Ghana

• tropical;
• warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
• hot and humid in southwest;
• hot and dry in north

mean elevation:

190 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean; 885 highest point: Mount Afadjato

• recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities;
• deforestation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• poaching and habitat destruction threaten wildlife populations;
• water pollution;
• inadequate supplies of potable water

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

• Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq km; 3,275 sq mi);
• the lake was created following the completion of the Akosombo Dam in 1965, which holds back the White Volta and Black Volta Rivers

noun:

Ghanaian(s)

adjective:

Ghanaian

0-14 years:

37.83% (male 5,344,146 /female 5,286,383)

15-24 years:

18.61% (male 2,600,390 /female 2,629,660)

25-54 years:

34.21% (male 4,663,234 /female 4,950,888)

55-64 years:

5.05% (male 690,327 /female 727,957)

65 years and over:

4.3% (male 557,155 /female 652,331) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

73 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

67.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.9 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

17.1 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

animal contact diseases:

rabies (2016)

respiratory diseases:

meningococcal meningitis (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Ghana

conventional short form:

Ghana

former:

Gold Coast

etymology:

named for the medieval West African kingdom of the same name, but whose location was actually further north than the modern country

name:

Accra

geographic coordinates:

5 33 N, 0 13 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

history:

several previous; latest drafted 31 March 1992, approved and promulgated 28 April 1992, entered into force 7 January 1993 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• consideration requires prior referral to the Council of State, a body of prominent citizens who advise the president of the republic;
• passage of amendments to "entrenched" constitutional articles (including those on national sovereignty, fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and authorities of the branches of government, and amendment procedures) requires approval in a referendum by at least 40% participation of eligible voters and at least 75% of votes cast, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote in Parliament, and assent by the president;
• amendments to non-entrenched articles do not require referenda;
• amended 1996 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Ghana

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 12 justices)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice appointed by the president in consultation with the Council of State (a small advisory body of prominent citizens) and with the approval of Parliament;
• other justices appointed by the president upon the advice of the Judicial Council (an 18-member independent body of judicial, military and police officials, and presidential nominees) and on the advice of the Council of State;
• justices can retire at age 60, with compulsory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeal;
• High Court;
• Circuit Court;
• District Court;
• regional tribunals

chief of state:

• President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017);
• Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (since 7 January 2017);
• the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (since 7 January 2017); Vice President Mahamudu BAWUMIA (since 7 January 2017)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers; nominated by the president, approved by Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 7 December 2016 (next to be held in December 2020)

election results:

• Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO elected president in the first round;
• percent of vote - Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO (NPP) 53.7%, John Dramani MAHAMA (NDC) 44.5%, other 1.8%

description:

unicameral Parliament (275 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 7 December 2016 (next to be held in December 2020)

election results:

percent of vote by party - NPP 54%, NDC 44%, other 2%; seats by party - NPP 171, NDC 104

chief of mission:

Ambassador Barfour ADJEI-BARWUAH (since 21 July 2017)

chancery:

3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 686-4520

FAX:

[1] (202) 686-4527

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Robert P. JACKSON (since 4 February 2016)

embassy:

24 Fourth Circular Rd., Cantonments, Accra

mailing address:

P.O. Box 194, Accra

telephone:

[233] 030-274-1000

FAX:

[233] 030-274-1389

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green, with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;
• red symbolizes the blood shed for independence, yellow represents the country's mineral wealth, while green stands for its forests and natural wealth;
• the black star is said to be the lodestar of African freedom

note: 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

name:

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana

lyrics/music:

unknown/Philip GBEHO

note: music adopted 1957, lyrics adopted 1966; the lyrics were changed twice, in 1960 when a republic was declared and after a 1966 coup

agriculture:

44.7%

industry:

14.4%

services:

40.9% (2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

32.8% (2006)

highest 10%:

32.8% (2006)

general assessment:

• primarily microwave radio relay;
• wireless local loop has been installed;
• 2019 to bring universal access licences;
• government invested in fibre infrastructure;
• one of the most active mobile markets in Africa (2017)

domestic:

fixed-line 1 per 100 subscriptions; competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with a subscribership of more than 140 per 100 persons and rising (2017)

international:

• country code - 233;
• landing point for the SAT-3/WASC, Main One, and GLO-1 fiber-optic submarine cables that provide connectivity to South Africa, Europe, and Asia;
• satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
• microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2016)

• state-owned TV station, 2 state-owned radio networks;
• several privately owned TV stations and a large number of privately owned radio stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are accessible;
• several cable and satellite TV subscription services are obtainable (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

4 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

390,457 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

844,630 mt-km (2015)

total:

947 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

947 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

total:

109,515 km (2009)

paved:

13,787 km (2009)

unpaved:

95,728 km (2009)

• 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate;
• no conscription;
• must be HIV/AIDS negative (2012)

current situation:

• Ghana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• the trafficking of Ghanians, particularly children, internally is more common than the trafficking of foreign nationals;
• Ghanian children are subjected to forced labor in fishing, domestic service, street hawking, begging, portering, mining, quarrying, herding, and agriculture, with girls, and to a lesser extent boys, forced into prostitution;
• Ghanian women, sometimes lured with legitimate job offers, and girls are sex trafficked in West Africa, the Middle East, and Europe;
• Ghanian men fraudulently recruited for work in the Middle East are subjected to forced labor or prostitution, and a few Ghanian adults have been identified as victims of false labor in the US;
• women and girls from Vietnam, China, and neighboring West African countries are sex trafficked in Ghana;
• the country is also a transit point for sex trafficking from West Africa to Europe

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Ghana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• Ghana continued to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses but was unable to ramp up its anti-trafficking efforts in 2014 because the government failed to provide law enforcement or protection agencies with operating budgets;
• victim protection efforts decreased in 2014, with significantly fewer victims identified;
• most child victims were referred to NGO-run facilities, but care for adults was lacking because the government did not provide any support to the country’s Human Trafficking Fund for victim services or its two shelters;
• anti-trafficking prevention measures increased modestly, including reconvening of the Human Trafficking Management Board, public awareness campaigns on child labor and trafficking, and anti-trafficking TV and radio programs (2015)

• 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