Revenue and Expenditure Situation

The main items of expenditure for the district comprise personal emoluments, traveling and transport, general expenditure (stationery, printing, electricity charges, telephone bills), repairs/maintenance, miscellaneous (Assembly members allowances, demarcation of plots etc.) and capital expenditure. The revenue and expenditure pattern over the past 3 years in the District is as summarized in Tables 1, 2 and 3 below. 

Expenditure on Common Fund was directed into various sectors including health, education, local government, poverty alleviation, rural housing and disaster management

 Investment And Business Potential

West Mamprusi district is endowed with plenty of resource potentials, both natural and human. Importantly, the District Assembly actively encourages private investment initiatives and a health partnership with the public sector. To facilitate private sector fuelled economic growth the District Assembly has consequently allowed an enabling environment to be put in place for private enterprise to thrive.

West Mamprusi district is endowed with a number of rivers including the Kulpawn, White Volta and River Nasia. These create great potential for fishing and irrigation farming on both large and small scales. These rivers also facilitate the transportation of people and goods throughout the district. Although fish farming has not yet been developed in the district it nevertheless has enormous potential.

The presence of large water bodies also creates a lot of potential for irrigation in the district in the dry season for production of crops. Tomatoes, pepper, soya beans, onions, vegetables and tobacco among others are cultivated along the banks of the main river draining the district, the White Volta. The development of irrigation further from the rivers would greatly enhance agricultural productivity for large scale farmers.

There is immense fertile and arable land for cereal production especially rice in the district, particularly in the area popularly known as “Over seas”. There is plenty of soil on alluvial origin, predominant in the west of the district along the basins of the White Volta River and its tributaries. These soils are deep, fine textured and well suited for the use of bullocks and other forms of mechanized farming.

Crops produced in the district are maize, rice, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, beans, yams, cotton and soyabean. Livestock production is another activity in the district with a lot of economic potential. The fairly flat land coupled with the availability of grasses in most parts of the district provides an ideal environment for livestock and poultry rearing.

Animals reared include cattle, sheep-goats, pig and birds. Importantly, there is little or no incidence of tsetsefly in most areas of the district, a further advantage for livestock farmers. Geological surveys undertaken by mining comprise prospecting for mineral resources, indicated the presence of such minerals with high economic value in the area west of the White Volta and the Karimango-Du area.

Although these have not been subjected to thorough examination to determine the actual quantum and quality of mineral and clay deposits, it is an area of strong investment potential for private and a public sector mining.

Financial Institutions

The district has one Community Bank, which was opened in 1994.  The bank has injected an amount of capital into private and public business ventures, including water supply and sanitation development. There are also some Susu operators in the district.

Access To Credit

The district being predominantly, a farming one the main source of finance may be through credit facilities but access to this is also very discouraging since only 30% of people who seek for credit hardly get access to it.

Most people interviewed during a socio-economic survey carried out in October 2000 attributed it to the rather unco-operative nature of the bank workers whereas others also think it is due to the lack of collateral. Only 10% receive credit from banks whilst 20% receive from friends and relatives.