UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is Ghanees, and USAfrica would like to congratulate Mr. Annan for being unanimously elected Secretary General of the United Nations for a second term in 2001. Africa is very proud to have such great son.

Accra is the capital and the largest city of Ghana, as well as being the executive, financial, and educational center of Ghana. The word Accra comes from the Akan word nkran, which means the black ants that are found amply in this region. Major buildings, other than the forts, are the Korle Bu General Hospital, which includes the Ghana Medical School, the Holy Spirit (Roman Catholic), Holy Trinity (Anglican), and Methodist churches. Other places of interest are national records and the national museum. Also located here are the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. The city also has a race course and a football stadium. Ceremonial parades are held in Independence Arch, in Black Star Square.

Economy: Ghana’s is the world’s first producer of cocao. Although 58% of the land is fertile and suitable for farming, only 11% is actually under cultivation. The only other agricultural export is wood. Ghana has a small oil deposits which it is beginning to exploit. The old name of Gold Coast is derived from the fact that Ghana is the world’s 6th producer of gold, and the 5th of diamonds. Ghana also has a series of indutries, from ship-building to refineries, as well as a large hydro-electric scheme on the Akosombo dam. Both roads and railways are well developed. Ghana’s economy is mainly rural: cocoa, timber and pineapples are the main export crops; and mining (mainly gold) has become one of the biggest sources of foreign exchange. The emerging industrial sector’s products include cassava, fruits and cocoa by-products. Max Havelaar Pine Apple and Banana plantations are an example of Fair Trade in Ghana. MOL Shipping Line, a Japanese shipping line, is making a success story in Africa; their last few years have never been so good in history and African business is booming for them. They are shipping in huge numbers of containers, while at the same time exporting full containers with commodities such as Cocoa, Pine Apples etc. The Chocolate that the Western world is eating is made of the Cocoa Beans that the little farmers in Africa are collecting; without them there would be no Chocolate…. (MOL would be delighted with this free-publication says Marcel Stappers: our man in Accra). Despite the fact that Ghana is the world's biggest producer of cocoa, when visiting Ghana bring chocolate with you, they have pretty awful chocolate (don't try telling a Ghanaian this).

History:

The Portuguese first settled on the coast of what is now Ghana in 1482. Europeans - British, French, Dutch, Swedes and Danes, in addition to the Portugese, arrived at various centuries and built forts here. Ghana became a British colony under the name of Gold Coast in 1900. It was extended to include part of the former German colony of Togoland at the end of World War I in 1919. Following the elections won by Dr Krame Nkrumah and his Party in the early 1950's, the Gold Coast and British Togoland became in 1957 the independent state of Ghana.

Ghana is a country of firsts. In 1957, Ghana became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to emerge from colonialism. Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966, and after different military and civilian governments. Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, became head of state in a coup led by junior officers in 1979. He only remained in power a few months and after losing the elections to Dr Hilla Limann and the People's NationalParty, he stepped down. Ghana experienced the highest GNP on the continent before an economic crisis in the late 1970s, and it experienced the trauma of military takeovers long before that became a trend in the region. Ghana stabilised in the mid-1980s and political reform began A new Constitution was approved in a referendum in April 1992 and political parties were unbanned. Rawlings again took power in a coup on 31 December 1981. The Constitution was abolished, Parliament dissolved, and political parties banned. Flt Lt Rawlings assumed the Chairmanship of theProvisional National Defence Council (PNDC).

Ghana has also rebounded after launching one of the first and more stringent economic recovery programs in the region nearly a decade and a half ago. It is now pioneering the "Comprehensive Development Framework" (CDF) as a new way of managing the development process. The Constitution guarantees democratic freedom. The first presidential election for 13 years took place in November 1992. Rawlings, standing for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was the winner with 58% of the vote. A new constitution was introduced in 1992, and Ghana’s first multiparty elections were organized shortly thereafter. In 1996, Ghana enjoyed a smooth second-term election, conducted with full participation of all political parties and of the Ghanaian electorate, strengthening democratic institutions. Local assemblies were elected in all 110 Districts, and are assuming increasing responsibility for service delivery to the people of their Districts. Community elections were conducted successfully in June 1998, through non-partisan means, thus bringing representation down to the village and sub-District level.

Culture

Ghana is a great place. It's hard to tell you specifically about Ghanaian culture since there are so many different cultural groups, it all depends on where you are going. A good idea would be to learn about Akan culture which covers most of the largest tribes including the Ashanti and Fanti by visiting this link to Ghana. Other main groups in the south are the Ga around Accra and the Ewe from the East/Volta area who up until now had much of the political control of Ghana. Travelling north you have the Dagomba people who are again very different. In the very north areas the tribes change again, the different groups are smaller and have more in common with the people of Burkina Faso. In the north Islam is the predominant religion while in the south it is Christianity. There is still a strong element of traditional religion everywhere though. You'll find coexistence of religions reasonably harmonious.

Good to know:

Ghanaians are very hospitable and you'll find many people trying to make you feel welcome. Greetings are very important. Make sure you learn the proper greeting for where you are going. If you visit a Ghanaian household you'll invariably be welcomed and offered water or a drink (this is an integral part of the welcome). Remember that older people play a very important role in the household and are considered the keepers of wisdom so if you walk into a household always greets the eldest first. Learn a few phrases in the language appropriate for your area. It makes a big difference in how people perceive you, and even if you struggle with trying to make it sound right people will appreciate the effort.