Ghana

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Palace Guard, Civil Defense

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $30 million, 0.8% of GDP (1994)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49: 4,135,538 males fit for military service: 2,303,423 males reach military age (18) annually: 176,332 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

poor to fair system domestic: primarily microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

70,000 (1988 est.)

Television broadcast stations

4 (repeaters 8)

Televisions

250,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Agriculture

cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber

Budget

revenues: $1.05 billion expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $178 million (1993)

Currency

1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $472 million (1993)

Economic overview

Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Heavily reliant on international assistance, Ghana has made steady progress in liberalizing its economy since 1983. Overall growth continued at a rate of approximately 5% in 1995, due largely to increased gold, timber, and cocoa production - major sources of foreign exchange. The economy, however, continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP and employs 55% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Public sector wage increases, regional peacekeeping commitments, and the containment of internal unrest in the underdeveloped north have placed substantial demands on the government's budget and have led to inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity program.

Electricity

capacity: 1,180,000 kW production: 6.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 323 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

new cedis per US$1 - 1,246.11 (September 1995), 956.71 (1994), 649.06 (1993), 437.09 (1992), 367.83 (1991)

Exports

$1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: cocoa 40%, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, and diamonds partners: Germany , US , UK , Netherlands , Japan (1995)

External debt

$4.6 billion (December 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $25.1 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 47% industry: 16% services: 37% (1994 est.)

GDP per capita

$1,400 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

5% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin destined for Europe and the US

Imports

$1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: petroleum, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment partners: UK, US, Germany, Japan, Netherlands (1995)

Industrial production growth rate

2.8% (1994 est.)

Industries

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

69% (1995 est.)

Labor force

3.7 million by occupation: agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales and clerical 15.2%, professional 3.7%, services, transportation, and communications 7.7%

Unemployment rate

10% (1993 est.)

Area

total area: 238,540 sq km land area: 230,020 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

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

Coastline

539 km

Environment

current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

8 00 N, 2 00 W

Geographic note

Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

80 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

total: 2,093 km border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km

Land use

arable land: 5% permanent crops: 7% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 37% other: 36%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber

Terrain

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Administrative divisions

10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Capital

Accra

Constitution

new constitution approved 28 April 1992

Data code

GH

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ekwow SPIO-GARBRAH chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November 1992); elected for a four-year term by direct universal suffrage; the president can appoint a vice president; election last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA December 1996) cabinet: Cabinet; president nominates members subject to approval by the Parliament

FAX

[1] (202) 686-4527 consulate(s) general: New York

FAX

[233] (21) 775747

Flag

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

Independence

6 March 1957 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNAMIR, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Parliament

elections last held 29 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1996); results - opposition boycotted the election, the National Democratic Congress won 198 of the total 200 seats and 2 seats were won by independents; because of interim bye-elections, the National Democratic Congress and its remaining coalition partner, Every Ghanian Living Everywhere (EGLE), now control 189 seats; former coalition partner, NCP, has 8 seats; independents hold 3

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John RAWLINGS; New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Ala ADJETY; People's Heritage Party (PHP), Alex ERSKINE; National Convention Party (NCP), Kow ARKAAH; Every Ghanian Living Everywhere (EGLE), Ashang OKINE; Peoples Convention Party (PCP), B.K. NKETSIA; Peoples National Convention (PNC), Alhaji Asuma BANDA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

constitutional democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Edward BRYNN embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 775348

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 3,856,673; female 3,819,946) 15-64 years: 54% (male 4,658,142; female 4,814,060) 65 years and over: 3% (male 262,159; female 287,291) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

35 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

11.15 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%

Infant mortality rate

80.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 56.17 years male: 54.18 years female: 58.22 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 64.5% male: 75.9% female: 53.5%

Nationality

noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian

Net migration rate

-0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

17,698,271 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.29% (1996 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.59 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 12 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 3 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 38,145 km paved: 7,476 km (including 21 km of expressways) unpaved: 30,669 km (1990 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,427 GRT/35,894 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Pipelines

none

Ports

Takoradi, Tema

Railways

total: 953 km; note - undergoing major renovation (1995 est.) narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge; 32 km double track

Waterways

Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways