Industry or manufacturing activities forms about 15.9% of the local economy. Most of these activities are small scale in nature and comprises the agro- based, wood based, metal based, textile etc.

Industrial Sub-Sectors

The industrial sub sector entails the agro- based, wood based, metal based, textile industries etc. The agro-based industries are the dominant small-scale industry, followed by wood based industry. The agro based industries derive their supply of raw materials from the agricultural outputs.

The agro-based industries refer to those industries that use agricultural produce as their raw materials.  They include cassava processing (gari making), oil and palm kernel extraction and akpeteshie distilling.  

Wood based industries are those industries that process wood into other materials such as furniture, woodcarving, etc.  They include; carpenters saw millers and wood carvers.  

The textile industries include kente weavers and cloth dying,  leather works, cane weaving, sand and stone winners and stone quarries. The metals based include; black smiths, and metal fabricators.  

Production Methods

Results from the 2009 socio economic survey showed that small-scale industry in the District employed three major methods of Production.  These are:

Capital Intensive method

Labour Intensive method

Intermediate

Under the capital-intensive method of production more machines are used in the production process as opposed to the labour intensive method where more people are employed than the use of machines.  Example of the capital intensive industry are the large scale stone quarries at Buoho.  In the case of the intermediate, the industries use appropriate technology and basic tools and techniques of production.  

Notwithstanding the employment advantage offered by the labour intensive method of production, increased productivity and efficiency could be achieved through the intermediate and capital intensive methods.

Types of Employees

Employment in this subsector is mainly the following:

Apprentices

Paid workers

Family workers

Others

The Industrial sector could perform if the numerous challenges were tackled. These include poor road surface conditions, inadequate capital support, poor management skills, poor transportation facilities, poor industrial infrastructure and layout and poor environmental sanitation. If the sector is well developed, it can lead to the achievement of the development agenda of the district.