Moyamba District

Moyamba lies in the south of Sierra Leone. It borders the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Port Loko and Tonkolili to the north, Bo to the east and Bonthe to the south. It is the largest district in the Southern Region, occupying a total area of 6,934.4 Km2 and comprises of fourteen chiefdoms. The main ethnic groups are Mende, Sherbro, Temne and Loko.

The main economic activities include mining (rutile and bauxite), fishing, rice growing and oil palm plantations.

 

In the coastal chiefdoms, salt production has also traditionally been an important economic activity.  The port of Nitti in Banta chiefdom provides the only deep water port in the south suitable for direct mechanical loading and off-loading.  The district’s major weekly trade fair takes place near Gbangbatok in Banta chiefdom, and goods are traded directly here with suppliers coming by boat from Freetown and Guinea.  While sea fishing is conducted along the coast, the main center is in Shenge in Kagboro Chiefdoms.  This was traditionally also one of the main boat building locations in the country. The district is predominantly  Muslim.

 

Moyamba District Statistics
Population
Population 2004 (SSL) 259,617
Male Population 2004 (SSL) 123,367
Female Population 2004 (SSL) 136,250
Land Area (sq. KM) 6'934.4
No. of Chiefdoms/Ward 2004 (SSL) 14
No. of Enumeration Areas 2004 (SSL) 616
No. of Provisional Households 2004 (SSL) 44,978
Education Indicators  
Primary School
Total No. of Primary schools 438
No. of Schools in Good Condition -
Total Primary School Enrollment 93,497
Male Primary Enrollment 49,031
Female Primary Enrollment 44,466
Total Primary School Teachers 1,918
No. of Qualified Primary School Teachers 582
No. of non Qualified Teachers 1,336
Pupil/Teacher Ratio 48.1
Core Text Book Availability -
Total NPSE passes  in 2005 2,368
Male NPSE Passes 1,624
Female NPSE Passes 744
Junior Secondary School
Total No. of JSS 21
Total JSS Enrollment 7,772
Male JSS Enrollment 5,007
Female JSS Enrollment 2,765
Total JSS Teachers 284
Number of Qualified JSS Teachers 210
Number of non Qualified JSS Teachers 74
Pupil/Teacher Ratio 27.1
Core Text Book Availability -
Total BECE Pass in 2005 -
Male BECE Passes -
Female BECE Passes -
Health Indicators
No. of PHU's 100
No. of Functioning PHU's 83
No. of PHU's with Staff Quarters 38
No. of Functioning Storage 47
Life Expectancy at Birth (Both Sexes) 44.5
Male 43.1
Female 46
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births) 135
Child Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births) 107
Under Five Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births) 230
Maternal Mortality Rate -
No. of ITN's Distributed -
Births Attended by Skilled Health Personnel Low
No. of PLWHA's 44
No. of PLWHA's receiving AVR's 5
Condom Use Low
WATSAN Indicators
% Population without Safe Drinking Water 79.6
Major source of Water Supply Rivers / Stream - 64.1%
No. of Boreholes 200
No. of Protected Wells 246
% of Households using Protected Wells 11.5
% Households using Tap Water 2.2
No. of VIP Latrines 75
% of Household using VIP Latrines 1.2
% of Households using Pit Latrines 30.8
% of Households using other means of Toilet 66.5
Main method of Waste Disposal -
No. of  PHUs with WATSAN Facilities 20
No. of Primary Schools with WATSAN Facilities 36
No. of JSS with WATSAN Facilities -
Sociodemographic Indicators
Literacy Rate 33%
Male Literacy Rate 45.0%
Female Literacy Rate 24.0%
Main Source of Fuel for Cooking Wood - 96.22%
Main Source of Energy for Lighting Kerosene
Major Source of Information Word of Mouth - 65.56%
Livestock Data
Cattle (Heads) 1,800
Sheep (Heads) 1,100
Goat (Heads) 31,000
Pig (Heads) 30,000
Chicken (No.) 71,000
Ducks (No.) 150
Fish Ponds (No.) -
Crop Production
Rice 31,750(MT)     3,900(Acreage)
Cassava 12,150 (MT)    21,000(Acreage)
Potatoes 5,000 (MT)       3,000(Acreage)
Maize -
Groundnut -
Ginger 95.0(MT)    8009(Acreage)
Oil Palm -
Cocoa -
Coffee -
Kola Nut -

Source: Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Moyamba District

*PLWHA - People Living With HIV/AIDS

© DACO/SLIS August 2008