Shia
Town
Nickname:  Small London
Shia
Coordinates: 6°47′N 0°34′E / 6.783°N 0.567°E / 6.783; 0.567
Country	Ghana
Region	Volta Region
District	Ho Municipal
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	GMT

Shia is a town in the Ho Municipal District, a district of the Volta Region of Ghana.

Etymology

The name Shia originates from the activities of the Forebears of Shia who were particularly brave and so decided to carry out an act of knowing the content of an item and in the process tore open the item. The noise that emanated from the process was used to describe the people who had engaged in that act. The noise was shiiaaa and so the people were identified as the Shia people.

Location

Shia is a town in Ghana within the Volta Region of Ghana. It is located about 16 Kilometers from Ho the regionals capital of the Volta region. It is to the east of Ho and is a border town between Ghana and Togo. It is within the Ho district and resides in the Shia-Ave constituency for electoral purposes. It is one of three border towns within the eastern Ho corridor.

History

The Shia people were part of the original Ewe people who originated from Notsie in Nigeria and travelled all the way through Benin, Togo, through the Keta and Anlo areas and finally settled in Ho and surrounding areas. The Shia people in particular settled at Taviefe where they were for several years and only moved to their present location after some disagreement with colleagues about the content of product which resulted in them splitting the item into two which ultimately resulted in them being forced to vacate the community to their present-day place.

Climate

The Climate of Shia is a forest area with rainfall patterns similar to that of Ho. It lies 153 millimeters above sea level. It has a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is 26.8 degrees Celsius. It has about three active seasons; Rainfall Season, Mix of autumn and spring season and Harmattan season.

Administration

Shia is in the Ho District and has Ho as the district capital. Shia is also part of the Norvisi Traditional area made of 11 communities who decided to be together for purposes of unity and development.

Demographics

The town has a population of about 2000 inhabitants. There are more women and children than men. The population split is guessed at 60/40 split in favour of women.

Migration

There has been significant migration of the people of Shia to the cities. The main cities that have benefitted from the skills of the people of Shia are Accra, Kumasi and Ho. There has also been the migration of Shia people abroad. It is estimated there would be over 100 Shia person domiciled abroad.

Housing

The community was communally developed. The houses are well spaced with cleared streets etc.

Economy

The Economy is agrarian and some minimal commercial activities that are mainly driven by the activities at the Ghana Togo border.

Education

There are a number of schools from Pre-schools through to Jss and Secondary school. There is however no tertiary school in the community.

Healthcare

There is one active Health Clinic in the community that takes care of the people.

Infrastructure

There is a motorable road to the community. The road is tarred and leads from Ho and ends at Shia.

Sport

Shia had an active football club called Shia mighty warriors. Unfortunately due to administrative challenges the club is not so active.

Places of worship

There are a lot of active Orthodox, evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches

Churches include: Catholic Church, Evangelical Presbyterian church, Assemblies of God Church, Pentecost Church, Christ is the same Church, Light House Church and Global Evangelical Presbyterian church.

Culture

The culture of the people is built on the general culture of the Ewe people of Ghana. The Shia people are humanist in nature. Their activities are communal in that they are each other's keepers. The family structures are built around the extended family.

Shia houses a Senior High and Technical School, a second cycle institution that was admitted by the Ghana Education Service in 2010.^[1]

References