Ghana Western Region

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
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:

Fixed Telephone

Subscriber base

: 2,816

Payphone

: 165

Teledensity

: 19%

Summary of Service Providers including Internet Service Providers as at 31st December 2004

NO. CATEGORY	No. Authorised - No.	No. Operating
National Fixed Network Operators	2	2
National Mobile Cellular Network	4	4
Paging Services Providers	10	10
Internet Data Service Providers	128	128
VSAT Data Operators	106	106
Public/Corporate Data Operators	61	29
FM Stations	128	84
TV Stations	28	4 Free on Air / 4 View Per Day

* Source - National Communications Authority