FACT SHEET ON GHANA | ||
The Country | : Republic of Ghana | |
Capital City | : Accra | |
Commercial Language | : English | |
Currency | : The Cedi | |
Exchange rate | : US$1 – 9,167.73 cedis | |
Minimum wage | : Cedi, 16,000/day (Feb. 2006) | |
Population | : 18,912,079 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2000 Population Census) | |
Population Density | : 79.3 persons per square km [2000] | |
Female Population | : 50.5% [2000] | |
Male Population | : 49.5% [2000] | |
Children Below 15 years | : 41.3% [2000] | |
Elderly Persons Above 64 years | : 5.3% [2000] | |
Growth Rate | : 2.6% [2000] | |
Literacy Rate | : 64.5% | |
Male | : 70% | |
Female | : 51% | |
Land Size | : 238,537 km2 (92,100 square miles) | |
Land Area | : 23.8 million hectares | |
Arable land | : 13 million hectares [57%] | |
Electricity | : 220 – 240 Volts | |
Local Time and Business Hours | : Local time is the same as Greenwich Mean Time [GMT]. Business Hours are as follows: 08.00 to 12.00 hours and 13.00 to 17.00 hours |
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Geographical location | : Latitude 4- 11.5 North and Longitude 3.11 West and 1.11 East | |
Coastline | 540 km | |
Climate | : Tropical, General 21-32 C Rainy Seasons, March – July, Sept. – Oct. | |
Government | ||
Type | : Constitutional Democracy | |
Executive | : President, Cabinet | |
President | : H. E. John Agyekum Kufuor | |
Legislature | : Unicameral National Assembly | |
Constitution | : Approved, 28th April 1992 | |
Judicial branch | : Supreme Court | |
Legal System | : Based on English common law and customary Law. |
Economy (2005) | |
GDP Per Capita | : US$420 |
Real GDP Growth | : 5.8% |
Inflation (end of December 2005) | : 14.8% |
Domestic Primary | |
Balance (Surplus) | : Equivalent to 3.4% of GDP |
Net Domestic Financing | : 1.6% of GDP(repayment) |
Domestic Debt to GDP Ratio | : 11.5% |
External Debt | : UD$6,200 million |
Total Receipt (including grants) | : ¢28,256.4 billion |
Total payments | : ¢29,873 billion |
Gross Foreign Exchange Reserves | : US$1,894 million i.e. 3.7 monthsof import |
Sovereign Credit Rating | : B+ (Standard & Poors) , B+ (Fitch) |
Ghana Stock Exchange | : 3rd best performing Stock Exchange in the world in 2004 (US$ return of 86.5%). |
Sectoral Growth (2005) | |
Agric | : 46.7% |
Industry | : 22.1% |
Services | : 24.3% |
Trade (2005) | |
Export (FOB) |
: US$2,733.1 Million |
Imports (FOB) | : US$5,260 Million |
Major Exports | Cocoa , Minerals (Gold, Diamond, Manganese, etc.) Timber and Wood Products, Aluminum Products, Pineapples, Tuna, Prepared or Preserved Fish. |
Major Imports | Plant, Machinery and spare parts, petroleum products, raw materials and other intermediate goods |
Major Export Destinations | :United Kingdom , Switzerland , Italy , Togo , Netherlands , USA , Germany , Japan and Nigeria |
Major Import Origin | Nigeria , United Kingdom , Cote d’Ivoire , USA , Germany , Netherlands , Japan , South Africa and Italy |
MEDIA(December 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ghana boasts of one of the most pluralistic and independent media in Africa . There are over 140 newspapers, 19 magazines. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TELECOMMUNICATIONS (30th June 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mobile Telephone Subscribers: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fixed Telephone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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a.
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Subscriber base | : 2,816 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
b.
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Payphone | : 165 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teledensity |
: 19%
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Summary of Service Providers including Internet Service Providers as at 31st December 2004 |
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* Source – National Communications Authority |