ETHNIC DIVISIONS: 99.8% black African (major tribes--44% Akan, 16% Moshi-Dagomba, 13% Ewe, 8% Ga), 0.2% European and other
RELIGION: 38% indigenous beliefs, 30% Muslim, 24% Christian, 8% other
LANGUAGE: English (official); African languages include Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
LITERACY: 30%
LABOR FORCE: 3,700,000; 54.7% agriculture and fishing, 18.7% industry, 15.2% sales and clerical, 7.7% services, transportation, and communications, 3.7% professional; 48% of population of working age (1983)
ORGANIZED LABOR: 467,000 (about 13% of labor force)
INDEPENDENCE: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)
CONSTITUTION: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981
LEGAL SYSTEM: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
BRANCHES: executive authority vested in seven-member Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC); on 21 January 1982 PNDC appointed secretaries to head most ministries
CHIEFS OF STATE AND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)
SUFFRAGE: universal at age 18
ELECTIONS: national district elections held December 1988, the first since the 1981 coup
POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS: political parties outlawed after 31 December 1981 coup
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION: Ambassador Eric K. OTOO; Chancery at 2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York
U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE POST: Ambassador Stephen R. LYNE; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra); telephone 775347 through 775349
FLAG: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold 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 OF GHANA
OVERVIEW: Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983. Good harvests in 1988 featured the 6% growth in GNP. Moves toward privatization and relaxation of government controls continued in 1988-89, although at a slower-than-expected pace. In 1988 service on the $3.3 billion debt was equivalent to 75% of export earnings. As Ghana obtains concessional loans and pays off high-interest debt, however, debt service is expected to fall below 30% of export earnings in the early 1990s. The economic rebuilding program has both helped and harmed the manufacturing sector, for example, by improving the supply of raw materials and by increasing competition from imports. The long-term outlook is favorable provided that the political structure can endure the slow pace at which living standards are improving and can manage the problems stemming from excessive population growth.
GNP: $5.73 billion, per capita $410; real growth rate 5.3% (1986)
INFLATION RATE (CONSUMER PRICES): 39.0% (1987)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 26% (April 1987)
BUDGET: revenues $611 million; expenditures $604 million, including capital expenditures of $345 billion (1986 est.)
EXPORTS: $863 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities-- cocoa 60%, timber, gold, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum; partners-- US 23%, UK, other EC
IMPORTS: $783 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities-- petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment; partners-- US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR
EXTERNAL DEBT: $3.3 billion (December 1988)
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: growth rate 8.3% (1986)
ELECTRICITY: 1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,106 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1988)
AGRICULTURE: cocoa, coffee, root crops, corn, sorghum, millet, peanuts; barely self-sufficient in food production, but has good potential; an illegal producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
RAILROADS: 953 km, (591 mi) all 1.067-meter gauge; 32 km double track; railroads undergoing major renovation
HIGHWAYS: 32,250 km (20,027 mi) total; 6,084 km concrete or bituminous surface, 26,166 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces
INLAND WATERWAYS: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km (104.4 mi) of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km (699 mi) of arterial and feeder waterways
AIRPORTS: 10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
TELECOMMUNICATIONS: poor to fair system of open-wire and cable, radio relay links; 38,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, no FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station
MILITARY MANPOWER: males 15-49, 3,394,490; 1,904,468 fit for military service; 170,393 reach military age (18) annually
MILITARY BUDGET: NA
.TRAVEL IN GHANA
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Passport and visa required. Tourist visa, valid up to 30 days, $30. Onward/return ticket, financial guarantee for length of stay, and 4 photos required. Visas take at least 3 working days to process. If applying by mail, include self-addressed, stamped, certified envelope for return of passport. Apply well in advance. Vaccination certificate required for yellow fever and cholera.
HEALTH: Tapwater is not potable. Unwashed raw foods or undercooked meats are not safe to eat. Do not swim in freshwater streams or lagoons, which may be infected with bilharzia. Health requirements change; check latest information.
TOURIST OFFICES: Ghana Tourist Center, c/o CES Travel, 407 Dearborn, Ste. 1245, Chicago, IL 60605, Tel 312-922-2950; Ghana Tourist Board, State House, 6th Fl. Box 3106, Accra, Ghana.
WEATHER AND CLOTHING: Weather is hot and humid; bring summer clothes and a lightweight raincoat.
TELEPHONE: When direct dialing to Ghana from the U.S., dial 011 (international access code) + 233 [country code] + local number, or use the international operator.
TIME: 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time, and the same as Greenwich Mean Time.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: 220V
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: Independence Day (Mar 6); Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday (variable); Labor Day (May 1); Uprising Day (Jun 4); Republic Day (Jul 1); Boxing Day (Dec 26); PNDC Day (Dec 31).
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: In Accra: National Museum, Aburi Botanical Gardens, Black Star Square, and Christianborg Castle, the burial place of W.E.B. DuBois. The Kusami area is rich in traditional crafts: weaving, woodcarving, and bronze work, and is home to the National Cultural Center, the zoo, and the Manhyia Palace.
IMPORTANT!! All requirements/recommendations are subject to change. Be sure to check latest information.
