Investment and business potential

Akatsi District has a vast array of investment opportunities available to be exploited by private investors. In this, the District Assembly is a willing helper and partner, providing the necessary enabling environment in terms of infrastructure, support service and incentives. About 75% of the population of the district work in agriculture.

The land in the district is well suited for commercial farming. The main crops cultivated are maize, cassava, sweet potato, cowpeas, groundnuts and vegetables. The land is low lying and can support mechanised farming. Two agricultural companies in the district at present produce a variety of vegetables of Asian origin under irrigation and export about 25,260 kg annually.

Perennial crops like oil palm, mango, cashew, coconut, black berry and pineapple are also cultivated. Cattle production is carried out on a large scale in some parts of the district. Sheep, goats and pigs are reared throughout the district but not on large commercial basis, even though great potential exists for this. The same situation applies to poultry farming.

The potential also exists for the construction of fishponds for fish farming to increase fish production. Commercial farming ventures requiring a constant supply of water can be undertaken in the district. There are large tracts of land and man-made dams at Akatsi, Ave-Dakpa, Atsiekpvi, Ave-Afidenyigba, Geifa, Lume Alugakope, Ashiagborvi and Dzalele, which guarantee water for irrigation.

The dams at Akatsi and Atsiekpu are currently being used for irrigation. The manufacturing sector of the district is still developing and the District Assembly is taking a close interest in ensuring that this happens quickly and as smoothly as possible for private investors. Current manufacturing industries are small scale or cottage industries, centred around carpentry, block making, basketry and mat weaving.

The district has large clay deposits used locally for poultry. Feasibility studies show that the commercial exploitation life- span ranges between 85 and 2,386 years. Granite deposits at Ave-Hevi, Hedavi, Ashiagborvi and Torve can facilitate the establishment of quarries to support the construction industry.Since raw materials are available locally, the cost of setting up a brick and tile manufacturing industry or a factory for the production of ceramic products would be low.

Sugar cane is cultivated and distilled into alcohol, known locally as Akpeteshie, while palm wine is also tapped from palm trees and distilled into alcohol. Indeed, the raw materials for distilling akpeteshie are readily available in the district as the soil is good for the cultivation of both sugar cane and oil palm.

Akpeteshie is a key component in a lot of alcoholic beverages produced in Ghana. Akatsi has an identifiable and growing non-traditional export sector that can be developed. These include bee keeping, snail farming and cashew cultivation.

Strenghs/Potentials

• The land can support commercial agriculture and it is also good for mechanized farming. Several crops are grown by farmers. Notable among them are maize, cassava, sweet potato, cowpea, groundnut and vegetables.
• Cattle production is on a large scale and it can be found throughout the District. Sheep, goats and pigs are also reared. Farmers used improved bulls to cross local female breeds thus improving the local breeds.
• There are several Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) through which Agriculture Extension Agents disseminate their extension messages. There are also large tracts for low lying arable land with man-made dams scattered all over the District.
• However, permanent rivers such as Tordzi, Agblegborloe and Worwoe could be darned for small-scale and large scale irrigation schemes, free planting of cashew and woodlots also has potential in the District.
• The total land bank available in the District is over 1, 720 hectares.

Revenue

The main sources of the District Assembly’s internally generated revenue are Rates, Lands, Fees and Fines, Licenses, Rent, Grants, and Investment annually.

The Akatsi District Assembly usually fails to meet its approved revenue target as a result of manpower and logistical problem as well as unwillingness on the part of the taxable people and business concerns to honour their obligations.

Thus, it is clear that but for the common fund and cede revenue, the Assembly would have had virtually no clear cut method for allocating revenue. Whatever, system there is subject to a lot of undue pressure from all sources - political, traditional, etc. the Assembly should take a careful look at its revenue position vis-avis the request for development assistance and work out an allocation formula, which they must religiously stick to.

Financial institution

The District has Commercial Bank i.e. Ghana Commercial Bank limited. Akatsi. There is also a Rural Bank namely; Avenor Rural Bank Limited. Akatsi and an agency of the Unity Rural Bank located at Ave-Dakpa