Hon. Paul Evans Aidoo (Regional Minister)

Hon. Emelia Arthur (Deputy Reg. Minister)

Ivory Coast shares borders with this region, it shares boundaries also with Brong Ahafo at its North Eastern and Central region at its South Western corridors.

Shama-Ahanta East has the largest proportion of persons (19.2%) in the region. The district capital, Sekondi, and its twin city Takoradi, have the infrastructure and economic influence to attract migrants and retain usual residents. Juabeso-Bia (12.7%), Wassa Amenfi (12.2%) and Wassa West (12.1%) also account for a substantial proportion of the regional population.

These districts may have attracted migrants because of their rich soils suitable for agriculture (Wassa Amenfi and Juabeso-Bia) and mining (Wassa West) activities. Jomoro, with a low population share of 5.8 per cent may have lost some of its inhabitants to neighbouring Ivory Coast with which it shares a common border. It also lacks the sort of industry that attracts migrant labour, being mainly agricultural with coconut production the major agricultural activity.

The distribution of the population in the region is uneven. This is reflected in the difference between the percentage distribution of population and land area. The Shama-Ahanta East metropolitan area is highly densely populated (958.9 persons per sq. km). With only 1.6 per cent of the total land area, it accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the region’s population.

On the other hand, Juabeso-Bia, Aowin-Suaman, Mpohor-Wassa East and Wassa Amenfi are sparsely populated, with most of their localities being rural and not easily accessible. Ahanta West has the lowest share of the region’s population (4.9%) but it is quite dense (161.0 persons/sq. km).

This may be due to its small land area, most of which has been cultivated with rubber and oil palm plantations. It is the smallest district in terms of both population and land area, but with a number of peri-urban towns such as Apowa, Agona Nkwanta and Dixcove, hence the high population density.

Aowin-Suaman, the most sparsely settled district, with a density of 38.5 persons per square kilometre, together with Wassa Amenfi and Juabeso-Bia, account for more than half (51.5%) of the total land area of the region, but only about 31 per cent of the population.

It has 17 districts.

Ivory Coast shares borders with this region, it shares boundaries also with Brong Ahafo at its North Eastern and Central region at its South Western corridors.