GHANA AT A GLANCE
GENERAL PROFILE
Location:
The country Ghana is a rectangular-shaped land typically resembling a bag of cocoa sitting on its base. In the south, it has a coastline in the Atlantic Ocean. It shares borders with Togo on its eastern border, Ivory Coast on its western border, and Burkina Faso across is northern border.
Area:
238,540 sq km (92,101 square miles)
Geographic Coordinates:
Ghana is situated on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between latitudes 40N and 120N, and longitudes 40W and 20E.
Capital:
Accra
Official Language:
English
Major Local Languages:
Akan, Ewe, Ga and Hausa
Border Countries:
Togo, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast
Coastline:
539 km (334.9 miles)
Climate:
High humidity and hot temperatures all year make the weather in Ghana pleasant most of the time. Rainy season lasts from May to September in the north, from April to October in the center, and from April to November in the south. In the eastern part of the coast, the rainy season is shorter and goes from April to June, with a break in July and August, and a slight recovery in September and October. The rainiest area is the south, where precipitation is above 1,500 millimeters (60 inches) per year, and even more so the small west coast area, where it reaches 2,000 mm (80 in) per year. The driest areas are the north, where the rainfall amounts to around 1,000 mm (40 in) per year, and the eastern coast, which includes Accra, where it drops below 800 mm (31.5 in).
Natural Resources:
Gold, diamonds, manganese, limestone, bauxite, iron ore, lithium, petroleum, granite, etc.
POLITICAL PROFILE
Government:
The Republic of Ghana is a sovereign state that is run on the parliamentary system of government.
Constitution:
The Constitution of Ghana was enacted on 28th April 1992 by a 92 per cent support through a national referendum, and replaced all previous constitutions. It entered into force on 7th January 1993.
Executive Branch:
The President of the Republic of Ghana is the Head of the Executive, the Head of State, Head of Government and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Legislative Branch:
The Legislative Branch comprises 275 members plus the Speaker of Parliament. All legislative functions are vested in Parliament, however, for any legislation to become law, it must have the assent of the president, who has a qualified veto over all bills except those to which a vote of urgency is attached.
Judicial Branch:
The Judiciary has the sole responsibility of interpreting and enforcing the Constitution, laws and administering justice. The Judiciary of Ghana comprises the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The hierarchy of courts is derived largely from British juridical forms. The courts have jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
Population:
- As at 25th June 2023: 34,084,642
- Males: 49.9 per cent
- Females: 50.1 per cent
- Births per Day: 2,491
- Deaths per Day: 686
Population Density:
Life Expectancy:
- Life expectancy: 69.37 years
- Male: 67.7 years
- Female: 71.09 years
Literacy Rate:
- Adult male population: 82.04% (8,557,520 persons). 1,873,646 are illiterate.
- Adult female population: 71.35% (7,522,421 persons). 3,019,975 are illiterate.
GHANA'S ADVANTAGE
- Ghana is Africa’s most peaceful country.
- Ghana has the most hospitable people in Africa.
- Ghana has a large pool of skilled labour force.
- Ghana is an opening into a large ECOWAS market.
- Progressive movement towards deregulation and open market.
- Liberalised portfolio investments regime
- Investor friendly policies.
- Progressive industrialization and technological collaboration.
- Economic and political stability.