Market Infrastructure

Market infrastructure comprising the physical space, stores, stalls and sheds, storage delivery bays and access roads constitute an important component of the development of rural economies. There are two large markets in the districts located at Chereponi and Wenchiki.  Other markets in the district include Garinkuka market and Wanjoga markets.  These are weekly markets.

There is one large ASIP market in the district located at Chereponi with the following facilities: (A) lockable store types 1 and 2, (b) stall types 1 and 2, (c) butchers shop, (d) 10-seater KVIP, (e) urinals and (f) solid waste holding bays.  The Wenchiki market has stores and stalls respectively.

There are no stalls in other markets apart from grass sheds sometimes erected by the traders themselves.  In some cases, markets are sometimes held under trees.  The problem of inadequate market structures is further compounded by the inaccessibility to these markets during certain times of the year (i.e. rainy season).

Trading Outlets

There is no major trading outlet in the district.  Most of the essential needs of the people are brought from Yendi, traveling quite a long distance (i.e. 58-km away).  There are no large stores.  However, with the construction of the ASIP market at Chereponi, the problem of trading outlets would be reduced.  It should be noted that in almost every village, one could get someone selling some basic needs of the people.  Petty trading activities are on the increase in the District.

DAMS

The District can only boast of dam located at lower Nansoni and a few dugouts. They are basically sources of watering for livestock and occasionally human beings too. Except Nansoni dam, which is used for dry season gardening where the water stock lasts into the dry season, most of the dugouts have been silted and require immediate desilting.

ROADS

A good transportation network and a reliable communication system are very important ingredient for socio-economic development This is a serious handicap in the District There is a very poor network of secondary roads in the District. These include the 48km Chereponi-Saboba road and the 96km Yendi-Chcreponi road. The physical conditions of some of the roads ate bad and virtually inaccessible during a greater part of the rainy season, especially between July and October.

Transportation within and outside the District is very poor. Most people rely on either bicycle or on their feet People walk several kilometers to attend markets, health facilities and even to schools. Currently the only direct transport service between the regional capital at Tamale and the District capital Chereponi is being offered by the Metro Mass Transit bus Service.  One has to depend on chance, that is, by obtaining lift from any departmental head traveling to Yendi with his means of transport.

SOCIAL SERVICES
PROFILE OF SOCIAL CONDITIONS

The District has inadequate infrastructural facilities in the areas of health, water and sanitation, housing, and education. There is no financial agency (Bank) in the District. There one post office and no telephone line service in the district.

HEALTH    

The Chereponi District has two sub-Districts namely; Chereponi and Wenchiki sub-Districts and two major health facilities namely; the Chereponi and Wenchiki Health Centres. There are 5 CHPS (Community-Based Health Planning and Services) compounds at Bumbrunga, Garinkuka, Wonjuga, Nansoni and Tombo. A rural clinic is currently being constructed at Naja by the District Assembly with support from the European Union.

Currently there is one medical doctor in the whole district. The human resources of the District Health Medical Team (DHMT) comprise the District Director of Health Services (DDHS), 1 District Public Health Nurse (DPHN), 2 Medical Assistants, 2 State Registered Nurses (SRNs), 2 Midwives, 16 Community Health Nurses (CHNs), 2 Field Technicians, 3 Ward Aids, 1 Clinic Attendant, 33 Health Extension Workers, 1 Laboratory Assistant, 1 Driver and 4 labourers The nurses: patient ratio is 14: 4149. The main reported cases in the district are malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia, typhoid fever, guinea worm, anemia, intestinal worms, eye infection, snake bites and to mention just a few.

MAJOR HEALTH SECTOR PROBLEMS

-    Inadequate staff (skilled and unskilled), inadequate and poor health infrastructure, old/weak motor bikes and vehicles with associated high maintenance cost.

-    Seasonal flooding which renders some communities inaccessible to health service delivery, encroachment of health facilities premises, most deliveries are conducted at homes by both trained and untrained Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) resulting in high maternal and infant mortality rates, poor road network especially during the rainy season with some communities cut off, lack of hospital as a referral point for other health facilities in the district.

-    Common Diseases include Malaria, diarrheal diseases, Upper respiratory Tract Infection (URTI), Snakebites, Pregnancy with its related complications.

EDUCATION

The district currently has a total enrollment of   11,596 and staff at post (both train and untrained teachers) of 241 and requires 167 numbers of teachers to make up the number of staff lost. This data is applicable to the four (4) circuit in the District thus Chereponi, Nansoni, Wenchiki and Wonjuga circuits. It also depicts School infrastructure capacity of 19 kindergartens 43 Primary, 9 JHS and 1 SHS in the District. Enrolment is generally very high within the District capital thus Chereponi with the highest Primary and JHS.

ENROLLMENT            MALE        FEMALE        TOTAL

Kindergarten            908        877            1785
Primary School        3610        3118            6728
Junior Secondary      873        628            1501
Senior High              205        80            285

Source: GES, Chereponi, 2008   

It can be inferred from the above that literacy rate among male segment of the population is greater than the female group. This situation could be attributed to certain cultural practices, which do not allow some people to send their children to school, especially the girl-child.

The teacher-pupil ratios of nursery, primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and technical/vocational school for the district were found to be 1:60; 1:49; 1:26; 1:19 and 1:27 respectively.

These figures point to the fact that quite a number of children in the school-going age are not attending school. Out of the 355 teachers in the District, nearly 57.18 per cent are untrained.

The situation even looks more alarming at the pre-school level where as large as 84.61 percent of the teachers are untrained. The current teacher/pupil ratio in the district is 1:220 as compared to the required 1:35 Major reasons cited for this state of affairs are lack of accommodation for the teachers and the absence of electricity in certain parts of the District that could serve as pull factors.

The literacy rate, defined as the ability to read and write, was estimated at 16% (Source: 2000 PHC, Ghana Statistical Service). This figure is comparatively low as against 45 percent acceptable rate for the country. To reverse the trend, the District Assembly has stated quite clearly that education is one of its major priorities.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

There is currently an ICT structure being constructed in the district as a UNDP project. Currently, a few of the schools in the district have computer labs, sponsored by NGOs operating in the district. The District Assembly as well as some decentralized departments have computers to use for administrative and operational purposed, however many of those computers are in poor condition and maintenance culture is limited or non-existent.

Capacity with respect to use of computers for effective data management and analysis of large quantities of information is on the rise. An NGO, Engineers without Borders, has invested in the district to build human capacity in the district with respect to this issue, and has been working towards implementing data systems for development planning in the district assembly and departments.

There is mobile reception in the district through MTN Mobile and Tigo Mobile networks. Vodaphone has a mobile tower erected in the district, however due to land issues; the pole has yet to become operational. Zane Mobile is also stated to complete a mobile tower in the near future, which will bring the prospective number of mobile companies to four, raising the cellular reception in the process.

With these infrastructure advances in the district, internet usage may also increase. Few people in the district have internet modems; however, with more companies operating in the area, prices for internet modems may become more competitive and affordable for many.

There are still many advances that need to be made on this front. Because very few communities in the district have access to electricity, the use of computers and mobile phones is limited.