The origin of the indigenous people

The Ada people are the Dangme-speaking people who migrated into modern Ghana from east of the Volta River in the fourteenth century. The patrilineal descent system, where the male line is used for recruitment into the lineage or succession inheritance is the type practiced by the indigenous people.

According to oral history, the Adas are believed to have migrated from Tagologo near Shai-Osodoku in the Dangme West District. They are extremely interspersed with the Ewe clan known as the Kudzragbe family. The people of Ada are called Dangmeli and they speak Dangme as their local dialect.

Religion and Ethnicity

According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, analysis of religious affiliation indicates that, Christianity is the predominant religion in the district and is represented by 88.3% of the population, while Traditional Religion and Islam represent 1.5% and 4.8% respectively.

With regards to ethnicity, the district is a homogeneous society with Dangmes forming about 85.9% of the population. 15% of the residents are from other ethnic groups across the country including Ewes 5.6%, Akans and Ga etc. accounting for 10%.

Festivals

The Asafotufiam is the main festival of the people of Ada which they usually celebrate annually in the first week of August. The festival serves as a remembrance of the forefathers who fought the war in their quest to migrate to their present location. The festival brings all the indigenes of Ada for the week-long festivity to make merry and re-unite families among others.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the key contributors to National Income yet, in the district, it has remained underdeveloped. There are a number of potentials including, Okor Forest or Okorhuem which is the mystical ancestral home of Adas, Songor Ramsar site, the long stretch of sandy beach, lagoon for water sport and opportunities for hospitality industry. The District however is new and lacks the capacity to adequately harness policies, strategies as well as the necessary material and financial resources to promote the development of a vibrant domestic tourism.

The Hospitality Industry on the other hand is also underdeveloped since there are no standard hotels and restaurants except for a Guest house and a few local “Chop bars” currently available in the district. There are a lot of opportunities in the hospitality industry most especially in view of the comparative advantage of the district being along an international high ways.

Okor Forest

Okor Forest or Okorhuem, the mystical ancestral home of the Adas can be found at Anyamam, about 10 kilometres south of Sege, the capital of Ada West District. Okorhuem represents the soul and embodiment of the Ada state. It is a unique forest with a rich cultural essence and history. Anyamam plays a very important role in the history of Adas because it is the home to the Okor Forest, which served as the last refuge for the Adas before they migrated to their various settlements.

The importance of this historic heritage site to the future fortunes of Ada West District cannot be gainsaid since it has the capacity to open up most of the coastal communities to the outside world and also create the opportunities for the people. Besides the tourism potential of Okorhuem, it is a veritable resource centre for anthropological studies.

Songor Ramsar site and Eco-Tourism

The Songor Ramsar site is situated to the west of the Volta River Estuary- 05°49’ N, 00° 28’ E (Kwei, 1977 and Mensah 1979). The Ramsar Site has a major habitat of about 57 bird species such as black-tailed godwit, black-wing stilt, common sand piper, curlew, curlew sand piper, dunlin, oyster catcher etc. With respect to other species, there are the Gambia mongoose, spitting cobra, royal python, and tortoise and dwarf crocodile including hawks. The Site provides feeding, breeding, resting ground for all these fauna in the district. The area, if well-developed can serve as an international tourist site for over thousands tourists across the world. Table 1.5.7 below gives a summary of fauna and flora species on the Songor Ramsar site.

Selected Flora and Fauna Species with their Scientific Names in the District

Flora /Fauna Habitat

Marine Turtles along the Sandy Beach

Snakes (African Pyton) Ada Communities

Birds (Migratory,) Marshy areas,

Mangrove Obane, Futuenya,