The Dormaa East District is one of the twenty-seven (29) administrative districts in the Brong Ahafo Region. The District was established in 2007 by the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1851. It has Wamfie as the District capital.
The District has a landmass of about 456 sq. kms. According to the results of 2010 Population and Housing Census, its total population stood at 50,871 with an annual growth rate of 3.4 percent. The current population is projected at (60,082). The District is an urban one with over three-quarters of the population living in urban areas.
Crop farming is the predominant economic activity and thus serves as the source of livelihood for over 60% percent of the population and contributes about 30 percent of the internally generated funds of the district.
The main development problems facing the district include lack of ambulance, Poultry processing factory, NHIS office, bad road condition and network, poor housing condition, poor market infrastructure, poor storage facilities, post-harvest losses, low agriculture productivity, poor access to credit facilities, low revenue generation, low participation of women in district programmes, inadequate supply of basic social services such as education, health care, water and sanitation, inadequate employment opportunities , dysfunctional sub-district structure and inadequate private sector investment. These factors have resulted in a high incidence of poverty, deprivation and generally low standard of living among the people. There are, however, several potentials in the district which could be harnessed for development. They include good arable land, water resources, forest reserve and human resources. To address these problems, the Dormaa East District Assembly has since its creation carried out a number of development programmes and projects.
These goals were collectively achieved through the guidance and direction of the District Chief Executive, the District Co-ordinating Director, the District Planning Co-ordinating Unit (DPCU) and the Planning Task Force.
Physical and Natural Environment
The physical or natural environment to a large extent influences the socio-economic conditions of the people in a particular geographical location. It thus has an enormous impact on human activities. The major aspects of the Physical and Natural environment examined include: location and size, topography and drainage, climate and vegetation, geology and soils and natural resources of the Dormaa East District as well as their implications for the development of the district.
Location and Size
Dormaa East District lies between Latitude 7°.08´ North and 7°.25´North and Longitude 2°.35´ West and 2°.48´ West. The District has a total land area of 456 Square Kilometres with Wamfie as District Capital, which is about 1.18 percent of the total land area of Brong Ahafo Region, which is 38,557 Square Kilometres and about 0.19 percent of that of the country,. The District shares common boundaries with Dormaa Municipal to the West, Berekum to the North, Sunyani to the East, and South by Asunafo North Municipal and Asutifi District.
Topography and Drainage
The topography of the District is generally undulating and rises between 180m and 375m above sea level. The highest point is a little over 375m above sea level. The medium range rises gradually between 240m and 300m above sea level. Some of the towns found on this range are Wamfie and Wamanafo. This range stretches from the North West to the South East. The lowland range occurs in the Southern part of the District. Some of the towns in this area include Kyeremasu and Dormaa Akwamu. The general height is between 180m and 240m above sea level. These facilitate easy construction of roads and mobility.
Climate and Vegetation
Dormaa East District is located within the semi-equatorial climate region with a double maximal rainfall regime. The mean annual rainfall is between 124cm and 175cm. The first rainy season is from March to June; with the heaviest rainfall occurring in June while the second rainy season is from September to November.
Natural Resources
Dormaa East District abounds in a number of natural resources, which serve as a good potential for development. Some of these are being exploited while others remain unexploited. These resources include gold deposits, clay deposits, and forest and water bodies. The gold deposit at Dormaa Akwamu and Wamanafo has attracted small scale mining activity (Galamsay) in the area and has both positively/ negatively impacted the citizenry, environment and water bodies.
