Ghana
Republic of Ghana
constitutional democracyIndependence 6 March 1957 (from UK)
Ghana as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and a ban on political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election, succeeded him.
Geography
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
18 fieldsLand useshare of 239,460 sq km
Climate
- tropical;
- warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
- hot and humid in southwest;
- hot and dry in north
Natural resources
gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Environment - current issues
- recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities;
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations;
- water pollution;
- inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- Marine Life Conservation
People
20 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.89 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases:
- malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations
- water contact disease:
- schistosomiasis
- respiratory disease:
- meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Ethnic groups
African 98.5% (includes Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)
Government
Constitutional democracy; President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament, 230 seats, elected 7 December 2004one dot, one seat
Capital
- name:
- Accra
- geographic coordinates:
- 5 33 N, 0 13 W
- time difference:
- UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
Legal system
based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001);
- Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001);
- Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament
- elections:
- president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
- election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
- election results:
- John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7%
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10
Political parties and leaders
- Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general secretary];
- Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman];
- Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY];
- National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA];
- National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary];
- New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES];
- People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman];
- People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE];
- People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA];
- Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Fritz Kwabena POKU
- chancery:
- 1156 15th St. NW #905, Washington, DC 20005
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 785-1379
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 785-1430
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES
- embassy:
- 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 194, Accra
- telephone:
- [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348
- FAX:
- [233] (21) 701-813
Flag description
- three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
- uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia;
- similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
Economy
Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa.
44 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange.
The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 34% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, but was included in a G-8 debt relief program decided upon at the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005.
Priorities under its current $38 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector helped sustain GDP growth in 2005 along with record high prices for Ghana's largest cocoa crop to date.
Inflation should ease but remains a major internal problem. Ghana also remains a candidate country to benefit from Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) funding that could assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural export sector. A final decision on its MCC bid is expected in spring 2006.
Agriculture - products
cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
Industries
mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building
Exchange rates
cedis per US dollar - 9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.8 (2001)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- poor to fair system;
- Internet accessible;
- many rural communities not yet connected;
- expansion of services is underway
- domestic:
- primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed
- international:
- country code - 233;
- satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
- microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors;
- fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Waterways
1,293 km note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2005)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 6,308 GRT/9,418 DWT
- by type:
- cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2
- foreign-owned:
- 1 (Brazil 1) (2006)
Military
Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2006)
6 fieldsMilitary service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 4,808,451
- females age 18-49:
- 4,762,459 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 251,056
- females age 18-49:
- 247,777 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire
Illicit drugs
- illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
- major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US;
- widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ghana.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ghana/2006.