Ghanaian Flag

The Menas Associates country fact file page is devised to provide our readers with a checklist of information about the history, people, government, economy, geography, military and transnational issues affecting each one of the countries we write about.

Time: UTC 0
Area: 238,535 km ²
Population: 23,837,000
Currency: Ghanaian cedi (GHS)
Capital: Accra
Official language: English
Geography: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo
Borders: Burkina Faso (549 km), Cote d'Ivoire (668 km), Togo (877 km)
Government: Constitutional democracy
President: John Atta Mills (since 2009)
Parliament: unicameral; (230 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Military: voluntary service from 18 years of age
Religion: Christian (68.8%), Muslim (15.9%), traditional (8.5%), other (0.7%), none (6.1%)
Demographics: 10 regions
Exports: gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticulture
Export partners: Netherlands (13.4%), Ukraine (11.7%), UK (8%), France (5.7%), US (5.1%)
Imports: capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs
Import partners: China (16%), Nigeria (15%), India (5.6%), US (5.6%), France (4.5%), UK (4.5%)
Economy: Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa, but remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production and individual remittances are major sources of foreign exchange. Oil production is expected to expand in late 2010 or early 2011
Electricity consumption/production/exports/imports: 5.702 billion kWh, 6.746 billion kWh, 249 million kWh, 435 million kWh
Oil consumption/production/exports/imports: 56,000 b/d, 7,399 b/d, 4,843 b/d, 45,380 b/d
Natural gas consumption/production/exports/imports: 0m³,0m³, 0m³, 0m³,
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone
Agriculture: cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas, timber
Concerns: illicit drugs, crime, money laundering, poor financial infrastructure.

* All the above data is selected from statistical review journals, published in the latter part of 2008/9. Therefore, please note that some facts/figures may vary according to source/time of documentation.