Overview of Ayamé

Ayamé is located in southeastern Côte d'Ivoire, in the South Comoé region, 20 km from the Ghana border and 130 km from Abidjan. The small town extends along a valley and on the slopes of 7 hills. The center of the village occupies about 77 hectares, with residential buildings which, according to local tradition, are built on a single floor.

The first village of Ayamé was created around 1885 by King Brou Dishiè, leader of the Agnis Sanwi, the ethnic group of most of the inhabitants of the Commune. The Kingdom of Sanwi continues to play an important role in the social life of the community. It is divided into eight Cantons, which are directed by village chiefs who are nominated by the King of Sanwi.

Ayamé has about 14,000 inhabitants; more than 20% of the total population came from neighboring countries, in particular from Burkina Faso and Mali. Apart from the activity of the large hydropower plant (which is French-owned), the economy is based on agriculture whose main products are coffee, cocoa, cassava and bananas. Fishing is practiced on the artificial lake formed by the Bia River. The 195 km long artificial lake of Ayamé was built in 1959 on the Bia River with 2 hydroelectric dams