Vision

To become one of the most effective and efficient local governance units in Ghana, promoting development for the citizens of the District

Mission Statement

Ayensuano District Assembly exists as a proactive and client focused Assembly to promote good local governance, effective service delivery through an efficient harnessing of its resources towards the improvement of the social and economic wellbeing of its people.

ABOUT AYENSUANO DISTRICT

The Ayensuano District is one (1) of the thirty-three (33) MMDA’s in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Ghana. The District was carved out of the then Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Assembly by Legislative Instrument Number 2052 and was inaugurated on 28 of June, 2012. The District has its capital at Coaltar with total land area of 499km².

Ayensuano District is located in the southern part of the Eastern Region and shares boundaries with Suhum Municipality to the North; Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality to the South; Akwapem South District to the East and Upper West Akim District and West Akim Municipality to the West.

Economically, the District can be described as agrarian because it has majority of its labour force (68%) in the agricultural sector. This is followed by commerce, industry, transport and clerical respectively.

The agricultural and forest resource base of the District facilitates the establishment of manufacturing and processing industries. However, there is no large scale manufacturing setup in the District. Manufacturing is therefore restricted to the small-scale industries and crafts which include; saw milling and wood fabrication, metal fabrication, food processing, alcohol (akpeteshie) distillation, soap making and handicrafts among others.

The District has various market centres for commercial activities especially for marketing farm produce. The main markets areas for trading activities are at Amanase, Anum Apapam, Dokrochiwa, Achiansa and Ayekokooso which are bi- weekly.

The informal sector of the District’s economy has a lot of service providers such as hairdressers and beauticians, barbers, dressmakers, cobblers etc.

There are many stone quarrying sites which have great potentials in the District but are yet to be exploited.

Tourism in the District is completely under developed though there are some potential tourist attraction sites (waterfalls, snake-liked palm tree, stone cave, sand paint) which are located at Obuoho Nyarko.

Historical background of Ayensuano District

Ayensuano District was named after the River Ayensu which runs through most parts of the District. The river Ayensu takes its source from the Atiwa highlands in the Akim Abuakwa state in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Ghana.

Ayensuano District is made up of three (3) Area Councils namely Obesua which stretches from Yawkoko-Kwadwo Fosu – Apietu. Anum Apapam Area Council stretching from Sowatey New Town on the Suhum-Asamankese road and its environs which include Obuoho and Kofi Pare. Kraboa-Coaltar Area Council which also stretches from Kwaboanta, Dokrochiwa, Kraboa-Coaltar to Ayibontey.

The District was first called the Densuagya District when Addoagyiri, Sakyikrom, Mame Dede and Kofi Sah were part but with the taking away of all communities as named above, the name Ayensuano was adopted to replace Densuagya.

The River Ayensu is the largest and the longest river flowing through the entire District. Some of the tributaries of the Ayensu river are rivers Kua, Anfa, Amo Kofi among others.

Some of the major towns in the District are Coaltar, Otoase, Teacher Mante, Asuboi, Amanase, Sowatey, Anum Apapam, Kofi Pare and Dokrochiwa.

 

Historical background of the District Capital – Coaltar

Coaltar is a community in the Ayensuano District which is formally part of the Suhum-Kraboa Coaltar District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is about 13km drive from the Saint Martin High School at Adoagyiri-Nsawam and about 25km drive from Suhum.

The land type is semi-savannah. The fertility of the land is very high and this sustains the growth of cash crops like cocoa, oil palm and citrus as well as pawpaw

Historically, the initial name of the town was Krabo Larteh. The origin of the name is that the people migrated from Larteh. Krabo was added to it, hence the name Krabo Larteh.

The first occupation of the people was hunting. Kraboakese was a place where bullets could be bought. The ‘bo’ means bullet and the ‘kra’ means send. So ‘Krabo’ means send for bullets. Therefore all the area stretching from Otoase to Coaltar were part of the Krabo. But because those at Coaltar migrated from Larteh, they named the town Krabo Larteh.

But the name Coaltar, came as a result of a man who painted his hut at the present Coaltar lorry station with an AC10 bitumen which we normally call ‘Coal-tar’. At that time passersby stop and rest at where the hut was and had been calling it by the name ‘Coaltar’.

The man who led the Larterian’s immigrants was Opayin Kwasi Wusu who later became the first chief of the town. Realizing the harassment by thieves, he called for a meeting with the surrounding hamlets and discussed on the issue. On points of agreement he shared part of his land with them and they began building Coaltar.