Republic of Ghana

Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart (lower)

Factbook: "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."

Public Debt:
2010: 59.9% of GDP
2009: 55.2% of GDP

Work force in agriculture:
2005: 56%

Export Partners:
2009: Netherlands 13.45%, UK 7.87%, France 5.85%, Ukraine 5.84%, Malaysia 3.97%

People

Ethnicities
2000 census: Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8%

Religions:
2000 census: Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1%

Kofe Annan:
The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofe Annan is from Ghana. According to Wikipedia: "Annan's family was part of the country's elite; both of his grandfathers and his uncle were tribal chiefs. His father was half Asante and half Fante; his mother was Fante. Annan's father worked for a long period as an export manager for the Lever Brothers cocoa company."

Geography

Western Africa, east of the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire). Slightly smaller than Oregon, with 539 kilometers of coastline. Hot and humid in the south, hot and dry in the north. Capital: Accra.

Recent History

In 1964, four years after becoming president, Kwame Nkrumah suspended Ghana's constitution and made Ghana a one-party state. A military coup in 1966 ended Nkrumah's rule, and Ghana remained a one-party state until 1992. Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings was head of state from 1981. In 1992 multi-party elections were held. Rawlings was genuinely popular and won 60 percent of the vote. He worked at improving Ghana's economy and won re-election in 1996, with 57 percent of the vote. The new 1992 constitution allowed him only two terms, ending his presidency in 2000. John Kufuor from a rival political party, was elected president. In 2004 John Kufuor was relection with 52.7 percent of the vote. Ghanians are proud of their democracy and value the stability that it provides.