The Ashanti Region, located in the southern part of Ghana, is a vibrant area known for its rich history, culture, and diverse economy. As the third-largest of Ghana's 16 administrative regions, it occupies a total land surface of 24,389 km2 (9,417 sq mi), making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the most populated region in Ghana, with a population of 5,440,463 according to the 2021 census, accounting for around one-sixth of Ghana's total population.
Map of Ghana showing the Ashanti Region
Location and Demographics
The Ashanti Region is located in the middle belt of Ghana, between longitudes 0.15W and 2.25W and latitudes 5.50N and 7.46N. It shares boundaries with six of the sixteen political regions: the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo in the north, the Eastern Region in the east, the Central Region in the south, and the Western Region in the South West. The center of population in the Ashanti Region is located in the Kumasi Metropolitan District.
According to the 2000 census, the region had a population of 3,612,950, making it the most populous region of Ghana. The majority of the Ashanti Region's population is from the Akan ethnic group and is made up of citizens by birth (94.2%), whereas 5% are naturalized Ghanaians. Akans are the predominant ethnic group in the region, representing 94.2% of citizens by birth.
Brief History
The Asante (Ashantis) constitute the largest of the various subgroups of the Akan, who trace their origins partly to Bono-Manso and Techiman, in present-day Brong Ahafo Region. They constitute 14.8 per cent of all Ghanaians by birth, and 30.1 per cent of the total Akan population of 8,562,748 in the country. Various oral traditions have it that the Ashantis migrated from various places through Bono-Manso/Takyiman (Techiman) to present day Ashanti Region.
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As a united people, they started with a nucleus of the Oyoko clan around Asantemanso. After several years of subjugation by other empires, such as the Akwamu and the Denkyira, Asante eventually grew to be a very powerful empire founded by King Osei-Tutu I (1695-1717), after defeating the Denkyira King Ntim Gyakari during the battle of Feyiase (Buah, 1998). Ironically, King Osei Tutu I had spent his childhood days in the court of the Denkyira King, according to custom, and had escaped from there to Akwamu where he met his lifelong friend and spiritual mentor, the legendary Okomfo Anokye.
It is believed that it was through Okomfo Anokye’s extraordinary supernatural powers that King Osei Tutu founded the Ashanti Empire; as he is said to have commanded the Golden Stool to fall from “the heavens”, the stool which, to this day, serves as the symbol of the spirit, unity and strength of the Ashantis.
At the height of its glory, the influence and culture of the Asante Kingdom stretched beyond the borders of the present day Ghana. The Ashanti were able to preserve what was best in Akan culture, including the use of gold dust as currency and gold weights as a measure, which system was actually originated by the great Bono (Brong) King Akumfi Ameyaw I (1328-1363) (Buah, 1998).
The Asante fought many successful wars against the Denkyira and their allies including the Wassa, the British, the Fante, and even the Bonos (Brongs). Indeed it was the Ashanti King Opoku Ware I who defeated the Bonos in 1723 and destroyed Bono-Manso, forcing the Bono Empire to move its capital from Manso to present day Techiman. The Ashanti Empire eventually collapsed with the defeat and exile of King Prempeh I, first to El-Mina Castle and eventually to the Seychelles. Not even the last stalwart stand by the great warrior Queen Yaa Asantewaa could revive the fame, fortune and power of Ashanti.
However, the culture, kinship and social structure of Ashanti, like many of the other Akan groups, has been preserved and maintained to the present day, and underlines the cultural heritage, not only of the Asante, but of the entire Akan ethnic group. The present Asanti King (Asantehene) Osei Tutu II, is a direct matrilineal descendant of Osei Tutu I.
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Demographic Characteristics
The population of the region is concentrated in a few districts. The Kumasi metropolis alone accounts for nearly one-third of the region’s population. Slightly over half, 51.5 per cent, of the population of the region is in four districts. While more than half of the population in the region resides in urban areas, in 15 of the 18 districts, over half the population live in rural areas.
The high level of urbanization in the region is due mainly to the high concentration of the population in the Kumasi metropolis (which has almost about a third of the region’s population). Males outnumber females in eleven districts. The age structure of the population in the districts is skewed towards the youth. The dependent population in the districts is high, ranging from 42.2 per cent in the Kumasi metropolis to 57.3 per cent in the Ahafo Ano South District.
Total Fertility Rates (TFRs) are high in most of the districts, except in the following four: Adansi West, Asante Akim South, Kumasi metropolis and Afigya Sekyere, where TFRs are lower than the regional average of 4.7. The TFR in the Ahafo Ano South District (9.4) is particularly high.
Social Characteristics
All the districts in the region have more than a quarter of households headed by females with the lowest (26.9%) in Ejura Sekyedumase and the highest (40.1%) in the Ejisu-Juaben, Districts. Children constitute the greater proportion of household members in most of the districts, except in three: Kwabre, Sekyere East, and Ahafo Ano South, where “other relatives” outnumber children.
In each district, children and other relatives account for more than 50.0 per cent of household members. Information on the levels of educational attainment and literacy show that between 40.0 and 50.0 per cent of the population in the districts, particulary, females either have no formal education or have only pre-school education.
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The proportions of the population with basic education vary from 67.7 per cent in the Kumasi metropolis to 86.9 per cent in the Amansie West District. Between 51.3 per cent (Kumasi metropolis) and 73.0 per cent (Amansie West) of the population currently in school are in the primary school. The proportions in JSS are low, ranging from 16.1 per cent to 22.4 percent, tapering down further to lower proportions at higher levels of education.
Illiteracy levels are high in the districts and higher for females than the males; the level is also higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Illiteracy rates vary from 26.0 per cent in Kumasi metropolis to 64.7 per cent in the Ejura Sekyedumase District. Only three Districts, Kumasi metropolis, Adansi West and Ejisu-Juaben, have illiteracy levels lower than the regional average of 40.4 percent.
Economic Characteristics
The proportion of the economically active population varies from 71.4 in the Kumasi metropolis to 85.2 per cent in the Amansie West District. Only five districts have proportions lower than 80.0 percent. The major occupation in all the districts is Agriculture/Animal Husbandry/Forestry, except in the Kumasi metropolis, where Sales workers predominate.
The proportion of females in Sales is higher than that of males in all the districts. The proportion of females in Agriculture/Animal Husbandry/Forestry is also higher than that of males for the region as a whole and for the following three districts: Kumasi, Ejura Sekyedumase, and Offinso. Residents in the rural areas are mostly in Agriculture whereas those in urban areas are mainly in Sales and Production work.
Majority of the economically active population are self-employed, mainly in the private informal sector, which provides job opportunities, particularly for females with little or no formal education.
Community Facilities
Apart from traditional healers, community facilities such as schools, hospitals/clinics and telephones, all of which contribute to the improvement in the living conditions of people, are scarcely found in all the districts, except the Kumasi metropolis. In most of the localities in the districts, the nearest facility is located more than 10 kilometres away. Traditional healing is the only facility that is mostly found in the localities or within a short distance.
Location and Physical Features
Due to human activities and bushfires, the forest vegetation of parts of the region, particularly the north-eastern part, has been reduced to savanna. The region has an average annual rainfall of 1270mm and two rainy seasons. The major rainy season starts in March, with a major pick in May. There is a slight dip in July and a pick in August, tapering off in November. December to February is dry, hot, and dusty. The average daily temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius.
Much of the region is situated between 150 and 300 metres above sea level. The region is endowed with a spectacular geography-lakes, scarps, forest reserves, waterfalls, national parks, birds and wildlife sanctuaries. Notable among them are the Owabi Arboretum and Bomgobiri wildlife sanctuaries. The region is drained by Lake Bosomtwe, the largest natural lake in the country, and Rivers Offin, Prah, Afram and Owabi. There are other smaller rivers and streams which serve as sources of drinking water for residents of some localities in the region.
Political Administration
There are 18 administrative districts in the Ashanti Region including the Kumasi metropolis The region also has 33 constituencies and 840 electoral areas, the highest in the country. A Member of Parliament represents each of the 33 constituencies at the nation’s 200- member legislature.
The Regional Minister is the political Head of the region, and the Chairman of the Regional Co-ordinating Council. Other members of the Regional Co-ordinating Council include the Regional Co-ordinating Director (Secretary), all the 18 District Chief Executives and Presiding members, as well as two representatives from the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs. All Regional heads of department are ex-officio members of the Regional Co-ordinating Council.
The District/Metropolitan Assemblies are headed by Metropolitan/District Chief Executives. The District and Metropolitan Chief Executives are nominated by the President of the Republic and approved by two-thirds majority of the respective Metropolitan/District Assemblies. The Chief Executives, like the Regional Minister, are assisted by District Co-ordinating Directors.
For effective administration, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has been sub-divided into four sub-metros, namely Asokwa, Subin, Bantama and Manhyia. The following three additional districts have been created, to bring the total number in the region to twenty-one (21).
Cultural and Social Structure
The region has 36 Traditional Councils, each headed by a Paramount Chief. The Traditional Councils are the decentralised units of administration by traditional rulers and are used to mobilize the people at the local and community levels for development. The spiritual head of the region is the Asante King, the Otumfuo Asantehene. All the Paramount Chiefs in the region are members of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, with the Asantehene as the President of the house.
The main language spoken in the region is Twi. Several festivals are celebrated in the region, the major ones being the Akwasidae and AdaeKese. These are religious festivals celebrated by some members of the Akan ethnic group of which the Ashantis belong. The festivals are celebrated to remember past leaders and heroes. Though they are dead, their spirits are supposed to be alive and taking interest in the affairs of the living, watching their doings and consulting with them at Adae.
Literacy of Population
It reveals that 35.0 per cent of the population, 15 years and older in the region are not literate. A little under half (48.1%) are literate in both English and a Ghanaian language. Only 3.2 per cent are literate in a Ghanaian language only, while less than 1.0 per cent are able to read and write in other languages.
There are differences between the sexes in terms of literacy. More than half (55.8%) of the males are literate in English and a Ghanaian language compared with two fifth (40.4%) of the females. On the whole, the illiteracy level for the region (35.0%) is lower than that of the national average (42.1%).
Religion
The dominant religion in the region is Christianity (77.5%) followed by Islam (13.2%). The proportion of Christians is higher than the national average (68.8%), while that of Moslems is lower than the national average (15.9%). All other religious groups constitute insignificant proportions of the population. The proportion with no religion is however relatively high (7.3%).
Economic Activity and Employment
The economically active population in the region is engaged mainly in Agriculture (excluding Fishing), with 44.5 per cent of them employed in the branch of activity. This represents a decline from the 1984 level of 61.9 percent. The next highest proportion of the economically active population is employed in Wholesale and Retail Trade (18.4%), followed by Manufacturing (12.2%) and Community, Social and Personal Services etc., (9.9%). These four major economic activities employ a total of 85.0 per cent of the economically active population, which is lower than that of 1984 (94.4%).
The proportion of the economically active population engaged in other economic activities is less than 5.0 per cent in each case. Water and Transport, Storage and Communications, Electricity, Gas and all the other activities increased their proportions of the economically active population employed in 2000 compared with 1984, except Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry.
The economy of the Ashanti Region is largely self-sufficient, dominated by the service sector, agriculture sector, as well as by natural resources. The Ashanti Region's economy is largely driven by the extraction and processing of a various industrial mineral and agricultural commodities. The economy is closely linked to the abundance of natural resources found in Ashanti region, providing a comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. The Ashanti ethnic group is wealthy due to large gold deposits mined within the international borders of the Ashanti Region.
The region is also known for its production of manganese, bauxite and agricultural commodities such as cocoa and yam, with the region having low levels of taxation and without much need for foreign direct investment. The Ashanti Region is known for its gold bar and cocoa production.
Industrial agricultural production is mainly undertaken for household consumption in the Ashanti Region, despite the huge demand for food by the large and relatively affluent Ashanti capital Kumasi metropolis urban populace.[6][7] The region's centrality helped define its role as a major market for agricultural produce.[7] The Ashanti Region main foods include cooking plantain, rice, maize, wheat, cassava, taro-cocoyam, pineapple, yam, vegetables and other cereals and legumes.[8][6] Irish potatoes also thrive well in Nsuta near Mampong.
The Ashanti people prepared the fields by burning before the rainy season and cultivated with an iron hoe.[11][full citation needed][12][full citation needed] Fields are left fallow for usually two to four years after cultivation. Manioc and corn are New World transplants introduced during the Atlantic slave trade.[11][12] Many of these vegetable crops could be harvested twice a year. The Ashanti transformed palm wine, maize and millet into beer, and made use of the oil from palm for many culinary and domestic uses.
Road transport and communication throughout the Ashanti Kingdom were maintained via a network of well-kept roads from the Ashanti Kingdom to the Niger River while linking other trade cities together. The predominant means of travel within Ashanti region and Kumasi metropolis is by road. Ashanti capital Kumasi metropolis has been planned with arterial roads and collector roads.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly's railway lines and train service has been suspended for several years because of damaged tracks, bridges and locomotives. Currently, no train is running from and to Ashanti capital Kumasi due to the collapse of the Railway Corporation some years back.
The Ashanti region is served by the Kumasi Airport, which handles domestic flights. The N6 is connected to Kumasi, Nsawam, the N4, and Accra via Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Ashanti is also connected to the Central Region by the N8 and N10, both of which originate from Yemoransa in the Central Region.
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Healthcare and Education
Healthcare in the region is managed by the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate (RHD), which is headed by Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang. The Ashanti region has three public universities. St. St. S.D.A.
Key Aspects of Ashanti Culture
Although some Asante now live and work in urban centres, they remain primarily associated with village life. They are mainly farmers who produce plantain, bananas, cassava, yams, and cocoyams for local markets and cacao for export.
- Matrilineal Society: The basis of Asante social organization is the matrilineage, a localized segment of a clan whose members claim descent from a common female ancestor.
- Lineage Head: The head of the lineage is chosen by its senior men and women; females are prohibited from holding this position because of menstrual taboos forbidding contact with sacred objects.
- Village Chief: The village chief is chosen from a particular lineage, which differs from village to village; his main task, with the advice of his council of elders, is to settle disputes within the community.
- Golden Stool: The symbol of Asante unity was the Golden Stool, which reputedly descended from the sky and to which all chiefs acknowledged allegiance.
- Queen Mother: The queen mother (more often actually the sister of the chief) advised him about his conduct and was regarded as the authority on kinship relations of the lineage; she nominated candidates to fill a vacant chief’s position.
Although there are Christian and Muslim converts among the Asante, the traditional religion, based on belief in a distant supreme being, a pantheon of gods and lesser spirits, and the ever-present spirits of ancestors, remains the basis of the Asante conception of the universe.
Table: Key Data of the Ashanti Region
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Land Area | 24,389 km2 |
| Population (2021) | 5,440,463 |
| Predominant Ethnic Group | Akan (Ashanti) |
| Dominant Religion | Christianity (77.5%) |
| Major Occupations | Agriculture, Sales |
Kumasi, Ghana’s Cultural and Economic Gem
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