Ghana Basics

Country: Ghana

History: Several major civilizations flourished in the general region of what is now Ghana. The ancient empire of Ghana (located 500 mi northwest of the contemporary state) reigned until the 13th century. The Akan peoples established the next major civilization, beginning in the 13th century, and then the Ashanti empire flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Called the Gold Coast, the area was first seen by Portuguese traders in 1470. They were followed by the English (1553), the Dutch (1595), and the Swedes (1640). British rule over the Gold Coast began in 1820, but it was not until after quelling the severe resistance of the AshantiGermany, was incorporated into Ghana by referendum in 1956. Created as an independent country on March 6, 1957, Ghana, as the result of a plebiscite, became a republic on July 1, 1960. in 1901 that it was firmly established. British Togoland, formerly a colony of

Premier Kwame Nkrumah attempted to take leadership of the Pan-African Movement, holding the All-African People's Congress in his capital, Accra, in 1958 and organizing the Union of African States with Guinea and Mali in 1961. But he oriented his country toward the Soviet Union and China and built an autocratic rule over all aspects of Ghanaian life. In Feb. 1966, while Nkrumah was visiting Beijing and Hanoi, he was deposed by a military coup led by Gen. Emmanuel K. Kotoka.

A series of military coups followed, and on June 4, 1979, Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings overthrew Lt. Gen. Frederick Akuffo's military rule. Rawlings permitted the election of a civilian president to go ahead as scheduled the following month, and Hilla Limann, candidate of the People's National Party, took office. Rawlings's three-month rule was one of Ghana's bloodiest periods, with executions of numerous government officials and business leaders. Two years later Rawlings staged another coup, charging the civilian government with corruption. As chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council, Rawlings scrapped the constitution, instituted an austerity program, and reduced budget deficits over the next decade. He then returned the country to civilian rule and won the presidency in multiparty elections in 1992 and again in 1996. Since then, Ghana has been widely viewed as one of Africa's most stable democracies. In Jan. 2001, John Agyekum Kufuor was elected president. In 2002, he set up a National Reconciliation Commission to review human rights abuses during the country's military rule. He was reelected in Dec. 2004.

Language: English is the official language; however, the African languages of Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga are also spoken.

Political structure: Ghana has a constitutional democracy, which is a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution.
Executive branch:
chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President
Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice
President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by
Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for
four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be
held in December 2008)
election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote -
John KUFUOR 53.4%, John ATTA-MILLS 43.7%
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 94, PNC 4,
CPP 3, independent 1

Religion: Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21%

Independence: March 5, 1957 from the United Kingdom; it was the first African country to obtain independence from colonial rule. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2928270 (News article about Ghana celebrating its 50th year of freedom.

International disputes: Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Côte d'Ivoire.

References: CIA Factbook and http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107584.html