4.10.1.2. Ponkujaku District, Northern Region
The district is flat at an elevation of between 140 and 180 meters above sea level. It has a rainy season that lasts from May to October – peaking in August and September – with an annual rainfall of 900 to 1,000 mm; and the rest of the year is virtually dry. The vegetation is typical Guinea savannah: elephant grass interspersed with drought-resistant trees such as the shea tree (Ponkujaku DA no date).
Agriculture is the dominant industry. The district produces cereal crops and yams, and rears livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats (District Profile no date). More than 80% of the economically active population is engaged in agriculture, including agro-processing and trading in foodstuffs (Ponkujaku DA 2006 p19).
The district has a good road network but these roads are in poor condition and their effective use is limited to the dry season of October to April (Ponkujaku DA no date). During the rainy season, many areas become inaccessible, thus leaving them cut off from the rest of the district. There are regular bus services between Ponkujaku town and most of major towns, but not all. Trucks carrying cattle, crops and other commodities on market days are an important means of transport.
Picture 2 Main roads in Ponkujaku
Flooded major road to Ponkujaku town Another major road to Ponkujaku town without any regular public transportation
Source: field research.
About 80% of the population consists of the Dagomba ethnic group, and the rest consists of Konkomba and other tribes such as the Frani, who are mostly settler farmers. The dominant religion is Islam with traditional beliefs and Christianity following in descending order. About 80% of the population is illiterate (Ponkujaku DA no date p2-3).
Two communities are classified as towns (one of them being Ponkujaku town) and 30% of the population resides in these two town areas (ibid p2). Eighty percent of settlements in the district have a population of less than 800 and 51% of the population lives in settlements of less than 800 people (Ponkujaku DA p18). Its population density is 22 people per km² (ibid p14).
Only about 50% of the entire population has access to safe drinking water (ibid p30). In Ponkujaku town, there is a bank and a hospital but no landline telephone or Internet service. Newspapers did not become commercially available until 2008.
4.10.1.2. Aumisoe District
The district is hilly, with an average elevation of about 350 meters above sea level. “The extensive nature of forest reserves in the district ensures a very good rainfall distribution patterns”: there are two rainy seasons, with peak periods from approximately May to June, and again in October. The average annual rainfall is 1,600 to 1,800 mm, with an average of 150 days of rain per year (Aumisoe DA 2006 p17). Most of the northwestern parts of the district lie within the gold belt, although current mining operations are only on a small scale (ibid p19).
In Aumisoe, 83.3% of the population engages in farming, including agro-industry (ibid p25). Cocoa is the most widespread cash crop, its cultivation employing the majority of the population, followed by the production of palm oil, coffee, maize, cassava, rice and
plantain, and the rearing of livestock (ibid p38). It does not necessarily mean that people do not engage in foodstuff cultivation; they do, but mainly for their own consumption.
There is regular and frequent public transport in the form of minibuses between the district capital Aumisoe town and major cities, including the regional capital, Kumasi. Aumisoe town and nearby communities are connected by minibus and/or share taxi.
Fertile land attracts migrants, with a growth rate of 3.5%; higher than the regional and national averages of 3.4% and 2.6% respectively. Migrants constitute about 45% of the total population of the district. The Ewe ethnic group forms the majority of the population, comprising 55%, followed by the Fante (ibid p25). Two-thirds of the population claim affiliation with Christian faith, with a minority holding Islamic and traditional beliefs (ibid p23).
In 2006, it was estimated that there were 1,767,23 major communities, representing 57.4% of the population (ibid p22), while 78.1% lived in rural areas (ibid p25). Indeed, there are
many so-called „cottages‟ − households consisting of as little as one family that are often connected to other cottages by a footpath − in the forest. The population density of the district is 110 people per km² (ibid p21).
There are three main banks and a hospital in the capital, and another other bank in another town. There is a landline telephone service and newspapers for sale, but no commercial Internet access in the capital.
In summary, the two deprived districts strategically selected for this study are similar in the sense that the main industry is agriculture − 80% of both populations are engaged in it − and most people (70–80%) live in rural areas. However, there are many more differences than there are similarities, as summarised in table 12. In particular, the type of settlement is different. As the vastness of Ponkujaku suggests − it is six times the size of
Aumisoe in terms of land mass but its population density is only one fifth that of Aumisoe – communities in Ponkujaku have clear physical boundaries and are far more scattered over the savannah than those in Aumisoe.
Table 12 Characteristics of Ponkujaku and Aumiose Districts
Ponkujaku Aumisoe Vegetation Savanna Forest
Rainy/Agricultural Season
Once a year (May-October) Twice a year with peak periods of May to June and October
Main cash crop Food crops (Yam, cassava, etc.) and shea nuts and butter
Cocoa and palm oil
Main crop Food crops Cash crops (Cocoa and palm oil) Ethnicity Dagomba, Konkomba Akan, Ewe
Language Dagomba, Konkomba Akan, Ewe Dominating religion Muslim Christianity Natural resources n/a Gold
n/a = not available Source: field research.
Picture 3 Settlements of the two case study districts
A settlement (Jamune) in Ponkujaku A settlement (Asonbwa) in Aumisoe Source: ethnographic research.