Ghana
Republic of Ghana
constitutional democracyIndependence 6 March 1957 (from UK)
Ghana as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 138 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. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. Kufuor is constitutionally barred from running for a third term in upcoming Presidential elections, which are scheduled for December 2008.
Geography
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
20 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
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 0.98 cu km/yr (24%/10%/66%)
- per capita:
- 44 cu m/yr (2000)
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
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2000 census)
Religions(2000 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.86 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2008 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
- water contact disease:
- schistosomiasis
- respiratory disease:
- meningococcal meningitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Languages
Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%, Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga 3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000 census)
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)
- 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 7 December 2008)
- election results:
- John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 52.4%, John ATTA-MILLS 44.6%
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (230 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 94, PNC 4, CPP 3, independent 1
Political parties and leaders
- Convention People's Party or CPP [Ladi NYLANDER];
- Democratic Freedom Party or DFP [Alhaji Abudu Rahman ISSAKAH];
- Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE;
- Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTEY];
- National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Kwabena ADJEI];
- New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter MAC-MANU];
- People's National Convention or PNC [Alhaji Amed RAMADAN];
- Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU];
- United Renaissance Party or URP [Charles WAYO]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Christian Aid (water rights);
- Committee for Joint Action or CJA (education reform);
- National Coalition Against the Privatization of Water or CAP (water rights);
- Oxfam (water rights);
- Public Citizen (water rights);
- Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena Ososukene OKAI] (education reform);
- Third World Network (education reform)
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Dr. Kwame BAWUAH-EDUSEI
- chancery:
- 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 785-1379
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 785-1430
- consulate(s) general:
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Donald G. TEITELBAUM
- embassy:
- 24 4th Circular Rd. Cantonments, Accra
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 194, Accra
- telephone:
- [233] (21) 741-000
- FAX:
- [233] (21) 741-389
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 poorest countries in West Africa.
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production, and individual remittances, are major sources of foreign exchange.
The domestic economy continues to revolve around agriculture, which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs about 55% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, and is also benefiting from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative that took effect in 2006.
Thematic priorities under its current Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, which also provides the framework for development partner assistance, are: macroeconomic stability; private sector competitiveness; human resource development; and good governance and civic responsibility.
Sound macro-economic management along with high prices for gold and cocoa helped sustain GDP growth in 2007. Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact in 2006, which aims to assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural sector.
Industries
mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building
Exports - commodities
gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticulture
Exchange rates
cedis (GHC) per US dollar - 0.95 (2007), 9,174.8 (2006), 9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003) note: in 2007 Ghana revalued its currency with 10,000 old cedis equal to 1 new cedis
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- outdated and unreliable fixed-line infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra;
- competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with subscribership about 35 per 100 persons and rising
- domestic:
- primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed
- international:
- country code - 233;
- landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia;
- satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
- microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2007)
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 (2007)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 4
- by type:
- petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3
- foreign-owned:
- 1 (Brazil 1) (2008)
Military
Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2007)
6 fieldsMilitary service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 5,802,096
- females age 16-49:
- 5,729,939 (2008 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 35,653 (Liberia); 8,517 (Togo) (2007)
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;
- significant domestic cocaine and cannabis use
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Ghana.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/ghana/2008.