Computers/Laptops refer to households who own
desktops/laptop computers. The fixed telephone line refers to a telephone line connecting a
customer’s terminal equipment (e.g. telephone set, facsimile machine) to the public switch
telephone network.

Fertility
Two types of fertility data were collected: lifetime fertility and current fertility. Lifetime
fertility refers to the total number of live births that females 12 years and older had ever had
during their life time. Current fertility refers to the number of live births that females 12-54
years old had in the 12 months preceding the Census Night.
Mortality
Mortality refers to all deaths that occurred in the household during the 12 months preceding
the Census Night. The report presents information on deaths due to accidents, violence,
homicide and suicide. In addition, data were collected on pregnancy-related deaths of
females 12-54 years.

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Agriculture
The census sought information on household members who are engaged in agricultural
activities, including the cultivation of crops or tree planting, rearing of livestock or breeding
of fish for sale or family consumption. Information was also collected on their farms, types of
crops and number and type of livestock.
Housing conditions and facilities
The UN recommended definition of a house as “a structurally separate and independent place
of abode such that a person or group of persons can isolate themselves from the hazards of
climate such as storms and the sun’’ was adopted. The definition, therefore, covered any
type of shelter used as living quarters, such as separate houses, semi-detached houses,
flats/apartments, compound houses, huts, tents, kiosks and containers.
Living quarters or dwelling units refer to a specific area or space occupied by a particular
household and therefore need not necessarily be the same as the house of which the dwelling
unit may be a part.
Information collected on housing conditions included the type of dwelling unit, main
construction materials for walls, floor and roof, holding/tenure arrangement, ownership type,
type of lighting, source of water supply and toilet facilities. Data was also collected on
method of disposal of solid and liquid waste.

1.7 Organization of the Report

The report constitutes nine chapters. Chapter One covers the profile of Mpohor District, the
physical features, and political administration, social and cultural structure the economy and
the concepts, definitions used in the report as well as the methodology are also presented.
Chapter Two provides information on the demographic characteristics. It also encapsulates
issues on population size and distribution, age-sex structure, fertility mortality and migration
relating to the District. Chapter Three examines the social characteristics of the district
focussing on household composition and structure, marital status, nationality, religious
affiliations and literacy and education. Economic activity status, occupation, industry,
employment status and employment sector are analysed in Chapter Four. The Issues
concerning information communication and technology (ICT) are discussed in Chapter Five.
Chapter Six looks at persons with disability. The chapter describes the population with
disability, disability type and its distribution by locality, disability and activity, disability by
education and literacy. Agriculture activities such as population of households engaged in the
sector and the types of farming activities they are engaged in are presented in Chapter Seven.
Chapter Eight is devoted to housing conditions such as type of dwelling, building materials and
access to utilities and facilities. The concluding chapter (Chapter nine) of the report gives a
summary of the key findings, conclusions and policy implications.

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 CHAPTER TWO
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

2.1 Introduction
Demographic characteristics including population size, distribution and age-sex structure are
necessary inputs for effective planning for socio-economic development of a country. These
characteristics are influenced by the components of population change i.e. fertility, mortality
and migration. The dynamics of the components of population change have numerous
demographic and socio-economic implications for development.
The objective of this chapter is to discuss the population size and distribution, sex ratio and
the population pyramid of the Mpohor District. Also discussed in this chapter are the
dynamics of the components of population change of the District.

2.2 Population Size and Distribution

Mpohor District has a total population of 42,923 consisting of 21,486 males and 21,437
females as shown in Table 2.1. The District is predominantly rural with 74.8 percent of the
residents in the villages. Figure 2.1 shows that, the population among urban and rural
localities are 74.8 percent and 25.2 percent respectively. This shows that majority of the
population in the District reside in the rural communities
Figure 2.1: Population by locality of residence

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

2.3 Age-Sex Structure, Sex Ratio and Population Pyramid

Age and sex structure of a population are vital characteristics of a population which influence
many demographic issues. Understanding the age and sex structure of a population yields
insights into the dynamics of the population composition and highlights on socio-economic
challenges

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2.3.1 Age-sex structure
The age-sex structure which is useful for population projections is presented in Table 2.1.
Forty percent of the total population of the District is in the 0-14 age group. The District has
a sex ratio of 100.2. The sex ratio for the people in the 25-64 age group and 65+ is less than
100 which means that there are more females than males among those age groups.
Table 2.1: Population by age and sex
Age Both Sexes Male Female Sex
group Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent ratio
All ages 42,923 100.0 21,486 100.0 21,437 100.0 100.2
0–4 6,404 14.9 3,208 14.9 3,196 14.9 100.4
5–9 5,626 13.1 2,883 13.4 2,743 12.8 105.1
10 – 14 5,119 11.9 2,668 12.4 2,451 11.4 108.9
15 – 19 4,224 9.8 2,173 10.1 2,051 9.6 105.9
20 – 24 3,682 8.6 1,774 8.3 1,908 8.9 93.0
25 – 29 3,240 7.5 1,552 7.2 1,688 7.9 91.9
30 – 34 2,661 6.2 1,305 6.1 1,356 6.3 96.2
35 – 39 2,577 6.0 1,293 6.0 1,284 6.0 100.7
40 – 44 2,292 5.3 1,117 5.2 1,175 5.5 95.1
45 – 49 1,819 4.2 957 4.5 862 4.0 111.0
50 – 54 1,677 3.9 826 3.8 851 4.0 97.1
55 – 59 993 2.3 525 2.4 468 2.2 112.2
60 – 64 839 2.0 434 2.0 405 1.9 107.2
65 – 69 524 1.2 264 1.2 260 1.2 101.5
70 – 74 523 1.2 225 1.0 298 1.4 75.5
75 – 79 255 0.6 122 0.6 133 0.6 91.7
80 – 84 236 0.5 74 0.3 162 0.8 45.7
85+ 232 0.5 86 0.4 146 0.7 55.9
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

2.4 Age-Dependency Ratio

Age-dependency ratio is a measure of the dependent population made up of those below 15
years and 65+ years, to the independent population, that is, those in the 15-64 years. The ratio
is used to measure the burden borne by those in the working age group. According to Table
2.1, the age-dependency ratio for the District is 78.8. The ratio is higher for males (79.7) than
females (77.9) and in the rural (81.4) than the urban (71.5) areas in the District.

Table 2.2: Age dependency ratio

Both Sexes Male Female
Age group Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Urban Rural
All ages 42,923 100.0 21,486 100.0 21,437 100.0 10,826 32,097
0-14 17,149 40.0 8,759 40.8 8,390 39.1 4,092 13,057
15-64 24,004 55.9 11,956 55.6 12,048 56.2 6,311 17,693
65+ 1,770 4.1 771 3.6 999 4.7 423 1,347
Age-dependency
78.8 79.7 77.9 71.5 81.4
ratio
Child dependency
71.4 73.3 69.6 64.8 73.8
ratio
Old age dependency
7.4 6.4 8.3 6.7 7.6
ratio
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

16
2.5 Population Pyramid
Population pyramid is a graphical representation of the age-sex composition of a population.
Figure 2.1 shows the population pyramid of the Mpohor District. The pyramid which has
abroad base and tapers off with increasing age depicts a youthful population similar to that of
the country. This is because in typical developing country like Ghana fertility rate tends to be
relatively high and the average life expectancy low accounting for the broad base and
narrower upper end of the population pyramid. As shown in Figure 2.1 there are no marked
differences in the number of males and females in the various age groups with the exception
of the 70+ olds with a higher female population.
Figure 2.2: Population pyramid

Age
85+
80-84
75-79 Male Female
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
4,000 2,000 0 2,000 4,000
Population

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

2.6 Fertility, Mortality and Migration

Fertility, mortality and migration are factors that influence population growth at a particular
point in time. Data on these three components are critical for planning the overall socio-
economic development of the District.
In this section, we examine the components of population change – fertility, mortality and
migration. The interactions of these components determine the size and structure of
population. While fertility causes an increase in the size of the population through births,
mortality on the other hand leads to a reduction in the size of the population through deaths.
Unlike fertility which causes an increase at only one point – births of persons aged zero,
deaths can occur at any age, although the force of mortality is greater at the very young and
older ages. Similarly, migration can occur at any age, but it is usually young adult males who
move first and are often joined by their families. However, unlike fertility and mortality,
migration affects the population size and structure of two Regions, the area of in-migration as
well as the area of out-migration.
17
2.6.1 Fertility
Table 2.3 presents various fertility measurements, namely, Crude Birth Rate (CBR), General
Fertility Rate (GFR), and Total Fertility Rate (TFR). Generally, fertility level for the District
is higher than the average for the Western Region. The District has a TFR of 4.3 and a GFR
of 125.8 which is far higher than the regional average of 105.8.
Table 2.3: Reported total fertility rate, general fertility rate and crude birth rate
Number
Number of of births
women in last Total *General **Crude
15-49 12 Fertility Fertility Birth
District Population years months Rate Rate Rate
All Districts 2,376,021 602,769 63,769 3.6 105.8 26.8
Jomoro 150,107 38,145 4,245 3.7 111.3 28.3
Ellembelle 87,501 22,148 2,381 3.6 107.5 27.2
Nzema East 60,828 15,155 1,734 3.7 114.4 28.5
Ahanta West 106,215 26,356 3,112 3.9 118.1 29.3
Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis 559,548 158,170 12,883 2.8 81.5 23
Shama 81,966 20,778 2,371 3.9 114.1 28.9
Wassa East 81,073 18,717 2,509 4.5 134 30.9
Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal 90,477 22,852 2,278 3.2 99.7 25.2
Prestea/Huni Valley 159,304 39,035 4,898 4.2 125.5 30.7
Wassa Amenfi East 83,478 19,368 2,481 4.4 128.1 29.7
Wassa Amenfi West 92,152 22,124 2,387 3.7 107.9 25.9
Aowin 117,886 28,511 3,253 3.9 114.1 27.6
Sefwi Akontombra 82,467 19,026 2,158 3.6 113.4 26.2
Sefwi Wiawso 139,200 34,406 3,668 3.7 106.6 26.4
Sefwi Bibiani-Ahwiaso Bekwai 123,272 30,844 2,919 3.2 94.6 23.7
Juabeso 58,435 14,521 1,792 4.2 123.4 30.7
Bia west 88,939 22,021 2,598 3.8 118 29.2
Mpohor 42,923 10,324 1,299 4.3 125.8 30.3
Wassa Amenfi Central 69,014 15,867 1,895 4.1 119.4 27.5
Suaman 20,529 5,141 482 3.2 93.8 23.5
Bodi 53,314 12,708 1,556 4.1 122.4 29.2
Bia East 27,393 6,552 870 4.2 132.8 31.8
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Note: * Number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15-49 years
** Number of live births per 1,000 populations

Children ever born and children surviving

Again, the fertility dynamics of the female population 12 years and older in the Mpohor
District is presented in Table 2.4. There are 14,425 females 12 years and older in the District
with the highest number (2,051) and the lowest number (468) in the 15-19 and 55-59 age
groups respectively. Children ever born to females 12+ years is 40,081 consisting of 19,892
males and 20,189 females. The 60+ and the 12-14 age groups registered the highest and the
lowest number of children ever born respectively. There is no discernable pattern of the
children ever born by sex. The number of reported surviving children in the District is a
reflection of the number of children ever born as shown in Table 2.3.

18
Table 2.4: Female population 12 years and older by age, children ever born, children
surviving and sex of child
Number of Females Children ever born Children Surviving
Both Both
Age Number sexes Male Female sexes Male Female
All ages 14,425 40,081 19,892 20,189 33,441 16,563 16,878
12 - 14 1,378 8 3 5 6 2 4
15 - 19 2,051 349 177 172 295 156 139
20 - 24 1,908 1,841 892 949 1,657 789 868
25 - 29 1,688 3,371 1,646 1,725 3,054 1,473 1,581
30 - 34 1,356 4,155 2,068 2,087 3,783 1,891 1,892
35 - 39 1,284 5,189 2,595 2,594 4,644 2,301 2,343
40 - 44 1,175 5,419 2,756 2,663 4,643 2,352 2,291
45 - 49 862 4,424 2,195 2,229 3,764 1,852 1,912
50 - 54 851 4,562 2,263 2,299 3,744 1,880 1,864
55 - 59 468 2,557 1,283 1,274 2,078 1,019 1,059
60 + 1,404 8,206 4,014 4,192 5,773 2,848 2,925
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

2.6.2 Mortality
Data on mortality provide an indication of the health status of the population as well as
measure of the living conditions of the people. It also provides information on the potential
growth of the population in the future. Several interventions over the years, including
enhancing access to quality health care services, improving food security and improving
environmental conditions, among others have been done by government and development
agencies to reduce the prevailing high levels of mortality. Mortality during the 2010 PHC
took into consideration crude death rates and age specific death rate in the Mpohor District
Alternatively, mortality refers to the incidence of death or the number of deaths in a
population. Mortality Rates are generally expressed as the number of deaths per 1000
individuals per year.
Mortality data in Table 2.5 refers to all deaths that occurred in the household during the 12
months preceding the census night. The report shows information on deaths in household due
to accidents, violence, homicide and suicide. The Mpohor District is among the Districts in
the Western Region with high Crude Death Rates (CDR). The CDR of 9.1 for the Mpohor
District is higher than the 6.2 for the Western Region (Table 2.4). The number of registered
deaths in households in the District of 390 is relatively low partly due to the District
population size.

19
Table 2.5: Total population, deaths in households and crude death
Total Deaths in *Crude
District Population households death rate
All Districts 2,376,021 14,825 6.2
Jomoro 150,107 1,452 9.7
Ellembelle 87,501 471 5.4
Nzema East 60,828 425 7
Ahanta West 106,215 683 6.4
Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis 559,548 2,721 4.9
Shama 81,966 590 7.2
Wassa East 81,073 926 11.4
Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal 90,477 351 3.9
Prestea/Huni Valley 159,304 974 6.1
Wassa Amenfi East 83,478 589 7.1
Wassa Amenfi West 92,152 530 5.8
Aowin 117,886 551 4.7
Sefwi Akontombra 82,467 316 3.8
Sefwi Wiawso 139,200 890 6.4
Sefwi Bibiani-Ahwiaso Bekwai 123,272 1,053 8.5
Juabeso 58,435 355 6.1
Bia west 88,939 595 6.7
Mpohor 42,923 390 9.1
Wassa Amenfi Central 69,014 375 5.4
Suaman 20,529 98 4.8
Bodi 53,314 364 6.8
Bia East 27,393 126 4.6
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
Note: * Number of deaths per 1,000 populations

Age-Specific Death Rates (ASDRS)

Age-specific death rate by sex is the number of deaths per age group by male and female
populations. Figure 2.3 shows age specific death rates for the District. Figure 2.2 shows
reported age specific death rates by sex. Infant mortality and under-five mortality rates are
higher among females than males in the Mpohor District. The death rate among females aged
15 -39 years and 44-54 is also higher than males, a possible indication of relatively high
maternal mortality in the District. Figure 2.2 further shows that the age specific death rates
for males aged 55 years and above are higher than that of females in the same age groups.

20
Figure 2.3: Reported age specific death rates by sex
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
Male
0.03
0.02 Female
0.01
0

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

Distribution on causes of death

Table 2.6 shows the number of deaths in households. According to the Table, 390 deaths
were recorded in households for the last 12 months. While the region recorded higher
percentages of 13.4 percent deaths due to accidents/homicide/suicide or violence, the District
recorded a lower percentage (11.3%) of death due to accidents/homicide/suicide/violence.

Table 2.6: Cause of deaths in households

Death due to
Total Accident/ violence/ All other
Region/District deaths homicide /suicide causes
Western 14,825 13.4 86.6
Jomoro 1,452 12.5 87.5
Ellembelle 471 11.9 88.1
Nzema East 425 19.3 80.7
Ahanta West 683 12 88
Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis 2,721 14 86
Shama 590 12.5 87.5
Wassa East 926 6.8 93.2
Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal 351 10.8 89.2
Prestea/Huni Valley 974 16.9 83.1
Wassa Amenfi East 589 17.7 82.3
Wassa Amenfi West 531 11.7 88.3
Aowin 561 19.1 80.9
Sefwi Akontombra 316 13.3 86.7
Sefwi Wiawso 890 14.2 85.8
Sefwi Bibiani-Ahwiaso Bekwai 1,053 9 91
Juabeso 361 10.2 89.8
Bia west 595 22.4 77.6
Mpohor 390 11.3 88.7
Wassa Amenfi Central 374 9.4 90.6
Suaman 88 15.9 84.1
Bodi 358 11.7 88.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

21
2.6.3 Migration
Table 2.7 shows birthplace by duration of residence of migrants in the Mpohor District. The
District registered 14,570 migrants. Majority (56.6%) of the migrants in the District were
born outside the Western Region. Of the migrants who were born outside the Western
Region, the majority, 28.1 percent were born in the Central Region and 7.6 from the Ashanti
Region.
The highest proportion of 28.8 percent of migrants has stayed in the District for 1-4 years.
The duration of residence varies by the region of birth. For instance, the highest proportion
(24.7%) of the migrants who were born in the Central Region has stayed for 1-4 years while
30.7 percent of those born in the Eastern Region have stayed for 20+ years.

Table 2.7: Birthplace by duration of residence of migrants

Duration of residence (%)
Less than 1-4 5-9 10-19 20+
Birthplace Number Percent 1 year years years years years
Total 14,570 100 14.7 28.8 14.9 20.1 21.5
Born elsewhere in the region 6,319 43.4 16 30.4 14.7 19.7 19.1
Born elsewhere in another
56.6
region
Western - - - - - - -
Central 4,091 28.1 13.9 24.7 15.7 21.5 24.2
Greater Accra 441 3 19 35.6 11.3 14.3 19.7
Volta 759 5.2 11.9 24.9 12.8 23.5 27
Eastern 1,107 7.6 13.9 23.6 13.3 18.5 30.7
Ashanti 722 5 13.3 31.9 11.5 20.8 22.6
Brong Ahafo 253 1.7 10.7 51.8 17.4 11.5 8.7
Northern 223 1.5 17.5 43 14.3 16.1 9
Upper East 272 1.9 8.5 36.4 25.7 20.6 8.8
Upper West 117 0.8 12.8 20.5 27.4 23.9 15.4
Outside Ghana 266 1.8 10.5 30.8 19.2 22.2 17.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

22
 CHAPTER THREE
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS

3.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses the socio-cultural characteristics of Mpohor District as captured by the
2010 PHC. Issues discussed in the chapter encompass household composition and structure,
marital status, nationality, religious affiliation, literacy and education.

3.2 Household Size, Composition and Structure

A household is defined as a person or group of persons who live together in the same house
or compound, share housekeeping arrangements and are catered for as one unit (GSS 2013).
The composition of a traditional Ghanaian household comprises the head, spouse, children,
in-laws, siblings, other relatives and non-relatives.
3.2.1 Household size
Household size refers to the total number of persons in a household irrespective of age, sex,
or residential status. Household formation and distribution can form the basis for planning
for economic and social services needed by the population. The demand for housing units, for
instance, will have to be based on location and distribution of size of households. The
distribution of households by urban-rural in each region also provides a useful information on
how urbanized or ‘ruralized’ a region is becoming, for planning purposes
Table 3.1 shows household size by locality in Mpohor District. The total household
population is 41,976 which is made up of 25.4 percent urban locality and 74.6 percent rural
locality. The average household size for the District is 3.7 which is lower than regional
average of 4.3. While the rural household size is 3.8, the urban household size is 3.6.

Table 3.1: Household size by locality of residence

District
Total Total
Categories country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total household population 24,076,327 2,307,395 41,976 100.0 25.4 74.6
Number of households 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 26.0 74.0
Average household size 4.5 4.3 3.7 3.6 3.8
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.2.2 Household composition

Households may be composed of one or more of the following: the head of the household, a
spouse, children, parents, siblings, grandchildren and other relatives or non-relatives. This
may serve as the basic unit for demographic analysis. According to Table 3.2, the total number
of household population is 41,979 in the Mpohor District. The total number of males in
households is more than that of females by about 2.0 percent. Children constitute the highest
proportion of 41.8 percent of household members in the District. The least in the household
population composition is parent/parent in laws (0.4%). Male headed households are 36.5
percent and female headed households are 18.6 percent. This means male headed households
are more than female headed households and this conform to the general pattern observed in
the country.
23
Table 3.2: Household population by composition and sex
Total Male Female
Household composition Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 41,976 100.0 20,986 100.0 20,990 100.0
Head 11,572 27.6 7,668 36.5 3,904 18.6
Spouse (wife/husband) 5,305 12.6 590 2.8 4,715 22.5
Child (son/daughter) 17,561 41.8 8,827 42.1 8,734 41.6
Parent/parent in-law 177 0.4 27 0.1 150 0.7
Son/daughter in-law 224 0.5 93 0.4 131 0.6
Grandchild 2,819 6.7 1,403 6.7 1,416 6.7
Brother/sister 1,226 2.9 743 3.5 483 2.3
Step child 368 0.9 201 1.0 167 0.8
Adopted/foster child 173 0.4 72 0.3 101 0.5
Other relative 1,991 4.7 983 4.7 1,008 4.8
Non-relative 560 1.3 379 1.8 181 0.9
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.2.3 Household structure

Household structure refers to the type of relationship among household members, whether
related or unrelated. Table 3.3 shows the household population by structure and sex in
Mpohor District. With a household population of 41,976, nuclear family household structure
(head, spouse(s) and children) constitutes the highest in the District (39.5%). This is followed
by the extended (head, spouse(s), children and head’s relatives) accounting for 13.6 percent
with the least being single parent extended with non-relatives household structure (0.6%).
The proportion of males in a nuclear family household structure (head, spouse(s) and children
is 40.2 percent whiles that of females is 38.8 percent in that same category.
Table 3.3: Population household by structure and sex
Total Male Female
Household structure Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 41,976 100.0 20,986 100.0 20,990 100.0
Head only 2,717 6.5 1,849 8.8 868 4.1
Head and a spouse only 1,314 3.1 658 3.1 656 3.1
Nuclear (head spouse(s) children) 16,576 39.5 8,432 40.2 8,144 38.8
Extended (head spouse(s) children
5,721 13.6 2,797 13.3 2,924 13.9
head's relatives)
Extended + non relatives 373 0.9 205 1.0 168 0.8
Head spouse(s) and other composition 1,729 4.1 903 4.3 826 3.9
Single parent nuclear 4,898 11.7 2,073 9.9 2,825 13.5
Single parent extended 4,596 10.9 1,843 8.8 2,753 13.1
Single parent extended + non relative 262 0.6 134 0.6 128 0.6
Head and other composition but no
3,790 9.0 2,092 10.0 1,698 8.1
spouse
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.3 Marital Status

Even though people are delaying marriage as observed in the 2010 census, there is still the
element of the universality of marriage within the process of social change and economic
development (Nukunya, 2003, cited in GSS 2013, p.103). Marriage may be defined as a
social institution which establishes the legitimacy of children (Gough 1957).

24
3.3.1 Marital status of persons 12 years and older by sex
Figure 3.1 shows that, a higher proportion (47.1%) of persons 12 years and older are married,
whiles the never married accounts for 35.1 percent. The proportion of those separated,
divorced and widowed constitutes 1.6 percent, 5.9 percent and 4.9 percent respectively,
whiles persons in informal/consensual union/living together recorded 5.5 percent.
Figure 3.1: Persons 12 years and older by marital status

Never married
1.6 4.9
5.9
Informal/ Consensual
union/Living together
35.1
Married

Separated

47.1
5.5 Divorced

Widowed

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.3.2 Marital status of persons 12 years and older by sex and age-group
Table 3.4 shows that, the total population of persons aged 12 years and older in Mpohor
District is 28,681. About 35 percent are never married and 47.1 percent are married. Persons
12-14 years (92.5%) recorded the highest proportion of those who are never married. In the
category of married persons, 49-49 years recorded 76.2 percent followed by 76.1 percent for
those 35-39 years. Informal/Consensual union/Living together is relatively higher among
those 25-29 years (11.1%).
The total population of males and females aged 12 years and older is 14,256 and 14,425
respectively. Within the male population, 41.8 percent have never married whiles 46.7
percent are married compared to 28.5 percent and 47.4 percent of females who have never
married and married respectively.
There are variations in marital status between males and females. For instance, in age group
25-29 years, more than half of females (64.9%) are married compared with 40.1 percent for
males. Furthermore, from age 45 the proportion of females married begins to decrease while
the proportion widowed and divorced increases.
The highest percentage of 7.2 percent of consensual union for males occurs the highest at age
25- 29 (11.6%) and females at 20-24 years (13.7%). The general pattern also shows that there
are more widowed females than males. The difference could be attributed to women marrying
older men and the fact that more males remarry than females at older ages.
Females are also more likely to be divorced or separated than males. The pattern also shows
that the divorce and separation among males and females tends to increase with age and starts
to decrease at about age 50 years.

25
Table 3.4: Persons 12 years and older by sex, age-group and marital status
Informal/
consensual
Sex/age- Never union/living
group Number Total married together Married Separated Divorced Widowed
Both Sexes
Total 28,681 100.0 35.1 5.5 47.1 1.6 5.9 4.9
12 - 14 2,907 100.0 92.5 0.9 6.6 0.0 0.0 0.0
15 - 19 4,224 100.0 86.8 3.1 9.2 0.3 0.4 0.3
20 - 24 3,682 100.0 56.6 9.8 30.5 1.3 1.4 0.4
25 - 29 3,240 100.0 27.0 11.1 55.5 2.1 3.5 0.7
30 - 34 2,661 100.0 13.2 8.9 68.7 2.2 5.6 1.4
35 - 39 2,577 100.0 7.1 6.9 76.1 1.5 6.6 1.8
40 - 44 2,292 100.0 3.3 4.4 75.5 2.1 10.4 4.3
45 - 49 1,819 100.0 2.5 4.2 76.2 2.5 9.5 5.1
50 - 54 1,677 100.0 1.9 3.3 70.4 2.5 13.2 8.7
55 - 59 993 100.0 1.0 1.9 68.5 2.1 13.0 13.5
60 - 64 839 100.0 2.6 1.1 60.0 3.8 15.0 17.5
65+ 1,770 100.0 2.3 1.1 41.2 2.1 16.2 37.1
Male
Total 14,256 100.0 41.8 5.0 46.7 1.2 3.8 1.5
12 - 14 1,529 100.0 91.6 0.9 7.5 0.0 0.0 0.0
15 - 19 2,173 100.0 93.3 1.0 5.3 0.0 0.1 0.2
20 - 24 1,774 100.0 76.5 5.6 17.0 0.5 0.2 0.3
25 - 29 1,552 100.0 40.1 11.6 45.3 1.3 1.3 0.5
30 - 34 1,305 100.0 19.2 10.3 63.9 2.4 3.4 0.8
35 - 39 1,293 100.0 10.4 8.4 74.6 1.3 4.6 0.7
40 - 44 1,117 100.0 4.6 4.2 79.9 2.9 6.9 1.6
45 - 49 957 100.0 3.3 4.7 82.0 1.7 7.1 1.1
50 - 54 826 100.0 3.0 4.0 82.2 1.3 8.0 1.5
55 - 59 525 100.0 1.3 2.9 80.0 1.1 11.2 3.4
60 - 64 434 100.0 4.4 1.6 77.6 2.5 9.4 4.4
65+ 771 100.0 3.8 1.2 66.3 2.3 12.8 13.6
Female
Total 14,425 100.0 28.5 6.0 47.4 1.9 7.9 8.2
12 - 14 1,378 100.0 93.5 0.9 5.6 0.0 0.0 0.0
15 - 19 2,051 100.0 79.8 5.4 13.3 0.5 0.7 0.3
20 - 24 1,908 100.0 38.1 13.7 43.1 2.0 2.6 0.5
25 - 29 1,688 100.0 15.0 10.7 64.9 2.8 5.6 0.9
30 - 34 1,356 100.0 7.3 7.6 73.4 2.0 7.7 2.0
35 - 39 1,284 100.0 3.7 5.5 77.6 1.7 8.6 2.9
40 - 44 1,175 100.0 2.0 4.6 71.4 1.4 13.7 6.8
45 - 49 862 100.0 1.6 3.7 69.7 3.5 12.1 9.4
50 - 54 851 100.0 0.8 2.6 58.9 3.6 18.3 15.7
55 - 59 468 100.0 0.6 0.9 55.6 3.2 15.0 24.8
60 - 64 405 100.0 0.7 0.5 41.0 5.2 21.0 31.6
65+ 999 100.0 1.1 1.0 21.8 2.0 18.8 55.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.3.3 Marital status by level of education

Table 3.5 focuses on persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and level of education.
With a population of 28, 681 persons, 62.5 percent have achieved basic education whiles 25.1
percent have no education at all. Among the married population, more than half (59.7%)
reported basic education as the highest level of education achieved. Those with tertiary
(0.4%) were in the minority. In descending order, 30.4 percent of the married population had
no educational attainment; 5.2 percent had obtained secondary; 1.4 percent with
26
vocational/technical/commercial and; 2.8 percent with post middle/ secondary
certificate/diploma. The proportion with basic education (72.9 %) is higher than those with
no education (8.1%)
Table 3.5: Persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and level of education
Post middle/
Voc./ secondary
All No Secon- Tech./ certificate/
Sex/marital status Number levels Education Basic2 dary3 Comm diploma4 Tertiary5
Both Sexes
Total 28,681 100.0 25.1 62.5 8.2 1.3 2.5 0.4
Never married 10,070 100.0 8.1 72.9 14.5 1.2 2.8 0.6
Informal/consensual
1,577 100.0 21.6 68.9 6.6 1.5 1.2 0.2
union/living together
Married 13,500 100.0 30.4 59.7 5.2 1.4 2.8 0.4
Separated 451 100.0 40.8 53.2 4.7 0.7 0.7 0.0
Divorced 1,678 100.0 47.1 47.9 2.6 1.0 1.4 0.1
Widowed 1,405 100.0 70.0 27.5 0.8 0.6 1.0 0.1
Male
Total 14,256 100.0 15.4 68.1 10.5 1.8 3.6 0.6
Never married 5,957 100.0 8.4 71.6 14.8 1.3 3.2 0.7
Informal/consensual
713 100.0 14.2 71.7 10.2 2.5 1.4 0.0
union/living together
Married 6,656 100.0 19.0 66.2 7.5 2.1 4.4 0.7
Separated 170 100.0 33.5 54.1 9.4 1.2 1.8 0.0
Divorced 541 100.0 32.5 59.3 3.3 1.8 2.8 0.2
Widowed 219 100.0 43.8 49.3 2.3 1.4 2.7 0.5
Female
Total 14,425 100.0 34.7 57.0 5.9 0.8 1.4 0.2
Never married 4,113 100.0 7.6 74.9 14.0 0.9 2.2 0.4
Informal/consensual
864 100.0 27.8 66.6 3.6 0.7 1.0 0.3
union/living together
Married 6,844 100.0 41.4 53.4 3.0 0.8 1.3 0.2
Separated 281 100.0 45.2 52.7 1.8 0.4 0.0 0.0
Divorced 1,137 100.0 54.0 42.4 2.3 0.6 0.7 0.0
Widowed 1,186 100.0 74.9 23.5 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census
1 Basic: Primary, Middle and JSS/JHS
2 Secondary: SSS/SHS and Secondary
3 Post Middle/ Sec. Cert./Diploma: Teacher training/ College of education, Agric, Nursing , University Diploma, HND,etc.
4 Tertiary: Bachelors Degree and Post Graduate or higher

3.3.4 Marital status by economic activity status

The economic activity status of people vis-à-vis their marital status provides useful insights
into issues regarding dependency. All things being equal, people engaged in economic
activities are likely to be capable of supporting a spouse financially. Rationally, people
engaged in income earning activities are inclined to marry.
Table 3.6 illustrates persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and economic activity
status. The total number of persons 12 years and older in the District is 28,681of which 66.8
percent are employed, 2.2 percent unemployed and 31.0 percent economically not active.
Those who have never married are 10,070 out of which 36.6 percent are employed, 2.7
percent unemployed and 60.7 percent economically not active. With a total married

27
population of 13,500 people, those employed recorded 85.5 percent. This proportion is
expected because being employed enhances individuals’ marriage prospects.
Among the population of married females, 81.8 percent are employed whiles 2.4 percent are
unemployed and 15.8 percent are economically not active. Among males in the District,
those married and employed 89.3 percent, 1.4 percent unemployed and 9.3 percent being
economically not active.

Table 3.6: Persons 12 years and older by sex, marital status and economic
activity status
Economically
Total Employed Unemployed not active
Sex/marital status Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Both Sexes
Total 28,681 100.0 19,160 66.8 641 2.2 8,880 31.0
Never married 10,070 100.0 3,688 36.6 273 2.7 6,109 60.7
Informal/consensual
1,577 100.0 1,270 80.5 71 4.5 236 15.0
union/living together
Married 13,500 100.0 11,543 85.5 258 1.9 1,699 12.6
Separated 451 100.0 375 83.1 8 1.8 68 15.1
Divorced 1,678 100.0 1,387 82.7 15 0.9 276 16.4
Widowed 1,405 100.0 897 63.8 16 1.1 492 35.0
Male
Total 14,256 100.0 9,828 68.9 301 2.1 4,127 28.9
Never married 5,957 100.0 2,491 41.8 180 3.0 3,286 55.2
Informal/consensual
713 100.0 647 90.7 14 2.0 52 7.3
union/living together
Married 6,656 100.0 5,945 89.3 91 1.4 620 9.3
Separated 170 100.0 153 90.0 2 1.2 15 8.8
Divorced 541 100.0 446 82.4 12 2.2 83 15.3
Widowed 219 100.0 146 66.7 2 0.9 71 32.4
Female
Total 14,425 100.0 9,332 64.7 340 2.4 4,753 32.9
Never married 4,113 100.0 1,197 29.1 93 2.3 2,823 68.6
Informal/consensual
864 100.0 623 72.1 57 6.6 184 21.3
union/living together
Married 6,844 100.0 5,598 81.8 167 2.4 1,079 15.8
Separated 281 100.0 222 79.0 6 2.1 53 18.9
Divorced 1,137 100.0 941 82.8 3 0.3 193 17.0
Widowed 1,186 100.0 751 63.3 14 1.2 421 35.5
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.4 Nationality
Nationality is defined as the country to which a person belongs. Ghanaian nationals are
classified as Ghanaian by birth and by naturalization. In Table 3.7, the majority of the
population in the District (96.6%) are Ghanaians by birth with similar observation in both
sexes. This is followed by dual nationality (1.5 %) and Ghanaians by naturalization of 0.5
percent. Non Ghanaians constitutes 1.4 percent.

28
Table 3.7: Population by nationality and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Nationality Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 42,923 100.0 21,486 100.0 21,437 100.0
Ghanaian by birth 41,479 96.6 20,774 96.7 20,705 96.6
Dual nationality (Ghanaian & Other) 647 1.5 307 1.4 340 1.6
Ghanaian by naturalization 203 0.5 98 0.5 105 0.5
ECOWAS 258 0.6 132 0.6 126 0.6
African other than ECOWAS 181 0.4 93 0.4 88 0.4
Other 155 0.4 82 0.4 73 0.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.5 Religious Affiliation

Every citizen in Ghana is enjoined by the 1992 constitution to have freedom of worship and
may choose to join any religious group provided the practices of the said group are consistent
with the same constitution. From Table 3.7, most people in the District are Christians
(82.0%); 12.7 percent are without any form of religion; 3.9 percent belong to the Islamic
religion; traditionalist form 0.8 percent and; those belonging to other religions not specified
are 0.6 percent.
Table 3.8 shows the religious affiliation of persons by sex in Mpohor District. Among the
Christian fraternity, Pentecostals/Charismatics in the District are 13,423 of which 29.1
percent are males and 33.4 percent females. The number of Protestants (Anglican, Lutheran,
Methodist, Presbyterians etc.) is 9,097 consisting of 20.5 percent males and 21.9 percent
females.

Table 3.8: Population by religion and sex

Both sexes Male Female
Religion Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 42,923 100.0 21,486 100.0 21,437 100.0
No religion 5,452 12.7 3,432 16.0 2,020 9.4
Catholic 3,817 8.9 1,963 9.1 1,854 8.6
Protestants (Anglican Lutheran etc.) 9,097 21.2 4,407 20.5 4,690 21.9
Pentecostal/Charismatic 13,423 31.3 6,256 29.1 7,167 33.4
Other Christian 8,870 20.7 4,204 19.6 4,666 21.8
Islam 1,685 3.9 962 4.5 723 3.4
Traditionalist 335 0.8 152 0.7 183 0.9
Other 244 0.6 110 0.5 134 0.6
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.6 Literacy and Education

Education and literacy are two sides of the same coin and are important tools for national
development. An educated and literate person would be able to use the acquired skills and
thus make informed decisions which would allow for increase opportunities and effective
competition with others. Therefore, investing in human resource development through formal
education has caught the attention of all governments since independence.

3.6.1 Literacy
Literacy is measured by the ability to read and write a simple statement in any language with
understanding. It also enables people to access information on what goes on around them so
as to make informed decisions. (GSS, 2013).
29
Table 3.9 shows that of the persons 11 years and older in the District, 75.5 percent are literate
with the remainder being non-literate (24.5%). In terms of sex, the Table indicates that males
constitute the majority (55.9%) of the literate population. However, in terms of illiteracy,
females are in the majority with 69.5 percent.
Table 3.9: Population 11 years and older by sex, age and literacy status
English English,
None Ghanaian and English French and
(not English language Ghanaian and Ghanaian
Age literate) Literate Total only only language French language
Both sexes
Total 7,236 22333.0 100.0 31.1 7.2 60.9 0.2 0.6
11-14 109 3686.0 100.0 38.3 6.0 54.7 0.3 0.7
15-19 257 3967.0 100.0 31.3 4.4 63.3 0.1 0.9
20-24 509 3173.0 100.0 31.3 6.1 61.9 0.2 0.5
25-29 677 2563.0 100.0 31.9 8.9 58.6 0.2 0.4
30-34 785 1876.0 100.0 30.0 9.0 60.2 0.2 0.6
35-39 803 1774.0 100.0 30.4 10.2 58.6 0.1 0.7
40-44 806 1486.0 100.0 29.4 9.6 60.5 0.2 0.3
45-49 620 1199.0 100.0 27.6 8.5 63.4 0.2 0.3
50-54 641 1036.0 100.0 23.8 7.8 67.4 0.2 0.8
55-59 403 590.0 100.0 24.1 7.1 67.5 0.3 1.0
60-64 412 427.0 100.0 23.4 7.0 69.6 0.0 0.0
65+ 1,214 556.0 100.0 20.1 8.5 70.1 0.2 1.1
Male
Total 2,208 12480.0 100.0 29.6 5.9 63.6 0.2 0.7
11-14 58 1903.0 100.0 38.8 5.5 54.5 0.3 0.8
15-19 108 2065.0 100.0 31.2 4.2 63.3 0.2 1.1
20-24 177 1597.0 100.0 27.6 5.3 66.4 0.1 0.6
25-29 218 1334.0 100.0 31.3 7.3 60.7 0.4 0.4
30-34 253 1052.0 100.0 28.0 5.9 65.0 0.4 0.7
35-39 231 1062.0 100.0 29.1 7.5 62.4 0.0 0.9
40-44 228 889.0 100.0 28.6 7.8 63.1 0.2 0.3
45-49 179 778.0 100.0 27.2 6.2 66.1 0.3 0.3
50-54 176 650.0 100.0 21.7 4.9 72.2 0.2 1.1
55-59 119 406.0 100.0 21.2 4.7 72.4 0.2 1.5
60-64 119 315.0 100.0 23.2 5.7 71.1 0.0 0.0
65+ 342 429.0 100.0 18.9 8.2 71.3 0.2 1.4
Female
Total 5,028 9853.0 100.0 32.9 8.9 57.6 0.1 0.5
11-14 51 1783.0 100.0 37.6 6.5 54.9 0.3 0.6
15-19 149 1902.0 100.0 31.4 4.6 63.2 0.0 0.8
20-24 332 1576.0 100.0 35.1 7.0 57.3 0.2 0.4
25-29 459 1229.0 100.0 32.6 10.7 56.4 0.0 0.3
30-34 532 824.0 100.0 32.5 13.0 54.0 0.0 0.5
35-39 572 712.0 100.0 32.3 14.2 52.9 0.1 0.4
40-44 578 597.0 100.0 30.7 12.4 56.6 0.2 0.2
45-49 441 421.0 100.0 28.3 12.8 58.4 0.0 0.5
50-54 465 386.0 100.0 27.5 12.7 59.3 0.3 0.3
55-59 284 184.0 100.0 30.4 12.5 56.5 0.5 0.0
60-64 293 112.0 100.0 24.1 10.7 65.2 0.0 0.0
65+ 872 127.0 100.0 24.4 9.4 66.1 0.0 0.0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

30
3.6.2 Education
Education is one of the critical pillars for human capital development; an important factor in
the development of a country. Because of its importance, it features prominently in the
Millennium Development Goals and indeed the achievement of several other development
goals largely depends on education. Indeed, it is widely accepted that education can increase
the mental and productive capacities of individuals.
Figure 3.2 indicates population 3 years and older who are currently attending school, had
attended school in the past or had never attended school. There are more females (28.0%)
who had never attended school than males (14.0%). The proportion who had attended school
in the past is 45.2 percent for males is greater than that for females (34.7%). The proportion
of currently attending school is also a little higher for males (40.0%) than for females
(34.7%).

Figure 3.2: Population 3 years and older by school attendance and sex

50.0
45.0 40.8
39.0
40.0 37.2
35.0
30.0 Never
25.0 Now
20.0 Past
15.0 28.0
10.0 21.0
14.0
5.0
40.0 45.2 34.7
0.0
Total Male Female

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

3.6.3 Level of education and school attendance

Table 3.9 shows the Population three (3) years and older by level of education, school
attendance and sex in Mpohor District. The total population of persons three (3) years and
older in Mpohor District is 30,851 of which currently attending school in Mpohor District is
15,230 consisting 52.4 percent males 47.6 percent females. The Table further shows that,
those who are in primary schools account for 48.8 percent; JHS/JSS (17.6%); SSS/SHS
(5.4%) and; Tertiary students (1.0%).

31
Table 3.10: Population 3 years and older by level of education, school attendance
and sex

Currently attending Attended in the past

Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female
Level of education Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 15,230 100.0 7,974 100.0 7,256 100.0 15,621 100.0 8,848 100.0 6,773 100.0
Nursery 1,610 10.6 823 10.3 787 10.8 - 0.0 - 0.0 - 0.0
Kindergarten 2,434 16.0 1,240 15.6 1,194 16.5 - 0.0 - 0.0 - 0.0
Primary 7,435 48.8 3,868 48.5 3,567 49.2 2,774 17.8 1,123 12.7 1,651 24.4
JSS/JHS 2,686 17.6 1,439 18.0 1,247 17.2 5,730 36.7 2,892 32.7 2,838 41.9
Middle - 0.0 - 0.0 - 0.0 4,633 29.7 3,082 34.8 1,551 22.9
SSS/SHS 825 5.4 444 5.6 381 5.3 1,207 7.7 813 9.2 394 5.8
Secondary - 0.0 - 0.0 - 0.0 312 2.0 241 2.7 71 1.0
Vocational/Technical/
54 0.4 42 0.5 12 0.2 309 2.0 208 2.4 101 1.5
Commercial
Post middle/secondary
39 0.3 18 0.2 21 0.3 266 1.7 169 1.9 97 1.4
certificate
Tertiary 147 1.0 100 1.3 47 0.6 390 2.5 320 3.6 70 1.0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

32
 CHAPTER FOUR
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

4.1 Introduction
Production of goods and services is critical to the development of an economy. The strength
of every district lies in the manpower capacities and economic viabilities embedded in it.
Where a higher proportion of the population is employed, the general wellbeing of the
citizenry is enhanced. Data on economic characteristics are vital for planning, monitoring and
evaluating the impact of various economic and social intervention programmes. The items of
information collected on population five years and older, were activity status, occupation, and
industry and employment status. However, the analyses concentrated on the population 15
years and older.

4.2 Economic Activity Status

Activity status refers to the economic or non-economic activities of respondents during the
seven days preceding census night. A person is regarded as economically active if he or she
worked for pay or profit or family gain for at least one hour within the seven days preceding
the census night. This included those who were in paid employment or self-employment or
contributing to family work, did not work, but had jobs to return to, were unemployed but
actively looking for work.
On the other hand, economically not active persons are those who did not work and were not
seeking for work. They include homemakers, student, retired persons, persons with disability
and persons who are unable to work due to their age or ill-health. Table 4.1 presents
population aged 15 years and older by activity status and sex. Out of the total number of
persons aged 15 years (25,774) and older in the District, 75.7 percent are economically
active. Among the economically active population, 96.7 percent are employed. The Table
further shows that, 26.9 percent of females and 21.7 percent of males are economically not
active.
The proportion of males in full time education is higher (53.9%) than the proportion of
females (34.0%). This could be due to the stereotype system where males go to school whiles
females stay at home and help with household chores. Also, some of the females may have
dropped out of school due to pregnancy or early marriage.

33
Table 4.1: Population 15 years and older by activity status and sex
Total Male Female
Activity status Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 25,774 100.0 12,727 100.0 13,047 100.0
Economically active 19,503 75.7 9,964 78.3 9,539 73.1
Employed 18,867 96.7 9,664 97.0 9,203 96.5
Worked 17,899 94.9 9,268 95.9 8,631 93.8
Did not work but had job to go back
916 4.9 371 3.8 545 5.9
to
Did voluntary work without pay 52 0.3 25 0.3 27 0.3
Unemployed 636 3.3 300 3.0 336 3.5
Worked before, seeking work and
246 38.7 108 36.0 138 41.1
available
Seeking work for the first time and
390 61.3 192 64.0 198 58.9
available
Economically not active 6,271 24.3 2,763 21.7 3,508 26.9
Did home duties (household chore) 1,930 30.8 603 21.8 1,327 37.8
Full time education 2,683 42.8 1,490 53.9 1,193 34.0
Pensioner/retired 113 1.8 96 3.5 17 0.5
Disabled/sick 354 5.6 143 5.2 211 6.0
Too old/young 740 11.8 222 8.0 518 14.8
Other 451 7.2 209 7.6 242 6.9
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

4.2.1 Economic activity

As illustrated in Table 4.2, the total population of persons aged 15 years and older in Mpohor
District is 25,774 out of which 73.2 percent are employed, 2.5 percent unemployed whiles
24.3 percent are economically not active. With a population males, 75.9 percent are
employed, 2.4 percent unemployed and 21.7 percent are economically not active. Among the
female population, 70.5 percent are employed whiles 2.6 percent are not employed. The
proportion of economically not active females is 26.9 percent.
Those within the age group 40-44 years recorded the highest proportion (93.4%) of employed
persons followed by 45-49 years group (92.6%) with the least (27.8%) recorded by15-19
years age group. This is because most of the people within the age group (15-19) are either
schooling or in apprenticeship training. The highest proportions (5.8%) of the unemployed
and 69.9 percent of the economically not active were recorded by the age groups 20-24 years
and 15-19 years respectively.

34
Table 4.2: Activity status of population 15 years and older by age and sex
Economically not
Employed Unemployed active
Age group Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Both sexes
Total 25,774 100.0 18,867 73.2 636 2.5 6,271 24.3
15-19 4,224 100.0 1,175 27.8 97 2.3 2,952 69.9
20-24 3,682 100.0 2,385 64.8 215 5.8 1,082 29.4
25-29 3,240 100.0 2,692 83.1 154 4.8 394 12.2
30-34 2,661 100.0 2,330 87.6 71 2.7 260 9.8
35-39 2,577 100.0 2,345 91.0 41 1.6 191 7.4
40-44 2,292 100.0 2,140 93.4 11 0.5 141 6.2
45-49 1,819 100.0 1,684 92.6 11 0.6 124 6.8
50-54 1,677 100.0 1,537 91.7 12 0.7 128 7.6
55-59 993 100.0 870 87.6 5 0.5 118 11.9
60-64 839 100.0 692 82.5 16 1.9 131 15.6
65+ 1,770 100.0 1,017 57.5 3 0.2 750 42.4
Male
Total 12,727 100.0 9,664 75.9 300 2.4 2,763 21.7
15-19 2,173 100.0 617 28.4 44 2.0 1,512 69.6
20-24 1,774 100.0 1,205 67.9 97 5.5 472 26.6
25-29 1,552 100.0 1,344 86.6 72 4.6 136 8.8
30-34 1,305 100.0 1,179 90.3 37 2.8 89 6.8
35-39 1,293 100.0 1,217 94.1 19 1.5 57 4.4
40-44 1,117 100.0 1,066 95.4 5 0.4 46 4.1
45-49 957 100.0 909 95.0 4 0.4 44 4.6
50-54 826 100.0 788 95.4 7 0.8 31 3.8
55-59 525 100.0 472 89.9 4 0.8 49 9.3
60-64 434 100.0 362 83.4 9 2.1 63 14.5
65+ 771 100.0 505 65.5 2 0.3 264 34.2
Female
Total 13,047 100.0 9,203 70.5 336 2.6 3,508 26.9
15-19 2,051 100.0 558 27.2 53 2.6 1,440 70.2
20-24 1,908 100.0 1,180 61.8 118 6.2 610 32.0
25-29 1,688 100.0 1,348 79.9 82 4.9 258 15.3
30-34 1,356 100.0 1,151 84.9 34 2.5 171 12.6
35-39 1,284 100.0 1,128 87.9 22 1.7 134 10.4
40-44 1,175 100.0 1,074 91.4 6 0.5 95 8.1
45-49 862 100.0 775 89.9 7 0.8 80 9.3
50-54 851 100.0 749 88.0 5 0.6 97 11.4
55-59 468 100.0 398 85.0 1 0.2 69 14.7
60-64 405 100.0 330 81.5 7 1.7 68 16.8
65+ 999 100.0 512 51.3 1 0.1 486 48.6
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

4.3 Occupation
Occupation refers to the type of work persons are engaged in an establishment where they
work. Questions were asked of persons 5 years and older who worked 7 days before the
census night, and those who did not work but had a job to return to as well as those
unemployed but had worked before. All these persons were classified by the kind of work
they were engaged in. The items of information in the table concentrated on persons aged 15
years and older in Mpohor District.

35
Table 4.3 shows that, the highest proportion (47.7%) of the employed population 15 years
and older, are skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers followed by plant, machine
operators and assembling workers (16.5%). As expected, female workers in the service and
sales sector accounts for 21.6 percent of the 9,203 employed female population. They also
recorded 8.7 percent in plant, machine operators and assembling class; an area that is largely
male dominated.
Table 4.3: Employed population 15 years and older by occupation and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Occupation Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 18,867 100.0 9,664 100.0 9,203 100.0
Managers 328 1.7 110 1.1 218 2.4
Professionals 550 2.9 336 3.5 214 2.3
Technicians and associate professionals 203 1.1 162 1.7 41 0.4
Clerical support workers 117 0.6 88 0.9 29 0.3
Service and sales workers 2,371 12.6 382 4.0 1,989 21.6
Skilled agricultural forestry and fishery
8,991 47.7 4,574 47.3 4,417 48.0
workers
Craft and related trades workers 1,819 9.6 1,048 10.8 771 8.4
Plant and machine operators and
3,108 16.5 2,306 23.9 802 8.7
assemblers
Elementary occupations 1,380 7.3 658 6.8 722 7.8
Other occupations 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

4.4 Industry
The distribution of the employed population 15 years and older by industry and sex is
presented in Table 4.4. Agriculture, (including forestry and fishing) is the major industry in
Mpohor District employing (49.3%) of the employed population. Mining and quarrying,
manufacturing and the educational sector is employing 13.3 percent, 12.3 percent and 2.3
percent respectively. The Agricultural sector employs 50.2 percent followed by mining and
quarrying (18.0%) of the employed male population. Furthermore, agricultural sector also
employs 48.3 percent of the employed female population whiles the wholesale and retail
sector including repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles employs 14.1 percent.

36
Table 4.4: Employed population 15 years and older by industry and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Industry Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 18,867 100.0 9,664 100.0 9,203 100.0
Agriculture forestry and fishing 9,299 49.3 4,852 50.2 4,447 48.3
Mining and quarrying 2,514 13.3 1,735 18.0 779 8.5
Manufacturing 2,316 12.3 1,355 14.0 961 10.4
Electricity gas stream and air
16 0.1 14 0.1 2 0.0
conditioning supply
Water supply; sewerage waste
38 0.2 24 0.2 14 0.2
management and remediation activities
Construction 268 1.4 264 2.7 4 0.0
Wholesale and retail; repair of motor
1,645 8.7 345 3.6 1,300 14.1
vehicles and motorcycles
Transportation and storage 379 2.0 371 3.8 8 0.1
Accommodation and food service
1,140 6.0 75 0.8 1,065 11.6
activities
Information and communication 10 0.1 6 0.1 4 0.0
Financial and insurance activities 31 0.2 17 0.2 14 0.2
Real estate activities 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0
Professional scientific and technical
28 0.1 19 0.2 9 0.1
activities
Administrative and support service
64 0.3 51 0.5 13 0.1
activities
Public administration and defence;
78 0.4 64 0.7 14 0.2
compulsory social security
Education 440 2.3 269 2.8 171 1.9
Human health and social work activities 86 0.5 29 0.3 57 0.6
Arts entertainment and recreation 39 0.2 34 0.4 5 0.1
Other service activities 441 2.3 124 1.3 317 3.4
Activities of households as employers;
undifferentiated goods - and services -
35 0.2 16 0.2 19 0.2
producing activities of households for
own use
Activities of extraterritorial
0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0
organizations and bodies
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

4.5 Employment Status

From Table 4.5, majority of the population aged 15 years and older (58.9%) are self-
employed without employees, followed by those who are employees (21.4%) and the least
being ‘Other’ (0.1%).

37
Table 4.5: Employed population 15 years and older by employment status and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Employment sector Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 18,867 100.0 9,664 100.0 9,203 100.0
Employee 4,038 21.4 2,925 30.3 1,113 12.1
Self-employed without
11,117 58.9 5,045 52.2 6,072 66.0
employee(s)
Self-employed with employee(s) 722 3.8 466 4.8 256 2.8
Casual worker 866 4.6 563 5.8 303 3.3
Contributing family worker 1,725 9.1 486 5.0 1,239 13.5
Apprentice 288 1.5 124 1.3 164 1.8
Domestic employee (house help) 94 0.5 48 0.5 46 0.5
Other 17 0.1 7 0.1 10 0.1
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

4.6 Employment Sector

Employment sector refers to the sector in which a person works. Table 4.6 shows employed
population aged 15 years and older by employment sector and sex. From the Table, the
proportion of the population who are employed in the private informal sector is 84.8 percent,
followed by the private formal with 10.9 percent. This pattern is replicated in the sex
compositions where majority of both males and females are employed in the private informal
sector followed by Private Formal sector. The least among the sectors is Other International
Organizations.
Table 4.6: Employed population 15 years and older by employment sectors and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Employment sector Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 18,867 100.0 9,664 100.0 9,203 100.0
Public (Government) 717 3.8 507 5.2 210 2.3
Private/Formal 2,063 10.9 1,631 16.9 432 4.7
Private/Informal 16,000 84.8 7,467 77.3 8,533 92.7
Semi-Public/Parastatal 29 0.2 20 0.2 9 0.1
NGOs (Local and International) 54 0.3 35 0.4 19 0.2
Other International Organisations 4 0.0 4 0.0 0 0.0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

38
 CHAPTER FIVE
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

5.1 Introduction
Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become important an tool in today’s
knowledge-based information society and economy. This role of ICT in an emerging
economy such as Ghana’s has been widely recognized at various levels. The recognition is
reflected in actions such as the development and deployment of a national ICT infrastructure,
institutional and regulatory framework for managing the sector, promoting the use of ICT in
all sectors of the economy, implementing e-governance in all government institutions and the
construction of a National Data Centre as well as Regional Innovation Centres and
Community Information Centres at all district and community levels. For the first time in the
history of censuses, Information Communication Technology (ICT) data was collected in the
2010 PHC.
This chapter discusses ownership of mobile phones and use of Internet facilities by persons
aged 12 years and above. Ownership of desktop/laptop computers and the presence of a fixed
telephone line are however considered at the household level but ownership of mobile phones
is considered at individual levels. The government of Ghana both past and present and other
agencies have over the years made several strides to develop the ICT infrastructure so as to
bridge the digital divide between Ghana and the developed world.

5.2 Ownership of Mobile Phones

Table 5.1 shows that the district has 35.7 percent of all persons aged 12 years having mobile
phones. A higher proportion of males (44.9%) own mobile phones compared to females
(26.5%).
Table 5.1: Population 12 years and older by mobile phone ownership, internet
facility usage and sex

Population 12 years Population having mobile Population using

and older phone internet facility
Sex Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 28,681 100.0 10,233 35.7 532 1.9
Male 14,256 100.0 6,414 44.9 400 2.8
Female 14,425 100.0 3,819 26.5 132 0.9
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

5.2.1 Use of internet

Table 5.1 also shows that the District has 1.9 percent of the population aged 12 years and
older using internet, a figure less than one-third of the regional average. Males using Internet
(2.8%) is proportionately higher than females (0.9%).
Although internet use across Ghana remained low, the situation is worst in rural districts such
as the Mpohor District. Given the increasing important role of the internet in business,

39
education, health, etc it is important that efforts are doubled to increase the proportion of
households and individuals using this ICT.
Table 5.2: Household heads by sex and ownership
of desktop/laptop computers

Households having
desktop/laptop
Households computers
Sex Number Percent Number Percent
Total 11,572 100.0 51 0.4
Male 7,668 100.0 40 0.5
Female 3,904 100.0 11 0.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

5.3 Household Ownership of desktop or laptop computers

Table 5.2 shows that 0.4 percent of households in the District have desktop or laptop
computers. The Table further shows that the proportion of male-headed households having
desktop/laptop computers (0.5%) is higher than the female-headed households (0.3%).

40
 CHAPTER SIX
DISABILITY

6.1 Introduction
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have been defined as those who are unable to or are
restricted in the performance of specific tasks/activities due to loss of some part of the body
as a result of impairment or malformation (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013). As a result,
PWDs face a wide range of life challenges which reduce their ability to function to their full
potential thereby limiting their participation in a number of activities in life. PWDs therefore
have special needs and require special attention and policies to improve their standard of
living. As a result data was collected for the first time on PWDs during the 2012 PHC.

6.2 Population with Disability

The 2010 PHC shows that 5.9 percent of persons in the Mpohor District have one form of
disability or another as shown in Table 6.1. The data shows that the percentage of PWDs in
the District is more than twice of that of the Western Region’s average. Indeed Mpohor
District is the District with the highest percentage of PWDs in the region. It is not clear what
account for the relatively high number of PWDs in the District, and require further research
to unearth the underlying causes of this situation.
The distribution of disabilities between the male and the female population is very marginal
as the male PWDs is 5.8 percent and that of the female is 5.9 percent.

6.3 Type of Disability

Figure 6.1 depicts PWDs in the District by their type of disability. Majority of PWDs in the
District (44.2%) have visual or sight impairment followed by those with emotional disability
(28.7%). The lowest proportions (5.1%) of PWDs in the District are those with other
disabilities. This pattern of PWDs is similar in the male and female populations of the
District.

41
Figure 6.1: Bar chart showing types of disabilities among PWDs

50.0
44.2
45.0
40.0
35.0
28.7
30.0
25.0 23.0

20.0
15.0 11.3 10.0 10.1
10.0
5.1
5.0
0.0
Sight Hearing Speech Physical Emotional Other
Intellectual

Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

6.4 Distribution of PWDs by Type of Locality

Table 6.1 shows that, sight impairment (42.3%) is the most common type of disability in both
urban and rural (44.9%) areas followed by those with emotional disability, with urban of 30.9
percent and rural with 28 percent. People with other forms of disabilities recorded the least
proportions in both urban and rural areas although it is higher in urban (7.5%) communities
than it is in the rural (4.2%) communities. The Table also shows a sharp difference between
the proportions of those with intellectual deformities in urban (14.3%) communities and rural
(8.7%) communities.
Table 6.1: Population by type of locality, disability type and sex
Both sexes Male Female
Disability type Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All Localities
Total 42,923 100.0 21,486 100.0 21,437 100.0
No disability 40,410 94.1 20,243 94.2 20,167 94.1
With a disability 2,513 5.9 1,243 5.8 1,270 5.9
Sight 1,112 44.2 508 40.9 604 47.6
Hearing 285 11.3 140 11.3 145 11.4
Speech 251 10.0 148 11.9 103 8.1
Physical 578 23.0 245 19.7 333 26.2
Intellectual 254 10.1 132 10.6 122 9.6
Emotional 721 28.7 376 30.2 345 27.2
Other 127 5.1 73 5.9 54 4.3

42
Table 6.1: Population by type of locality, disability type and sex (cont’d)
Both sexes Male Female
Disability type Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Urban
Total 10,826 100.0 5,280 100.0 5,546 100.0
No disability 10,202 94.2 4,972 94.2 5,230 94.3
With a disability 624 5.8 308 5.8 316 5.7
Sight 264 42.3 113 36.7 151 47.8
Hearing 72 11.5 33 10.7 39 12.3
Speech 63 10.1 38 12.3 25 7.9
Physical 138 22.1 54 17.5 84 26.6
Intellectual 89 14.3 42 13.6 47 14.9
Emotional 193 30.9 106 34.4 87 27.5
Other 47 7.5 23 7.5 24 7.6
Rural
Total 32,097 100.0 16,206 100.0 15,891 100.0
No disability 30,208 94.1 15,271 94.2 14,937 94.0
With a disability 1,889 5.9 935 5.8 954 6.0
Sight 848 44.9 395 42.2 453 47.5
Hearing 213 11.3 107 11.4 106 11.1
Speech 188 10.0 110 11.8 78 8.2
Physical 440 23.3 191 20.4 249 26.1
Intellectual 165 8.7 90 9.6 75 7.9
Emotional 528 28.0 270 28.9 258 27.0
Other 80 4.2 50 5.3 30 3.1
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

6.5 Disability and Activity

Activity status refers to the economic and non-economic activity of persons during the
reference period (the seven days preceeding the census night). Economically active persons
are those who worked for pay, profit or family gain, those who did not work but had jobs to
return to and unemployed persons. The economically not active are persons who did not work
and were not seeking for work. These include homemakers, students, retired persons,
disabled and are unable to work and those with ill health or too old to work.
Table 6.2 shows that out of the total population of 25,774 aged 15 years and older, about 64.8
percent are employed. Table further indicates that, about two percent of PWDs are
unemployed, whilst 33.3 percent of them are economically not active. With emotional
disability majority (71.6%) of the PWDs are employed, followed by those with sight
disability with 66 percent PWDs employed. Those with intellectual disability are the most
who are not economically active (43.9%), followed by those with speech disability (37.7%).
In terms of sex distribution of PWDs, the proportions of female populations with disability
(8.2%) slightly outnumber the males (7.8%). However, in terms of activity status by sex of
PWDs, the proportion of employed male PWDs (70.0%) is higher than females (59.9%). Out
of the males with PWDs, majority are in the emotional disability for both males (75.9%) and
females (66.9%).

43
Table 6.2: Persons 15 years and older with disability by economic activity
status and sex
Economically not
All status Employed Unemployed active
Sex/disability type Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Both Sexes
Total 25,774 100.0 18,867 73.2 636 2.5 6,271 24.3
No disability 23,702 100.0 17,525 73.9 596 2.5 5,581 23.5
With a disability 2,072 100.0 1,342 64.8 40 1.9 690 33.3
Sight 1,001 100.0 661 66.0 11 1.1 329 32.9
Hearing 206 100.0 123 59.7 11 5.3 72 35.0
Speech 162 100.0 97 59.9 4 2.5 61 37.7
Physical 524 100.0 256 48.9 6 1.1 262 50.0
Intellectual 189 100.0 99 52.4 7 3.7 83 43.9
Emotional 567 100.0 406 71.6 17 3.0 144 25.4
Other 102 100.0 64 62.7 3 2.9 35 34.3
Male
Total 12,727 100.0 9,664 75.9 300 2.4 2,763 21.7
No disability 11,729 100.0 8,965 76.4 282 2.4 2,482 21.2
With a disability 998 100.0 699 70.0 18 1.8 281 28.2
Sight 451 100.0 332 73.6 5 1.1 114 25.3
Hearing 97 100.0 68 70.1 2 2.1 27 27.8
Speech 90 100.0 59 65.6 1 1.1 30 33.3
Physical 216 100.0 116 53.7 3 1.4 97 44.9
Intellectual 96 100.0 49 51.0 5 5.2 42 43.8
Emotional 295 100.0 224 75.9 6 2.0 65 22.0
Other 56 100.0 40 71.4 3 5.4 13 23.2
Female
Total 13,047 100.0 9,203 70.5 336 2.6 3,508 26.9
No disability 11,973 100.0 8,560 71.5 314 2.6 3,099 25.9
With a disability 1,074 100.0 643 59.9 22 2.0 409 38.1
Sight 550 100.0 329 59.8 6 1.1 215 39.1
Hearing 109 100.0 55 50.5 9 8.3 45 41.3
Speech 72 100.0 38 52.8 3 4.2 31 43.1
Physical 308 100.0 140 45.5 3 1.0 165 53.6
Intellectual 93 100.0 50 53.8 2 2.2 41 44.1
Emotional 272 100.0 182 66.9 11 4.0 79 29.0
Other 46 100.0 24 52.2 0 0.0 22 47.8
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

44
 CHAPTER SEVEN
AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES

7.1 Introduction
Like in the many districts of the country, agriculture is the predominant source of
employment and serves as the main stay of the economy of Mpohor District. Yet in reality,
the exact proportion and characteristics of the population in agriculture has not adequately
been considered in previous national censuses. As a precursor to a national agriculture
survey, the 2010 collected data on agriculture.
An agricultural household was where, at least, one person in the household was engaged in
any type of farming activity, namely crop farming, tree growing, livestock rearing and fish
farming (GSS, 2012). The economy of Mpohor District is an agrarian economy due to the
contribution of agriculture to labour absorption in the District. About 64 percent of
households in the District are into various forms of agricultural activities. The focus and
objectives of this chapter are to highlight the households engaged in agriculture in the District
and their types of farming activities.

7.2 Households in Agriculture

According to data in Table 7.1, the main occupation in the Mpohor District Assembly is
agriculture. Out of the 11,572 households, 63.9 percent are into various forms of agriculture
leaving. Majority of the agricultural households in the District are either crop farmers
(94.2%) or livestock keepers (32.2). Comparatively, there are more agricultural households in
rural areas (72.0%) than in urban communities (40.9%).
Table 7.1: Households by agricultural activities and locality
Total Urban Rural
Farming activities Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total households 11,572 100.0 3,014 26.0 8,558 74.0
Households engaged in agriculture 7,398 63.9 1,234 40.9 6,164 72.0
Crop farming 7,055 95.4 1,141 92.5 5,914 95.9
Tree planting 33 0.4 1 0.1 32 0.5
Livestock rearing 2,903 39.2 358 29.0 2,545 41.3
Fish farming 4 0.1 0 0.0 4 0.1
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

7.3 Distribution of livestock and keepers

With reference to Table 7.2, there are 57,973 livestock and 4,062 keepers in the District. The
greatest livestock being kept is Chicken (61.5%), goat is 18.3 percent, sheep is 7.7 percent,
duck is 4.7 percent and fish from fish farming is 3.9 percent. These are the five most reared
livestock constituting 96.1 percent of all livestock. All other livestock constitute less than
four percent in the District except that there are no Beehives and fish from marine fishing in
the District. On average, fish farming constitutes the highest average animal per keeper (750).

45
Table 7.2: Distribution of livestock and keepers
Animals Keepers Average
Livestock Number Percent Number Percent per keeper
All livestock 57,973 100.0 4,062 100.0 14
Beehives 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
Cattle 356 0.6 22 0.5 16
Chicken 35,626 61.5 2,173 53.5 16
Dove 44 0.1 4 0.1 11
Duck 2,714 4.7 125 3.1 22
Goat 10,596 18.3 1,158 28.5 9
Grass-cutter 46 0.1 5 0.1 9
Guinea fowl 161 0.3 13 0.3 12
Ostrich 125 0.2 8 0.2 16
Pig 794 1.4 48 1.2 17
Rabbit 39 0.1 5 0.1 8
Sheep 4,449 7.7 406 10.0 11
Silk worm 40 0.1 2 0.0 20
Snail 160 0.3 3 0.1 53
Turkey 176 0.3 12 0.3 15
Other 377 0.7 74 1.8 5
Fish farming 2,250 3.9 3 0.1 750
Inland fishing 20 0.0 1 0.0 20
Marine fishing 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

46
 CHAPTER EIGHT
HOUSING CONDITIONS

8.1 Introduction
In 2010, the policy framework of the Government of Ghana, the Ghana Shared Growth and
Development Agenda (GSGDA) which Mpohor District has adopted emphasizes the need for
increased access of the population to safe, adequate and affordable housing and shelter
(National Development Planning Commission, 2010).
The 2010 PHC provided official housing census of all dwelling units in the District. This
chapter will among others focus on housing stock, type of dwelling units, holding and
tenancy arrangements, main materials used in house construction, room occupancy, access to
utilities and household facilities, main source of water for both drinking and domestic use,
bathing and toilet facilities and methods of waste disposal.
As a new district in which more housing units are springing up, it is envisaged that housing
data in this report will serve as basis for the physical planning and works departments in
terms of planning housing and human settlement programmes and policies and monitoring
and evaluation of housing conditions in the District. Again, since the achievement of health
objectives is linked to the provision of safe water supply and sewerage, improved housing
and well planned settlements, this housing data will help to assess what have been achieved
and to plan ahead.

8.2 Housing Stock

According to data in Table 8.1, majority (74.8%) of the people in Mpohor District are largely
rural settlers. There are 8,666 housing units in the District. The rural areas accounts for 80.7
percent of the housing stock whereas the urban areas accounted for 19.3 percent. From the
Table, there are 11,572 households in the District with 74 percent in the rural area and 26
percent in the urban areas.
The average number of households per house in the District (1.3) is slightly lower than the
regional average of 1.5. However, for the rural-urban dimension, rural areas recorded a lower
average household per house of 1.2 whilst the urban areas recorded 1.8; the population per
house is 5.0 for the District with rural areas reporting 4.6 while the urban areas reported 6.5.
This contrasts with the regional and national average of 6.3 and 7.3 respectively. Similar
patterns are noted for the average household size.

47
Table 8.1: Stock of houses and households by type of locality
District
Total Total
Categories country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total population 24,658,823 2,376,021 42,923 100.0 25.2 74.8
Total household population 24,076,327 2,307,395 41,976 100.0 25.4 74.6
Number of houses 3,392,745 380,104 8,666 100.0 19.3 80.7
Number of households 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 26.0 74.0
Average households per house 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.8 1.2
Population per house 7.3 6.3 5 6.5 4.6
Average household size 4.5 4.3 3.7 3.6 3.8
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.3 Type of Dwelling, Holding and Tenancy Arrangement

The type of dwelling refers to housing type while holding and tenancy arrangement deals
with condition of occupancy.
8.3.1 Type of ownership
Table 8.2 shows that household members own more than 54.6 percent of housing units which
is more than half of the housing units in the District. Next in ownership is a relative who is
not a household member (19.3%). Other private agencies owned the least (0.3%) of housing
stock in the District. Households who live in public /government owned dwellings constitute
only 1.3 percent while 1.1 percent of the households purchase their own dwelling units.
Majority of both the male (54.3%) and female (55.2%) headed households live in dwelling
units owned by a member of the household while the minority, in each case (below 0.5%)
live in dwelling units of other private agencies.
With respect to rural-urban distribution of ownership of dwelling units, about 59 percent of
the rural housing units are owned by a household member while only 43.1 percent of urban
housing units are owned by household members. Minority (0.2%) of the rural dwelling units
are by other ownership status while minority of the urban dwelling units are owned by other
private agencies.
8.3.2 Type of occupied dwelling
Table 8.3 shows that the most common types of dwelling units occupied by households in the
District are separate houses (36.4%), compound houses (34.5%), semi-detached houses
(11.6%) and flats/apartments (11.3%). The placing of compound houses as the second most
common dwelling unit is in contrast with many districts in Ghana, particularly the urban
districts. Compound houses are very popular in urban areas where renting of dwellings is
prominent. There is a fair distribution of occupancy of dwelling units in terms of the sex of
household heads as the difference is marginal between the male and female headed
households and also reflect the District pattern analysed above.
On the rural-urban distribution, 39.9 percent of rural households live in separate houses while
only 26.5 percent live in separate houses in urban areas. Again while majority (56%) of urban
households live in compound houses, only 26.9 percent of rural households live in compound
houses. Also, whereas 13.3 percent of households live in flats/apartments in the rural areas,
only 5.6 percent lives in flats/apartments in urban centres contrary to expectation. Finally, the
table shows that whereas only 0.6 percent lives in huts/buildings in the same compound in
urban households, more than quadruple (4.8) percent is noted in rural households.

48
Table 8.2: Ownership status of dwelling by sex of household head and type of locality

District
Total Male headed Female headed Urban Rural
Total
Household ownership Country Region Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 7,668 100.0 3,904 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
Owned by household
2,883,236 313,579 6,322 54.6 4,166 54.3 2,156 55.2 1,300 43.1 5,022 58.7
member
Being purchased (e.g.
45,630 5,093 125 1.1 96 1.3 29 0.7 70 2.3 55 0.6
mortgage)
Relative not a
851,630 71,742 2,230 19.3 1,289 17.0 941 24.1 847 28.1 1,383 16.2
household member
Other private individual 1,439,021 123,401 1,577 13.6 1,088 14.0 489 12.5 680 22.6 897 10.5
Private employer 83,610 15,343 1,091 9.4 861 11.0 230 5.9 28 0.9 1,063 12.4
Other private agency 21,123 2,689 33 0.3 31 0.4 2 0.1 12 0.4 21 0.2
Public/Government
118,804 19,307 147 1.3 103 1.3 44 1.1 44 1.5 103 1.2
ownership
Other 24,000 2,480 47 0.4 34 0.4 13 0.3 33 1.1 14 0.2
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

49
Table 8.3: Type of occupied dwelling unit by sex of household head and type of locality

District
Total Male headed Female headed Urban Rural
Total
Household ownership country Region Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 7,668 100.0 3,904 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
Owned by household member 2,883,236 313,579 6,322 54.6 4,166 54.3 2,156 55.2 1,300 43.1 5,022 58.7
Being purchased (e.g.
45,630 5,093 125 1.1 96 1.3 29 0.7 70 2.3 55 0.6
mortgage)
Relative not a household
851,630 71,742 2,230 19.3 1,289 17.0 941 24.1 847 28.1 1,383 16.2
member
Other private individual 1,439,021 123,401 1,577 13.6 1,088 14.0 489 12.5 680 22.6 897 10.5
Private employer 83,610 15,343 1,091 9.4 861 11.0 230 5.9 28 0.9 1,063 12.4
Other private agency 21,123 2,689 33 0.3 31 0.4 2 0.1 12 0.4 21 0.2
Public/Government ownership 118,804 19,307 147 1.3 103 1.3 44 1.1 44 1.5 103 1.2
Other 24,000 2,480 47 0.4 34 0.4 13 0.3 33 1.1 14 0.2
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

50
8.4 Construction Materials
Construction materials analysed by the census data included main construction materials for
outer walls, floor of the dwelling units and roofing materials of the households. Indeed, the
materials used in the construction of dwellings do not give indications of the socio-economic
status of the owner and occupants but also appearance and quality as well as the health of the
occupants. This is because the materials used have implications for indoor air quality and the
safety and security of the occupants in terms of the ability of the dwelling to withstand
natural and human disasters.
8.4.1 Materials for outer walls
From Table 8.4, the main construction materials used by households in the District for outer
walls are mud brick/earth (52%) and cement block/concrete (38.8%). The findings indicate
that, the proportion of households using mud brick/earth for an outer wall is higher in the
rural areas is greater than that (60.3%) in the urban (26.1%) communities. On the contrary,
the proportion of households using cement blocks/concrete is higher in urban areas (66.3%)
than in the rural areas (28%). The use of wood (4.7%) and landcrete (3.8%) in rural areas are
both higher than the usage in urban areas, which recorded less than one percent in each
instance.
Table 8.4: Main construction material for outer wall of dwelling unit by
type of locality
District
Total Total
Material for outer wall country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total 5,817,607 594,292 12,858 100.0 100.0 100.0
Mud brick/earth 1,991,540 241,414 6,681 52.0 26.1 60.3
Wood 200,594 19,221 488 3.8 0.9 4.7
Metal sheet/slate/asbestos 43,708 3,170 83 0.6 1.0 0.5
Stone 11,330 835 10 0.1 0.2 0.0
Burnt bricks 38,237 5,273 277 2.2 4.7 1.3
Cement blocks/concrete 3,342,462 297,909 4,801 37.3 66.3 28.0
Landcrete 104,270 9,463 387 3.0 0.5 3.8
Bamboo 8,206 1,957 32 0.2 0.2 0.3
Palm leaf/thatch
38,054 11,618 71 0.6 0.0 0.7
(grass)/raffia
Other 39,206 3,432 28 0.2 0.2 0.2
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.4.2 Materials for the floor

According to The main construction materials for the flooring of dwelling units (Table 8.5) in
the District are cement/concrete (85.9%) and earth/mud (12.3%). All other flooring materials
recorded less than one percent with burnt bricks recording the lowest (0.1%).
With regards to locality, cement/concrete was mostly used for both urban (94.6%) and rural
(82.8%) units. The proportion of rural dwellers using earth/mud as flooring material was
more than four times (15.5%) higher in rural areas compared to urban houses (3.5%). Apart
from cement/concrete and earth/mud all other flooring materials recorded less than one
percent in both urban and rural areas.

51
Table 8.5: Main construction materials for the floor of dwelling unit by
type of locality
District
Total Total
Materials for the floor country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
Earth/mud 872,161 77,859 1,429 12.3 3.5 15.5
Cement/concrete 4,255,611 450,286 9,938 85.9 94.6 82.8
Stone 32,817 2,432 40 0.3 0.4 0.3
Burnt brick 6,537 569 17 0.1 0.2 0.1
Wood 52,856 2,848 22 0.2 0.3 0.2
Vinyl tiles 57,032 4,158 21 0.2 0.2 0.2
Ceramic/porcelain/granite/marble tiles 88,500 6,608 47 0.4 0.4 0.4
Terrazzo/terrazzo tiles 85,973 7,055 31 0.3 0.4 0.2
Other 15,567 1,819 27 0.2 0.2 0.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.4.3 Materials for roofing

From Table 8.6, majority of the households use metal sheet (69.3%) as the main material for
roofing of their dwelling units. Bamboo and thatch/palm leaf/raffia also recorded 11 percent
and 11.2 percent respectively. The least construction material for the roofing of dwelling
units in the District is roofing tiles (0.1%).
In terms of locality, metal sheets recorded a higher proportion of 82.7 percent in urban areas
and 64.9 percent in rural areas. Bamboo and palm leaf/raffia are mostly used in rural (13%)
areas than in urban areas (4%). Roofing tiles is sparsely used for roofing in both urban (0.2%)
and rural (0.1%) areas.
Table 8.6: Main construction material for roofing of dwelling unit by type
of locality
District
Total Total
Main roofing material country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total 5,817,607 594,292 12,858 100.0 100.0 100.0
Mud/mud bricks/earth 80,644 4,795 71 0.6 0.7 0.5
Wood 45,547 4,333 94 0.7 0.4 0.8
Metal sheet 4,152,259 375,579 8,907 69.3 82.7 64.9
Slate/asbestos 759,039 90,669 660 5.1 5.5 5.0
Cement/concrete 141,072 35,736 169 1.3 3.0 0.8
Roofing tile 31,456 2,538 17 0.1 0.2 0.1
Bamboo 71,049 32,363 1,409 11.0 3.3 13.4
Thatch/palm leaf or raffia 500,606 43,836 1,436 11.2 3.5 13.6
Other 35,935 4,443 95 0.7 0.7 0.8
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.5 Room Occupancy

Information on the number of sleeping rooms available to a household is useful in
determining whether or not households are overcrowded or otherwise. High room occupancy
is a risk factor transmitting infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, cerebrospinal meningitis
etc.

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Overall, Table 8.7 indicates that 76.4 percent of households have one sleeping room followed
by two sleeping rooms (16.9%) with only one percent of households having five or more
rooms. Interestingly, the Table shows that the proportion of households with only sleeping
room declines with increasing household size. However, majority of households with higher
sizes (five members or more) sleep in less than four sleeping rooms. This is depicted in Table
8.7 as the highest proportion for four rooms category is 11.3 percent recorded for household
size with ten or more members.
Table 8.7: Household size and number of sleeping rooms occupied in dwelling unit
Total Number of sleeping rooms
Nine
House- rooms
hold One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight or
size Number Percent room rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms rooms more
Total 11,572 100.0 76.4 16.9 4.2 1.3 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2
1 2,717 100.0 95.7 2.9 0.8 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
2 1,780 100.0 88.0 9.4 1.5 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2
3 1,722 100.0 82.0 14.8 2.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1
4 1,643 100.0 75.8 18.6 3.8 1.1 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1
5 1,322 100.0 68.5 25.1 4.2 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.3
6 959 100.0 54.8 33.3 7.2 2.7 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.1
7 641 100.0 48.8 38.1 8.7 2.2 1.2 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.5
8 385 100.0 44.9 32.2 15.1 5.5 1.6 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
9 191 100.0 27.2 36.1 23.0 7.3 4.2 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0
10+ 212 100.0 21.7 29.2 27.4 11.3 5.2 1.4 0.9 0.9 1.9
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.6 Access to Utilities

This section analyses household amenities such as source of lighting, cooking space,
sanitation issues in dwelling units.
8.6.1 Source of lighting
Although majority of households in both urban (79.7%) and rural (54.1%) communities use
electricity (mains) as source of lighting, the urban dwellers have over 25 percent advantage as
against the rural folks. There was no marked disparity between the proportion of households
that uses kerosene in urban (17%) and rural (15.5%) areas. However the use of
flashlight/torch recorded a wide variation between the urban (2.2%) and the rural (28.8%)
households. All other sources of lighting recorded less than one percent in both urban and
rural dwelling units (Table 8.8).

53
Table 8.8: Main source of lighting of dwelling unit by type of locality
District
Total Total
Main source of light country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
Electricity (mains) 3,511,065 360,079 7,034 60.8 79.7 54.1
Electricity (private generator) 36,142 4,931 47 0.4 0.2 0.5
Kerosene lamp 971,807 67,662 1,837 15.9 17.0 15.5
Gas lamp 9,378 915 15 0.1 0.0 0.2
Solar energy 9,194 928 15 0.1 0.2 0.1
Candle 41,214 2,085 43 0.4 0.6 0.3
Flashlight/torch 858,651 114,514 2,529 21.9 2.2 28.8
Firewood 13,241 1,055 33 0.3 0.1 0.4
Crop residue 4,623 315 8 0.1 0.0 0.1
Other 11,739 1,150 11 0.1 0.0 0.1
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.6.2 Main source of cooking fuel

Table 8.9 shows that majority (61.5%) households use wood as cooking fuel. The other two
most commonly used cooking fuels are charcoal (24.3%) and gas (5.5%); all other sources of
cooking fuel constituted 2% and about 7.6% of households do not cook and therefore did not
indicate any type of cooking fuel.
Table 8.9: Main source of cooking fuel, and cooking space used by households
District
Total Total
Source of cooking fuel/cooking space country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Main source of cooking fuel
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
None no cooking 306,118 29,196 878 7.6 11.4 6.2
Wood 2,197,083 267,976 7,120 61.5 34.6 71.0
Gas 996,518 82,912 637 5.5 9.8 4.0
Electricity 29,794 3,314 24 0.2 0.4 0.1
Kerosene 29,868 2,413 54 0.5 0.6 0.4
Charcoal 1,844,290 164,627 2,810 24.3 42.8 17.8
Crop residue 45,292 1,864 40 0.3 0.2 0.4
Saw dust 8,000 597 6 0.1 0.1 0.0
Animal waste 2,332 211 2 0.0 0.1 0.0
Other 7,759 524 1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Cooking space used
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
No cooking space 386,883 38,816 1,005 8.7 12.3 7.4
Separate room for exclusive use of household 1,817,018 258,116 6,096 52.7 37.4 58.1
Separate room shared with other
410,765 43,983 815 7.0 5.5 7.6
household(s)
Enclosure without roof 117,614 6,279 145 1.3 0.7 1.4
Structure with roof but without walls 349,832 26,140 294 2.5 0.9 3.1
Bedroom/hall/living room) 74,525 3,685 69 0.6 0.9 0.5
Veranda 1,173,946 115,053 2,304 19.9 30.2 16.3
Open space in compound 1,115,464 60,015 834 7.2 12.1 5.5
Other 21,007 1,547 10 0.1 0.1 0.1
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

54
Wood was found to be mostly used in rural areas (71%) than urban centres (34.6%).
However, the proportion of urban households (42.8%) using charcoal is higher than that of
rural households (17.8%) and this is similar to usage of gas in urban (9.8%) and rural (4%)
areas. Proportionately, majority of households do not cook in urban areas (11.4%) than in
rural areas (6.2%).
8.6.3 Cooking space
The space allocated to cooking in dwellings has implications for indoor air quality. Table 8.9
shows that the most common cooking spaces available to households in the District are
separate room for exclusive use of household (52.7%), veranda (19.9%), open space in
compound (7.2%) and separate room shared with other household(s) (7%). Households that
do not cook and therefore have no cooking space accounted for 8.7 percent while all other
sources of cooking space accounted for only less than four percent. Cooking at a separate
room for exclusive use of household and cooking at veranda are most popular in both urban
and rural areas but with varying proportions; separate room for exclusive use of household
(urban 37.4%, rural 58.1%) and veranda (urban 30.2%, rural 16.3%).

8.7 Main Source of Water for Drinking and for Other Domestic Use
The 2010 PHC collected information on water for drinking or for domestic use as captured in
table 8.10.

8.7.1 Water for drinking

The most common sources of drinking water for households in the District are,
borehole/pump/tube well (29.5%), river/stream (21.7%), pipe-borne water outside dwelling
(12.7%), protected well (12.5%), public tap/stand pipe (10.6%) and sachet water (8.6%). All
other sources accounted for less than four percent with tanker supply/vendor provided and
rain water as sources of drinking water virtually non-existent.
Table 8.10 suggests that about 24 percent of households in the Mpohor District obtain their
sources of drinking water from unprotected or unimproved sources, mainly rivers/streams.
This proportion is high given the efforts undertaken in the last two decades to improve
households’ access to potable water sources to improve water-borne diseases as well as
reaching the MDGs. In terms of locality, the data show sharp differences between the urban
and the rural households in the sources of drinking water. Protected well: urban (43.7%) and
rural (1.5%); river/stream: urban (0.1%) and rural (29.3%); public tap/stand pipe: urban
(1.7%) and rural (13.8%); borehole/pump/tube well: urban (24.3%) and rural (31.4%): sachet
water: urban (25%) and rural (2.8%) and pipe-borne outside dwelling: urban (2.4%) and rural
(16.3%). All other sources recorded marginal variations in terms of rural/ urban distributions.
Table 8.10 shows that water for drinking and other uses from unprotected/unimproved
sources is even problematic in the rural parts of the Mpohor District. Here, over 3 in 10
households used unimproved sources for drinking and domestic uses.

55
Table 8.10: Main source of water of dwelling unit for drinking and other
domestic purposes
District
Total Total
Sources of water country Region Number Percent Urban Rural
Main source of drinking water
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
Pipe-borne inside dwelling 790,493 58,258 185 1.6 1.4 1.7
Pipe-borne outside dwelling 1,039,667 108,321 1,470 12.7 2.4 16.3
Public tap/standpipe 712,375 90,198 1,230 10.6 1.7 13.8
Bore-hole/pump/tube well 1,267,688 100,915 3,417 29.5 24.3 31.4
Protected well 321,091 39,026 1,448 12.5 43.7 1.5
Rain water 39,438 707 8 0.1 0.1 0.0
Protected spring 19,345 1,857 23 0.2 0.3 0.2
Bottled water 20,261 1,734 20 0.2 0.5 0.1
Sachet water 490,283 30,053 991 8.6 25.0 2.8
Tanker supply/vendor provided 58,400 3,328 1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Unprotected well 112,567 22,976 235 2.0 0.3 2.6
Unprotected spring 12,222 1,850 20 0.2 0.0 0.2
River/stream 502,804 90,453 2,514 21.7 0.1 29.3
Dugout/pond/lake/dam/canal 76,448 3,517 8 0.1 0.0 0.1
Other 3,972 441 2 0.0 0.0 0.0
Main source of water for other
domestic use
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 100.0 100.0
Pipe-borne inside dwelling 905,566 61,523 183 1.6 1.7 1.5
Pipe-borne outside dwelling 1,089,030 100,763 1,419 12.3 2.6 15.7
Public tap/standpipe 704,293 85,182 1,103 9.5 1.2 12.5
Bore-hole/pump/tube well 1,280,465 104,503 3,361 29.0 32.1 28.0
Protected well 465,775 61,075 2,134 18.4 60.2 3.8
Rain water 39,916 1,171 10 0.1 0.1 0.1
Protected spring 18,854 1,860 44 0.4 1.0 0.2
Tanker supply/vendor provided 100,048 3,467 9 0.1 0.1 0.1
Unprotected well 152,055 30,543 266 2.3 1.0 2.8
Unprotected spring 15,738 1,885 25 0.2 0.0 0.3
River/stream 588,590 96,641 2,975 25.7 0.1 34.7
Dugout/pond/lake/dam/canal 96,422 3,644 18 0.2 0.0 0.2
Other 10,302 1,377 25 0.2 0.0 0.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

8.7.2 Water for other domestic use

Similar to water for drinking, the households in the District have common sources of water
for other domestic uses. These sources account for over 97 percent of all water sources for
domestic purposes. Borehole/pump/tube well (29%), river/stream (25.7%), protected well
(18.4%), pipe-borne water outside dwelling (12.3%), public tap/stand pipe (9.5%) and
unprotected well (2.3%). All other sources accounted for less than three percent with pipe-
borne water inside dwelling taking 1.6 percent.
In terms of locality, the census recorded marked differences between the urban and the rural
households in terms of the sources of water for domestic uses. Protected well: urban (60.2%)
and rural (3.8%); river/stream: urban (0.1%) and rural (34.7%); public tap/stand pipe: urban
(1.2%) and rural (12.5%); borehole/pump/tube well: urban (32.1%) and rural (28%); pipe-
borne outside dwelling: urban (2.6%) and rural (15.7%) and unprotected well: urban (1.0%)

56
and rural (2.8%). All other sources recorded marginal variations in terms of rural/ urban
differentials (Table 8.10).
8.7.3 Toilet facilities
An efficient and hygienic method of human waste disposal available in a dwelling unit is a
critical indicator of the sanitary conditions of the unit as captured in the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG7).
From Table 8.11, the most popular toilet facilities in the District are public toilet (54.2%), pit
latrine (28%), no facility/bush/beach/field (7.3%) and KVIP (5.7%). These facilities together
are used by over 95 percent of the households with less than five percent for all other
facilities with “other” recording the least proportion of 0.3 percent. This pattern is repeated
in the rural-urban distributions albeit pit latrine (31.2%) and no facility/bush/beach/field
(8.6%) recorded higher proportions in rural areas than urban (19%, 3.9%) areas. Besides,
public toilet (60.2%) and KVIP (8%) recorded higher percentages in urban areas than rural
(52% and 4.8%) respectively.
8.7.4 Bathing facilities
The main types of bathing facilities used by households are shown in Table8.11. The leading
types are, shared separate bathroom in the same house (26.9%), own bathroom for exclusive
use (22.1%); shared open cubicle (21.8%) and bathroom in another house (6.3%). These
facilities together are used by over 81 percent of the households with about 19 percent for all
other facilities and “other” recording the least proportion (0.2%). This pattern is replicated in
both urban and rural areas except with bathing in River/Pond/Lake/Dam where rural areas
(4.1%) recorded higher proportions than urban (0.1%) households.

8.8 Method of Waste Disposal

8.8.1 Solid waste
In the District, majority of households dump their refuse either in an open space (64.6%),
indiscriminately (11.6%), container (10.7%) or buried by household (6%) (Table 8.12).
Rubbish is collected in only 2.4 percent of households. The rest are either burned or dumped
through other methods. A higher proportion of both urban (60.6%) and rural (66%)
households dump their rubbish in open space. Indiscriminate dumping of refuse is more
common in rural (14%) than urban (4.9%) communities while dumping in container is largely
an urban (20%) phenomenon than rural (7.4%).
8.8.2 Liquid waste
Methods of liquid waste disposal are presented in Table 8.12. It could be noted from the table
that liquid waste is usually thrown onto the compound (40.6%), into a gutter (26.9%) or
street/outside (24.9%), these together account for over 92 percent. Only five percent of
households dispose of liquid waste either through a drainage system into a gutter (2.3%) or
through the drainage into a pit (2.7%). Throwing liquid waste onto the compound is common
in both urban (40%) and rural (40.9%) households. While throwing of liquid waste into the
gutter is dominant in urban (39.8%) than rural (22.3%) communities, throwing of liquid
waste onto the street/outside is more popular in rural households (27.6%) than urban (17.2%)
households.

57
Table 8.11: Bathing facility and toilet facilities used by household
District
Total Total Urban Rural
Toilet facility/bathing facility country Region Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Toilet facility used by household
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
No facilities (bush/beach/field) 1,056,382 65,781 850 7.3 117 3.9 733 8.6
W.C. 839,611 74,100 430 3.7 212 7.0 218 2.5
Pit latrine 1,040,883 166,530 3,242 28.0 573 19.0 2,669 31.2
KVIP 572,824 34,822 655 5.7 242 8.0 413 4.8
Bucket/pan 40,678 2,263 98 0.8 51 1.7 47 0.5
Public toilet (WC KVIP PitPan etc) 1,893,291 207,221 6,267 54.2 1,813 60.2 4,454 52.0
Other 23,385 2,917 30 0.3 6 0.2 24 0.3
Bathing facility used by household
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
Own bathroom for exclusive use 1,535,392 172,397 2,555 22.1 454 15.1 2,101 24.6
Shared separate bathroom in the same house 1,818,522 184,496 3,112 26.9 1,122 37.2 1,990 23.3
Private open cubicle 381,979 29,430 667 5.8 67 2.2 600 7.0
Shared open cubicle 1,000,257 81,605 2,522 21.8 869 28.8 1,653 19.3
Public bath house 140,501 12,880 630 5.4 90 3.0 540 6.3
Bathroom in another house 187,337 32,531 1,224 10.6 297 9.9 927 10.8
Open space around house 372,556 34,738 486 4.2 107 3.6 379 4.4
River/pond/lake/dam 14,234 4,159 355 3.1 3 0.1 352 4.1
Other 16,276 1,398 21 0.2 5 0.2 16 0.2
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

58
Table 8.12: Method of rubbish and liquid waste disposal by households
District
Total Total Urban Rural
Method of waste disposal country Region Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Method of rubbish disposal by household
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
Collected 785,889 45,630 279 2.4 46 1.5 233 2.7
Burned by household 584,820 32,348 442 3.8 151 5.0 291 3.4
Public dump (container) 1,299,654 116,994 1,233 10.7 602 20.0 631 7.4
Public dump (open space) 2,061,403 280,109 7,473 64.6 1,826 60.6 5,647 66.0
Dumped indiscriminately 498,868 53,725 1,344 11.6 149 4.9 1,195 14.0
Buried by household 182,615 19,641 694 6.0 227 7.5 467 5.5
Other 53,805 5,187 107 0.9 13 0.4 94 1.1
Method of liquid waste disposal by household
Total 5,467,054 553,634 11,572 100.0 3,014 100.0 8,558 100.0
Through the sewerage system 183,169 14,000 264 2.3 15 0.5 249 2.9
Through drainage system into a gutter 594,404 60,735 270 2.3 54 1.8 216 2.5
Through drainage into a pit (soak away) 167,555 11,486 317 2.7 23 0.8 294 3.4
Thrown onto the street/outside 1,538,550 131,104 2,883 24.9 519 17.2 2,364 27.6
Thrown into gutter 1,020,096 119,736 3,110 26.9 1,201 39.8 1,909 22.3
Thrown onto compound 1,924,986 211,768 4,703 40.6 1,202 39.9 3,501 40.9
Other 38,294 4,805 25 0.2 - - 25 0.3
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

59
 CHAPTER NINE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
POLICY IMPLICATIONS

9.1 Summary of Findings

9.1.1 Population size and distribution
The Mpohor District has a total population of 42,923 consisting of 50.1 percent males and
49.9 percent females. The District is mainly rural given that a greater proportion (74.8%) of
the population resides in rural areas and the remaining in urban areas. The population
pyramid depicts a youthful population structure; 40.0 percent is aged 0-14 years. The sex
ratio of the District is 100.2 males to 100 females.
9.1.2 Fertility, mortality and migration
The total fertility rate (TFR) of Mpohor District (4.3) is higher than the regional rate (3.6).
The general fertility rate (125.8) and crude birth rate (30.3) are also higher than the Western
Regional rates (105.8) and (26.8) respectively. The crude death rate for the District is more
(9.1) than that of the region (6.2). The District has a migrant population of 14,510 persons.
The influx of people into the District may be attributed to the booming mining (both large
scale and galamsey) and agricultural activities

9.1.3 Social characteristics

Nuclear and extended families make up 80.0 percent and 18.0 percent respectively of
household compositions in the Mpohor District. The total population of persons aged 12
years and older is 28,681 comprising 35.1 percent persons who have never married and 47.1
percent married. Again 62.5% have Basic Education whiles 25.1% have no education at all;
66.8 percent of the population is employed and 2.2 percent unemployed.
9.1.4 Nationality
Majority of the people residing in the District are Ghanaians (98.6%) while a smaller
proportion (1.4%) are foreigners. Most people in the District are Christians (82.0%), 12.7
percent are without any form of religion, 3.9 percent belong to the Islamic religion,
traditionalist form 0.8 percent and those belonging to other religions not specified are 0.6
percent.
9.1.5 Literacy and education
The proportion of the literate population aged 11 years and older is 75.5 percent. Of the male
and female population 11 years and older, 85.0 percent and 66.2 percent respectively are
literates. Of persons aged three (3) years and older in the District, 50.6 percent have attended
school in the past whiles 49.4 percent are currently attending school. The total number of
people currently attending school is 15,230 consisting of 52.4 percent (7,974) males and 47.6
percent (7,256) females. Those who are in primary schools account for 48.8 percent; JHS/JSS
forms 17.6 percent, SSS/SHS (5.4%) and Tertiary students (1.0%).

60
9.1.6 Economic characteristics
There are 25,774 persons aged 15 years and older of whom 75.7 percent are economically
active and (24.3%) economically not active in the District. Among the economically active
population, 97.7 percent are employed and (3.3%) unemployed. Majority of the population
are employed with males having a proportion of 97.0 percent whiles females recorded 96.5
percent of their respective employed populations. Those within the age group 40-44 years
recorded the highest proportion (93.4%) of the employed. Agriculture, including forestry and
fishing employs 49.3 percent of the employed population. Majority of the employed
population are self-employed without employees (58.9%). More females (66.0%) are self-
employed without employee(s) in comparison to males (52.2%). The proportion of the
population who are employed in the private informal sector is 84.8 percent.
The main occupation in the Mpohor District is farming and households in Agriculture
account for 63.9 percent. Agriculture is higher in rural (83.3%) than urban (16.7%)
communities. Crop farming and livestock rearing are the most practised agricultural activities
in the District. Fish farming is the least practiced in the District. Beehives and marine fishing
practices do not exist in the District.

9.1.7 Information Communication Technology

The District has 35.7 percent of all persons aged 12 years and older having mobile phones
with males (44.9%) and females (26.5%). Only 1.9 percent of the population aged 12 years
and older uses Internet with males having more access than females. The District’s average is
less than the regional (6.5%). Only 0.4 percent of households have fixed telephone lines in
their homes and only 2.2 percent of the households in the District have desktop or laptop
computers with males (2.5%) at advantage over females (1.6%).

9.1.8 Disability
The proportion of PWDs in the District is 5.9 percent and among males, 5.8 percent have one
form of disability or another compared to 5.9 percent of females in the District who have a
disability. This makes Mpohor the District with the highest proportion of PWDs in the
Western Region. The majority of PWDs in the District (44.2%) have visual or sight
impairment followed by those with emotional disability (28.7%). The lowest proportions
(5.1%) of PWDs in the District are those with other disabilities. This trend of PWDs is
similar in both the male and female population. There are however more PWDs in rural
(75.2%) than urban (24.8%) areas. The proportion of PWDs employed is 7.1 percent while
the unemployed and economically not active population with disabilities are 6.3 percent and
11.0 percent respectively. Majority of PWDs do not progress in education due to several
barriers in their way. As a result, most of them terminate their education either at basic or
secondary levels as compared to their counterparts without disabilities.
9.1.9 Housing conditions
The Mpohor District is largely a rural district because majority approximately 75 percent of
its population live in rural areas. The housing stock in the District is 8,666 with the average
of 1.3 households per house, and 5.0 persons per house. The average household size is 3.7.

61
The main types of dwelling units occupied by households in the District are separate houses
(36.4%), compound houses (34.5%), semi-detached houses (11.6%) and flat/apartments
(11.3%). There is a general trend of unavailability of sleeping rooms for higher household
sizes. This has health and sanitation implications for the occupants in due to congestion.
Social amenities and facilities are also over utilized because of the number of people in the
rooms.
The main construction materials used by the households for outer walls are mud brick/earth
(52%) and cement block/concrete (38.8%). Likewise, the households have two main
materials for the flooring of dwelling units cement/concrete (85.9%) and earth/mud (12.3%)
and by locality, cement/concrete (urban 94.6%; rural 82.8%) and earth/mud (urban 3.5%;
rural 15.5%). Dwelling units are mainly roofed using metal sheet (69.3%), bamboo (11%)
and thatch/palm leaf/raffia (11.2%) respectively.
Lighting sources are mainly derived from electricity mains (60.8%), flashlight/torch (21.9%)
and kerosene lamp (15.9%). By locality, electricity mains (urban 79.7%; rural 54.1%),
flashlight/torch (urban 2.2%; rural 28.8%) and kerosene (urban 17%; rural 15.5%) are the
proportions. Wood (61.5%), charcoal (24.3%) and gas (5.5%) together provide 91.3 percent
of cooking fuel for households in the District
The most common sources of drinking water in the District are borehole/pump/tube well
(29.5%), river/stream (21.7%), pipe-borne water outside dwelling (12.7%), protected well
(12.5%), public tap/stand pipe (10.6%) and sachet water (8.6%). In terms of locality,
protected well; (urban 43.7%, rural 1.5%), river/stream; (urban 0.1%, rural 29.3%), public
tap/stand pipe; (urban 1.7%, rural 13.8%), borehole/pump/tube well; (urban 24.3%, rural
31.4%), sachet water; (urban 25%, rural 2.8%) and pipe-borne outside dwelling; (urban 2.4%
rural 16.3%) are the major sources of water. With the exception of sachet water which was
excluded from water for other domestic purposes, a similar pattern was maintained for water
for other domestic purposes but with varying proportions.
The types of bathing facilities are shared separate bathroom in the same house (26.9%), own
bathroom for exclusive use (22.1%), shared open cubicle (21.8%) and bathroom in another
house (6.3%). This pattern is maintained in both urban and rural areas except with bathing in
river/pond/lake/dam where rural areas (4.1%) recorded higher proportions than the urban
(0.1%).The most popular toilet facilities in the District are public toilet (54.2%), pit latrine
(28%), no facility/bush/beach/field (7.3%) and KVIP (5.7%). This pattern is maintained in
the rural-urban distribution. Meanwhile, pit latrine (31.2%) and no facility/bush/beach/field
(8.6%) recorded higher proportions in rural areas than urban (19%, 3.9%) respectively.
Alternatively, public toilet (60.2%) and KVIP (8%) recorded higher percentages in urban
(52%) than rural (4.8%) areas respectively.
The majority of households dump their refuse either in an open space (64.6%),
indiscriminately (11.6%), in a container (10.7%) or buried (6%). Rubbish is collected in only
2.4 percent of households. The rest are either burned or dumped by other methods. Majority
of both urban (60.6%) and rural (66%) households dump their rubbish in open spaces,
however with varied proportions. Indiscriminate dumping of refuse is more common in rural
(14%) than urban (4.9%) settings while dumping in container is predominant in urban (20%)
than rural (7.4%) towns.
Household liquid waste is usually thrown onto compound (40.6%), into gutters (26.9%) or
streets/outside (24.9%). Only five percent of households dispose of liquid waste either
through a drainage system into a gutter (2.3%) or through a drainage system into a pit (2.7%).

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Throwing liquid waste onto compounds is common in both urban (40%) and rural (40.9%)
households. While throwing of liquid waste into gutters is dominant in urban (39.8%) than in
rural (22.3%) households; throwing of liquid waste onto streets/outside is more popular in
rural (27.6%) than urban (17.2%) households.

9.2 Conclusions
Results from the 2010 PHC provide holistic information on the demographic, social, and
economic and other indicators of the District. The report shows the status of key demographic
and socio-economic indicators in the District. It highlights the dynamics of the households’
characteristics and challenges in other social and economic issues such as education,
information communication technology, disability, agriculture, housing and the amenities
available to the households. These issues include the youthful nature of the population, high
age dependency ratio, low level of educational attainment, low ICT usage, incidence of
disability, dominance of agriculture in the economy of the District with crop farming being
the dominant agriculture activity, poor water and sanitation conditions as well as over
reliance on wood and charcoal as main source of cooking fuel. The data from the 2010
Census thus provides a wealth of information to inform policy decision-making and planning.

9.3 Policy Implications

The data has policy implications that may require changing strategies and setting new goals
or the data might call for the introduction of new policies with new sets of goals and
objectives to better guide policy makers. This section is devoted to policy recommendations
based on the data analyzed in this report. The youthful nature of the population should inform
policy makers on the need for education, and the provision of social amenities for the
development of children and adolescents, and the maintenance of elderly persons in the
Mpohor District.
Low fertility rate enhances the availability of economic and social benefits to families and the
community at large, better childcare due to proper spacing of births. Therefore, efforts must
be made to reduce the current fertility rates in the District, which is higher than the regional
rate. This could be achieved via effective advocacy through the involvement of community
gatekeepers.
Parents should be admonished to educate their children and be guided by the notion that the
greatest property to bequeath to children is education. The Free Compulsory Universal Basic
Education enshrined in the 1992 Republican Constitution of the country must be fully
implemented in District. Policy interventions like scholarships for girls and children from
remote areas as well as support for needy but brilliant students can be put in place to address
challenges in the educational system particularly those faced by females. Since higher
education increases the mental and productive capacities of the individual, a lot of
interventions need to be made to encourage people to progress to the tertiary level. Very few
households own a computer and this is reflected in low use of mobile phones and internet
access. Government policy of distributing free computers to schoolchildren should be
extended to schools in the communities and both teachers and students should be trained and
equipped to master the knowledge and use of computers and the internet. Also the
programme of distributing desktop computer to Senior High Schools to resource ICT Centres
should be continued to enhance students’ usage of computer and access to Internet.
The District reporting the highest proportion of PWDs in the region must be of great concern.
This may be due to poor environmental conditions and lack of immunization of children

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during the relevant ages. The District health directorate and the environmental health unit of
the District Assembly should intensify their immunization and sanitation campaigns to reach
all persons as required. The Fund Management Committee of the Common Fund for PWDs
should allocate an increased percentage of the fund to education and economic empowerment
of PWDs.
Agriculture should be made attractive by ensuring increased incomes for persons engaged in
the sector. This can be made possible through the construction of motorable and accessible
roads that can be used throughout the year to facilitate transportation of farms and market
centres. This would reduce post-harvest losses and increase incomes for farmers. Again since
the majority of farmers are into crop farming, the expansion of the only market at Mpohor
and construction and promotion of food markets at the Area Council capitals can also ensure
increased income for crop farmers. Public- Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement in agro-
processing is also recommended.
Since the District is endowed with bamboo, the use of bamboo as a construction material
should be encouraged, improved and made attractive. This would reduce construction cost
and make housing more affordable to increase the housing stock in the District.
The Statutory Planning Committee of the Assembly should streamline the development
permit issuing systems to ensure that potential developers submit building plans and insist on
facilities such as toilet, bath rooms, sewerage included in the construction before permits are
issued. Government through the rural electrification project should ensure that more rural
communities are connected to the national grid. The District assembly should make sufficient
budget allocations for the construction of new boreholes and the rehabilitation of old
boreholes in the District especially in the rural communities.

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 REFERENCES

Ghana Statistical Service (2013). 2010 Population and Housing Census, Western Regional
Analytical Report. Accra, Ghana Statistical Service.

Ghana Statistical Service (2013). 2010 Population and Housing Census, National Analytical
Report. Accra, Ghana Statistical Service.

Ghana Statistical Service (2013). Compendium of Statistical Standards, Variables and

Concepts for Official Statistics in Ghana. Accra, Ghana Statistical Service.

Ghana Statistical Service, (2012). 2010 Population and Housing Census; Summary report of
final results. Accra, Ghana Statistical Service.

Mpohor District Assembly (2012). Medium Term Development Plan – The Ghana Shared
And Development Growth Agenda.

Republic of Ghana (1992). The 1992 Constitution of Ghana. Accra, Assembly Press.

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 APPENDICES

Table A1: Population by sex, number of households and houses in the 20 largest
communities

House
S/No. Community Name Total Male Female holds Houses
1 Mpohor 10,826 5,280 5,546 3,014 1,671
2 Manso 4,465 2,070 2,395 1,261 920
3 Edum Banso 4,360 2,141 2,219 1,108 699
4 Bopp 2,378 1,318 1,060 691 361
5 Ayiem 2,350 1,124 1,226 671 505
6 Adum Dominase 2,344 1,126 1,218 716 512
7 Angu 1,766 933 833 460 345
8 Botodwina 1,551 801 750 372 368
9 Adansi 1,164 586 578 311 294
10 Mampong 908 462 446 264 275
11 Krofofrom 863 435 428 206 208
12 Apraponso 848 463 385 191 228
13 Edumase 836 448 388 255 121
14 Amanten 823 429 394 215 271
15 Kromantse 813 405 408 176 132
16 Edaa 788 420 368 173 174
17 Camp 3 (Asraku) 738 426 312 184 95
18 Wiredukrom 704 384 320 174 208
19 Trebuom 660 284 376 171 161
20 Essamang 624 332 292 158 195
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

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Table A2: Population by age group in the 20 largest communities
All
S/No. Community Name ages 0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75+
1 Mpohor 10,826 1,547 1,250 1,295 1,187 1,137 944 663 614 523 432 360 260 191 135 131 157
2 Manso 4,465 685 623 508 367 348 308 271 244 218 176 216 126 113 111 58 93
3 Edum Banso 4,360 615 564 505 411 370 312 299 265 227 177 193 121 91 47 78 85
4 Bopp 2,378 295 275 309 248 220 187 195 194 190 119 82 37 9 6 3 9
5 Ayiem 2,350 357 339 294 214 172 172 155 158 111 77 81 48 54 36 31 51
6 Adum Dominase 2,344 317 338 258 227 189 158 122 125 132 98 114 59 51 30 44 82
7 Angu 1,766 260 225 228 193 140 106 108 107 71 100 50 49 46 27 28 28
8 Botodwina 1,551 276 239 206 145 88 90 72 84 79 71 51 27 43 18 25 37
9 Adansi 1,164 198 173 586 103 75 67 72 58 64 63 50 30 35 11 12 26
10 Mampong 908 181 150 81 56 68 70 53 43 46 35 41 25 19 4 12 24
11 Krofofrom 863 158 131 115 95 62 49 247 44 39 39 40 21 11 12 4 7
12 Apraponso 848 143 131 92 74 44 56 56 60 52 42 32 24 16 10 9 7
13 Edumase 836 106 108 111 92 70 72 73 59 70 45 24 5 1 0 0 0
14 Amanten 823 123 108 85 57 80 94 54 60 56 27 22 12 16 7 5 17
15 Kromantse 813 88 78 117 88 81 73 53 48 54 40 50 15 15 6 2 5
16 Edaa 788 136 117 97 72 64 53 38 46 32 35 31 18 16 8 13 12
17 Camp 3 (Asraku) 738 101 97 60 73 86 79 76 46 41 26 18 15 10 5 4 1
18 Wiredukrom 704 92 100 87 82 52 59 43 29 38 24 40 13 15 5 12 13
19 Trebuom 660 114 94 89 64 51 43 23 36 31 24 35 15 14 8 8 11
20 Essamang 624 88 67 69 72 69 47 38 45 38 21 28 12 11 10 5 4
Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2010 Population and Housing Census

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 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Project Secretariat
Dr. Philomena Nyarko, Government Statistician
Mr. Baah Wadieh, Deputy Government Statistician
Mr. David Yenukwa Kombat, Acting Census Coordinator
Mr. Sylvester Gyamfi, DISDAP Project Coordinator
Mrs. Abena A. Osei-Akoto, Data Processing
Mr. Rochester Appiah Kubi Boateng, Data Processing
Mrs. Jacqueline Anum, Data Processing
Mrs. Samilia Mintah, Data Processing
Mr. Yaw Misefa, Data Processing
Mr. Ernest Enyan, Data Processing
Mr. Emmanuel Nana Opoku, Regional Statistician
Ms. Hanna Frempong Konadu, Formatting/Typesetting
Mrs. Hellen Ayitevie, Formatting/Typesetting
Mrs. Agnes Anane, Formatting/Typesetting

Writers
Alex Asante Minkah
Bartholimew Bismark Duker

Consultant
Prof. Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme

Editor/ Reviewers
Prof. George Owusu
Mr. Ernest Nyarku

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