Ghana. Republic of Ghana
A country in the western part of Africa. It borders Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, Côte d'Ivoire to the west, and is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The coastline is 536 km long. The area is 238,500 km². The capital is Accra (over 1.7 million - estimate). Administratively, it is divided into 10 regions, which in turn are subdivided into districts. The population is 21 million (estimate; the last census was conducted in 2000). The annual growth rate is about 2.5%. The average life expectancy is 56.5 years. Urban population - 36%. Major ethnic groups: Ashanti, Ewe, Fante.
In total, there are over 75 ethnic groups speaking various dialects. The official language is English. Religion: about 70% of the population practices Christianity, 15% Islam, and 15% adhere to traditional African beliefs. The currency is the cedi.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on January 14, 1958).
National holiday - March 6 - Independence Day (1957).
Since July 1, 1960, Ghana has been a republic with a presidential form of government. The president is also the head of government and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Since December 2000, this position has been held by J. Kufuor (elected for a second term in December 2004). Legislative power belongs to a unicameral parliament (230 deputies elected by direct secret ballot for 4 years). The last parliamentary elections took place in December 2004, in which the New Patriotic Party won again, securing 128 seats. The main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, won 94 parliamentary mandates. The remaining 8 seats are held by other opposition parties and 1 independent deputy. The Speaker of Parliament is Ebenezer Benjin Sechi Hughes (elected in January 2005); according to the Ghanaian constitution, the Speaker is the third-ranking official of the state after the president and vice president.
Major political parties: New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), People's National Convention - 4 seats in parliament, Convention People's Party - 3 seats.
Regional authorities and local self-government bodies: at the regional level - regional assemblies headed by regional administrations and regional ministers; at the district level - district assemblies and chief district administrators.
In Ghana, the influence of traditional power structures remains, and national and regional councils of chiefs have been established. An Advisory Committee on Traditional Governance operates under the president of the country.
Trade unions are represented by two major associations: the Ghana Trades Union Congress and the Ghana Federation of Labour, which is the Ghanaian branch of the World Confederation of Labour.
In the Middle Ages, a number of state formations existed on the territory of present-day Ghana, the largest of which was Ashanti.
The first Europeans (the Portuguese) appeared in Ghana in 1482. From 1631, English settlers began to colonize the territory. There was a fierce struggle between European states for control of the Gold Coast (as Ghana was called at that time), in which Great Britain emerged victorious, establishing full control by 1901. The mid-20th century was marked by an active liberation struggle of the peoples of the Gold Coast, which, under the leadership of K. Nkrumah, culminated in the proclamation of independence in 1957. The new state was named Ghana, and K. Nkrumah became its first president.
Ghana is a member of the UN (since 1957) and other international organizations.
The internal political situation is generally stable. However, the currently high level of unemployment and rising prices for essential goods have led to increasing social tension in society.
In 2004, GDP amounted to $7.5 billion, with a growth rate of 5.8%. The inflation rate at the end of 2004 reached 11.8%. In 2001, Ghana was included among the countries eligible for the IMF/World Bank Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. In 2001-2003, donor assistance accounted for 35-40% of the country's budget expenditures.
The budget deficit (estimate at the end of 2004) was $100 million.
As a participant in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, donor countries are forgiving Ghana's debts. Nevertheless, the external debt remains virtually unchanged and amounted to $6.1 billion at the end of 2004.
About 60% of the working-age population is employed in agriculture, which accounts for 36% of GDP. Small farms, mainly family-owned, produce 80% of agricultural output.
The share of industrial production in the country's GDP is about 25%. The leading sector is mining (gold, diamonds, manganese, bauxite). The average gold production is about 90 tons per year. The tourism sector ranks third in terms of foreign exchange earnings for Ghana.
Exports from Ghana in 2004 amounted to $2.368 billion; imports - $3.355 billion; trade balance deficit - $987 million ($672 million in 2003). The main export items are cocoa beans, gold, diamonds, tropical timber, manganese ore, and bauxite. A large part of imports consists of crude oil and petroleum products, machinery, food, and pharmaceuticals.
Railways - 953 km. Paved roads - 39,000 km. Seaports - Tema, Takoradi. Kotoka International Airport is located 7 km from the center of Accra.
Print media: "Daily Graphic," "Ghanaian Times," "Mirror," "Accra Daily Mail," and others.
