Ghana (i /n/) officially the Republic of Ghana is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word Ghana means "Warrior King"6 and is derived from the ancient Ghana Empire.

Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms including the inland Ashanti Empire the Akwamu on the eastern coast and various Fante and non-Akan states like the Ga and Ewe along the coast and inland. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century and the British established the Gold Coast Crown colony in 1874 over parts but not all of the country.7

The Gold Coast achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 becoming the first sub-Saharan African nation to do so8910 and the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana which once extended throughout much of west Africa. Ghana is a member of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone the Commonwealth of Nations the Economic Community of West African States the African Union and an associate member of La Francophonie. Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world and is home to Lake Volta the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area.11

The economy of Ghana has been listed as The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011 in an economic research led by Economy Watch with data coming from the IMF's tracker of GDP Growth in constant prices in the national currency (not converted to US dollars). With an economic growth of about 20.146 % for the year 2011Ghana growth rate stands ahead of the rest of the world in economic growth and ahead of the next eleven fastest growing economies in the world by 2011 with Qatar following Ghana as the second fastest growing in the world with an estimated growth rate of 14.337 % for 2011.12

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Regions and districts 3.1 Population of major cities 4 Government and politics 4.1 Government 4.2 Administrative divisions 4.3 Judicial system 4.4 Politics 4.5 Foreign relations 5 Economy 6 Geography 7 Demographics 7.1 Health 7.2 Languages 7.3 Religion 8 Culture and media 9 Education 10 See also 11 References 12 External links Etymology Map of Ghana

The word Ghana means Warrior King and was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire.13 Geographically the Ghana Empire was approximately 500 miles (800 km) north and west of modern Ghana and it ruled territories in the area of the Sngal River and east towards the Niger River in modern Senegal Mauritania and Mali.

Ghana was adopted as the legal name for the Gold Coast combined with British Togoland upon gaining autonomy on March 6 1957. History Main article: History of Ghana

There is archaeological evidence which shows that humans have lived in present-day Ghana since the Bronze Age. But before the 11th Century the majority of the state known as Ghana today was largely unoccupied.14 The area of Ghana today has experienced several population movements but by the 16th Century the major Ethnic groups in Ghana today were firmly settled.15 By the Early 11th Century the Akan were firmly established in a state called Bonoman for which the Brong-Ahafo Region region is named.16 The Mole-Dagbane as well as the Mossi states were well established by the 16th century with the Gonja state being established by the 17th Century.15 16th-17th Century Akan Terracotta Metropolitan Museum of Art New York

From the 13th century on numerous groups emerged from what is believed to have been the Bonoman area to create several Akan States mainly based on gold trading. These states included Denkyira Akwamu Akyem and others. By the 18th Century most of Modern Ghanaian territory included what the Empire of Ashanti one of the most influential states in sub-Saharan Africa prior to colonial rule. The Ashanti government operated first as a loose network and eventually as a centralized kingdom with an advanced highly specialized bureaucracy centred in Kumasi. It is said that at its peak the Asantehene could field 500000 troops and had some degree of military influence over all of its neighbours. Early European contact by the Portuguese who came to Ghana in the 15th century focused on the extensive availability of gold. The Portuguese first landed at a coastal city inhabited by the Fante nation-state and named the place Elmina which means "the mine" in Portuguese. In 1481 King John II of Portugal commissioned Diogo d'Azambuja to build Elmina Castle which was completed in 3 years. Their aim was to trade in gold ivory and slaves consolidating their burgeoning political and economic power in the region. By 1598 the Dutch had joined them and built forts at Komeda and Kormantsi.17 In 1617 they captured the Olnini Castle from the Portuguese and Axim in 1642 (Fort St Anthony). Other European traders joined in by the mid-17th century largely English Danes and Swedes. English merchants impressed with the gold resources in the area named it the Gold Coast while French merchants impressed with the trinkets worn by the coastal people named the area to the west "Cte d'Ivoire" or Ivory Coast. 1817: Picture of Ashanti architecture drawn by Thomas Edward Bowdich More than thirty forts and castles were built by the Portuguese Dutch British and Spanish merchants. The Gold Coast was known for centuries as 'The White Man's Grave' because many of the Europeans who went there died of malaria and other tropical diseases.18 After the Dutch withdrew in 1874 Britain made the Gold Coast a protectorate. Following conquest by the British in 1896 until independence in March 1957 the territory of modern Ghana excluding the Volta Region (British Togoland) was known as the Gold Coast. Many wars occurred between the colonial powers and the various nation-states in the area including the 1806 Ashanti-Fante War and the continuous struggle by the Ashanti against the British in many Anglo-Ashanti wars of which the Ashanti defeated the British a few times but eventually lost with the Ashanti-British War in the early 1900s.19202122 Even under colonial rule the chiefs and people often resisted the policies of the British; however moves toward de-colonization intensified after World War II. In 1947 the newly formed United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) called for "self-government within the shortest possible time."23 After rioting increased in 1948 the members of the United Gold Coast Convention were arrested including future prime minister and president Kwame Nkrumah. Later Nkrumah formed his own party the Convention People's Party (CPP) with the motto "self government now." He began a 'Positive Action' campaign and gained the support of rural and working class people.22 He was again imprisoned for being the leader of a party that caused boycotts strikes and other forms of civil disobedience. After winning a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly in 1952 Nkrumah was released and appointed leader of government business. After further negotiations with Britain on March 6 1957 at 12 a.m. Nkrumah declared Ghana "free forever".22 The flag which consists of the colours red gold green and the black star became the new flag in 1957. Designed by Theodosia Salome Okoh the red represents the blood that was shed towards independence the gold represents the mineral wealth of Ghana the green symbolises the rich agriculture and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation.24 Formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and British Togoland by a United Nations sponsored plebiscite in 1956 Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence in 1957. Cape Coast Castle Kwame Nkrumah first prime minister and then president of the modern Ghanaian state as an anti-colonial leader sought a united Africa which would not drift into neo-colonialism. He was the first African head of state to promote Pan-Africanism an idea he came into contact with during his studies at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (United States) at the time when Marcus Garvey was becoming famous for his "Back to Africa Movement." He merged the teachings of Garvey and the African-American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois into the formation of the modern day Ghana. Ghana's principles of freedom and justice equity and free education for all irrespective of ethnic background religion or creed borrow from Nkrumah's implementation of Pan-Africanism. Independence Arch Ghana Although his goal of African unity never realised Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as he is now known played an instrumental part in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity which was succeeded in 2002 by the African Union. His achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebrations and the day was instituted as a public holiday in Ghana. Dr. Nkrumah's government was subsequently overthrown by the military while abroad in February 1966. Former Central Intelligence Agency employee John Stockwell alleges that the CIA had an effective hand in forcing the coup.25 A series of subsequent coups from 1966 to 1981 ended with the ascension to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings in 1981. These changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. The economy suffered a severe decline soon after and many Ghanaians migrated to other countries. Although most migrating Ghanaians went to Nigeria the Nigerian government deported about a million Ghanaians back to Ghana in 1983.26 Kwame Darko negotiated a structural adjustment plan with the International Monetary Fund and changed many old economic policies and the economy began to recover. A new constitution restoring multi-party politics was promulgated in 1992 and Rawlings was elected as president then and again in 1996. The Constitution of 1992 prohibited him from running for a third term so his party the National Democratic Congress chose his Vice President John Atta Mills to run against the opposition parties. Winning the 2000 elections John Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party was sworn into office as president in January 2001 and beat Mills again in 2004 thus also serving two terms as president. In 2009 John Atta Mills took office as President of Ghana with a difference of about 40000 votes (0.46%) 27 between his party the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party marking the second time that power had been transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another and securing Ghana's status as a stable democracy.28 Regions and districts Main articles: Regions of Ghana and Districts of Ghana Regions of Ghana Ghana is divided into 10 administrative regions subdivided into a total of 170 districts. The regions are: Ashanti capital Kumasi Brong Ahafo capital Sunyani Central capital Cape Coast Eastern capital Koforidua Greater Accra capital Accra Northern capital Tamale Upper East capital Bolgatanga Upper West capital Wa Volta capital Ho Western capital Sekondi-Takoradi Population of major cities City Population Accra 3963264 Kumasi 2604909 Tamale 360579 Takoradi 360651 Tema 229106 Teshie 154513 Sekondi 153900 Cape Coast 200204 Obuasi 147613 Dunkwa-On-Offin 108482 Bolgatanga 72000 Government and politics Main article: Politics of Ghana The celebration of the 50th independence anniversary According to the 2009 Failed States Index Ghana is ranked the 53rd least failed state in the world and the second least failed state in Africa after Mauritius. Ghana ranked 124th out of 177 countries on the index.29 Ghana also was placed 7th out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries in the 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance which was based on data from 2006. The Ibrahim Index is a comprehensive measure of African government based on a number of different variables which reflect the success with which governments deliver essential political goods to its citizens.30 Government Ghana was created as a parliamentary democracy at independence in 1957 followed by alternating military and civilian governments. In January 1993 military government gave way to the Fourth Republic after presidential and parliamentary elections in late 1992. The 1992 constitution divides powers among a president parliament cabinet council of state and an independent judiciary. The government is elected by universal suffrage; however the legislature is not proportionate with low-population districts receiving more representatives per person than those with high populations.31... Administrative divisions The Supreme Court Building Accra Main articles: Regions of Ghana and Districts of Ghana There are ten administrative regions which are divided into 138 districts each with its own district assembly. Below districts are various types of councils including 58 town or area councils 108 zonal councils and 626 area councils. Sixteen thousand unit committees exist on the lowest level.31 Judicial system The legal system is based on British common law customary (traditional) law and the 1992 constitution. Court hierarchy consists of Supreme Court of Ghana (highest court) courts of appeal and high courts of justice. Beneath these bodies are circuit magisterial and traditional courts. Extrajudicial institutions include public tribunals. Since independence courts are relatively independent; this independence continues under Fourth Republic. Lower courts are being redefined and reorganized under the Fourth Republic.31 Politics Kofi Annan Political parties became legal in mid-1992 after a ten-year hiatus. There are many political parties under the Fourth Republic; the major ones are the National Democratic Congress which won presidential and parliamentary elections in 1992 1996 and 2008; the New Patriotic Party the major opposition party which won elections in 2000 and 2004; the People's National Convention and the Convention People's Party successor to Kwame Nkrumah's original party of the same name.31 Foreign relations Since independence Ghana has been devoted to ideals of nonalignment and Pan-Africanism both closely identified with Nkrumah. Ghana favours international and regional political and economic co-operation and is an active member of the United Nations and the African Union. Many Ghanaian diplomats and politicians hold positions in international organisations. These include Ghanaian diplomat and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan International Criminal Court Judge Akua Kuenyehia former President Jerry Rawlings and former President John Agyekum Kuffour who have both been elected chairmen of the Economic Community of West African States.31 Economy Main article: Economy of Ghana Sunyani Cocoa House Ghana is a Middle Income Economy.32 Well endowed with natural resources Ghana has more than twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Known for its gold in colonial times Ghana remains one of the world's top gold producers. Other exports such as cocoa oil timber electricity diamond bauxite33 and manganese are major sources of foreign exchange. An oilfield which is reported to contain up to 3 billion barrels (480000000 m3) of light oil was discovered in 2007.34 Oil exploration is ongoing and the amount of oil continues to increase.35 There is expected to be a tremendous inflow of capital into the economy beginning from the first quarter of 2011 when the country starts producing oil to be sold through overseas licensed counter-part GAZPROM in commercial quantities. Also the refining and sale of oil resources discovered off the Ghana coast licensed to oil giant GAZPROM has begun being monitored by the Ghana National Petroleum Company.citation needed The oil is expected to account for 6% of the revenue for 2011.36 The Akosombo Dam which was built on the Volta River in 1965 provides hydro-electricity for Ghana and its neighbouring countries. Ghanas labour force in 2008 totalled 11.5 million people.37 The economy continues to rely heavily on agriculture which accounts for 37.3% of GDP and provides employment for 56% of the work force37 mainly small landholders. Manufacturing is only a small part of the Ghanaian economy totalling 7.9% of Gross Domestic Product in 2007.38 Even though Ghana boasts of one of the highly skilled workforces in the sub-region successive governments still rely on foreign countries to undertake strategic infrastructural projects in the country including the very basic projects like housebuilding. These firms in turn sub-contract to local firms at a small fraction of the budget resulting always in a net drain of Ghana's wealth to the said countries. Efforts to encourage local Ghanaian firms to play frontline roles as has been the hallmark of many great civilizations in infrastructural development have always proven futile leading to a perpetual dependency on external help and a net loss to Ghanaians. Typical among these is the award of a $1.5billion housing contract to STX of South Korea.39 A slum in Takoradi Ineffective economic policies of past military governments and regional peacekeeping commitments have led to continued inflationary deficit financing depreciation of the Cedi and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity measures. Even so Ghana remains one of the more economically sound countries in all of Africa. In July 2007 the Bank of Ghana embarked on a currency re-denomination exercise from the Cedi () to the new currency the Ghana Cedi (GH). The transfer rate is 1 Ghana Cedi for every 10000 Cedis. The Bank of Ghana employed aggressive media campaigns to educate the public about the re-denomination. The new Ghana Cedi is relatively stable and in 2009 generally exchanged at a rate of US$1 GH1.4 37 The Value Added Tax is a consumption tax administered in Ghana. The tax regime which started in 1998 had a single rate but since September 2007 entered into a multiple rate regime. In 1998 the rate of tax was 10% and amended in 2000 to 12.5%. However with the passage of Act 734 of 2007 a 3% VAT Flat Rate Scheme (VFRS) began to operate for the retail distribution sector. This allows retailers of taxable goods under Act 546 to charge a marginal 3% on their sales and account on same to the VAT Service. It is aimed at simplifying the tax system and increasing compliance.citation needed Tourism is a rapidly growing sector particularly among Europeans Americans and other internationals connected to the Ghanaian Diaspora abroad. Ghana's political and economic stability low crime rate and wide use of English make the country an attractive entrypoint to West Africa for foreigners. UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle national parks such as Kakum National Park and Mole National Park as well as cultural celebrations such as Panafest are major centres of tourist activity. Geography Main article: Geography of Ghana Beach in Ghana Elephants at Mole National Park Ghana is a country located on the Gulf of Guinea only a few degrees north of the Equator therefore giving it a warm climate. The country spans an area of 238500 km2 (92085 sq mi). It is surrounded by Togo to the east Cte d'Ivoire to the west Burkina Faso to the north and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south. Ghana lies between latitudes 4 and 12N and longitudes 4W and 2E. The Prime Meridian passes through the country specifically through the industrial city of Tema. Ghana is geographically closer to the "centre" of the world than any other country even though the notional centre (0 0) is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 614 km (382 mi) south of Accra Ghana in the Gulf of Guinea.40 The country encompasses flat plains low hills and a few rivers. Ghana can be divided into five different geographical regions. The coastline is mostly a low sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams while the northern part of the country features high plains. Southwest and south central Ghana is made up of a forested plateau region consisting of the Ashanti uplands and the Kwahu Plateau; the hilly Akuapim-Togo ranges are found along the country's eastern border. The Volta Basin also takes up most of central Ghana. Ghana's highest point is Mount Afadjato which is 885 m (2904 ft) and is found in the Akwapim-Togo Ranges. The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry the southwest corner is hot and humid and the north is hot and dry. Lake Volta the world's largest artificial lake extends through large portions of eastern Ghana and is the main source of many tributary rivers such as the Oti and Afram rivers. There are two main seasons in Ghana: the wet and the dry seasons. Northern Ghana experiences its rainy season from March to November while the south including the capital Accra experiences the season from April to mid-November. Southern Ghana contains evergreen and semi deciduous forests consisting of trees such as mahogany odum and ebony. It also contains much of Ghana's oil palms and mangroves. Shea trees baobabs and acacias are usually found in the Volta region and the northern part of the country. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Ghana Ghana has a population of about 24 million people. Ghana's first post-independence population census in 1960 counted about 6.7 million inhabitants.41 It is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups. Ghana has not seen the kind of ethnic conflict that has created civil wars in many other African countries.42 The official language is English; however most Ghanaians also speak at least one local language. The ethnic groups in Ghana are the Akan (which includes the Fante Akyem Ashanti Kwahu Akuapem Nzema Bono Akwamu Ahanta and others) 49.3% Mole-Dagbon 15.2% Ewe 11.7% Ga-Dangme (comprising the Ga Adangbe Ada Krobo and others) 7.3% Guan 4% Gurma 3.6% Gurunsi 2.6% Mande-Busanga 1% other tribes 1.4% other (Hausa Zabarema Fulani) 1.8% (2000 census). Wesley Methodist Cathedral Kumasi According to the CIA World Factbook religious divisions are as follows: Christian 68.8% Muslim 15.9% Traditional African beliefs 8.5%.4344 Health Main article: Health in Ghana As of 2009 life expectancy at birth is about 59 years for males and 60 years for females 45 with infant mortality at 51 per 1000 live births.45 The birth rate is about 4 children per woman. There are about 15 physicians and 93 nurses per 100000 persons.46 4.5% of the country's GDP was spent on health in 2003.46 Languages Ethnologue lists a total of 79 languages47 for Ghana. English is the country's official language and predominates in government and business affairs. It is also the standard language used for educational instruction. Native Ghanaian languages are divided into two linguistic subfamilies of the Niger-Congo language family. Languages belonging to the Kwa subfamily are found predominantly to the south of the Volta River while those belonging to the Gur subfamily are found predominantly to the north. The Kwa group which is spoken by about 75% of the country's population includes the Akan Ga-Dangme and Ewe languages. The Gur group includes the Gurma Grusi and Dagbani languages.48 Nine languages have the status of government-sponsored languages: Akan specifically Ashanti Twi Fanti Akuapem Twi Akyem Kwahu Nzema; Dagaare/Wale Dagbani Dangme Ewe Ga Gonja and Kasem. Though not an official language Hausa is the lingua-franca among Ghana's Muslims49 who comprise about 16% of the population. As an OIF associated-member French is increasingly taught in Ghana's high schools.50 Religion Main article: Religion in Ghana Up until the arrival of the Europeans on the coasts of Ghana in the fourteenth century the religion that was practiced in Ghana was Traditional African religion. As the Europeans explored and took control of parts of the country during the colonial days so did their religion - Christianity - spread. The main religions in Ghana today are Christianity and Islam. Christian denominations include Catholics Methodists Anglicans Presbyterians Lutherans Seventh-Day Adventists Pentecostals Baptists etc.51 Islam has its biggest following in the northern parts of the country. There are three primary branches of Islam within the country including Ahlussuna Tijanis and Ahmadis. A small number of Muslims are Shi'a. In many parts of the country there is still the practice of traditional religions. They generally involve belief in a supreme being along with lesser gods. Ancestors and spirits also play a large role in these beliefs as does animist aspects. There are also very small percentages of other religions in Ghana including Jehovah Witness Baha'i Faith Buddhism Judaism Hinduism Shintoism Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai Sri Sathya Sai Baba Sera Sat Sang Eckanker the Divine Light Mission Hare Krishna and Rastafarianism. According to the census figures of the year 2000 out of Ghana's 18.8 million people Christians make up 69 per cent of the population while Muslims constitute 2.9 million representing 15.6 per cent of the population.52 Culture and media Tamale Stadium Main article: Culture of Ghana Ghana is an ethnically diverse country; thus Ghanaian culture is a mixture of all its ethnic groups the Ashanti Fante Akyem Kwahu Ga Ewe Mamprusi and Dagomba among others. It is most evident in Ghanaian cuisine the arts and clothing. The celebration of festivals in Ghana is an essential part of Ghanaian culture such as the Homowo Odwira Aboakyer Dodoleglime Hogbetsotso Tedudu Deza (festival) and Sandema. Several rites and rituals are performed throughout the year in various parts of the country including child-birth rites of passage puberty marriage and death. Football is the most popular sport. The national men's football team is known as the Black Stars with the under-20 team known as the Black Satellites. Ghana has participated in many championships including the African Cup of Nations the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup Ghana became the third African country to reach the quarter final stage of the World Cup after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.53 There are several club football teams in Ghana which play in the Ghana premier league and Division One league both managed by the Ghana Football Association. The country has also produced quite a few quality boxers such as Azumah Nelson a three time world champion Nana Yaw Konadu also a three time world champion Ike Quartey and Joshua Clottey. Ghana also has a successful hockey team winning tournaments such as the Afro-Asian cup. Ashanti Kente cloth Textiles are very important in Ghanaian culture. These cloths are used to make traditional and modern attire. Different symbols and different colours mean different things. Kente is probably the most famous of all the Ghanaian cloths. Kente is an Ashanti ceremonial cloth hand-woven on a horizontal treadle loom. Strips measuring about 4 inches wide are sewn together into larger pieces of cloths. Cloths come in various colours sizes and designs and are worn during very important social and religious occasions. In a cultural context kente is more important than just a cloth. It is a visual representation of history and also form of a written language through weaving. The term kente has its roots in the Twi word kntn which means a basket. The first kente weavers used raffia fibres to weave cloths that looked like kenten (a basket); and thus were referred to as kenten ntoma; meaning basket cloth. The original Asante name of the cloth was nsaduaso or nwontoma meaning "a cloth hand-woven on a loom"; however the term kente is the most popularly used term today. Many variations of narrow-strip cloths similar to kente are woven by various ethnic groups in Ghana like the Ewe Ga and others in Africa. It is also popular among the African diaspora. Ghana has been recognized on the international level through several artists including the Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop and Eric Adjetey Anang who are creating the famous design coffins. Ghanaian drummers The music of Ghana is diverse. The sound varies from ethnic group and region. Ghanaian music incorporates several distinct types of musical instruments such as the talking drum ensembles goje fiddle and koloko lute court music including the Akan atumpan the Ga kpanlogo styles and log xylophones used in asonko music. The most well known genres to have come from Ghana are Afro-jazz which was created by Ghanaian artist Kofi Ghanaba.54 and its earliest form of secular music is called highlife. Highlife originated in the late 19th century and early 20th century and spread throughout West Africa. In the 1990s a new genre of music was created by the youth incorporating the influences of Highlife Afro-reggae dancehall and hiphop. This hybrid was called Hiplife. Ghanaian artists such as R&B and soul singer Rhian Benson and highlife singer Kojo Antwi have had international success. Ghanaian dance is as diverse as its music. Each ethnic group has their own traditional dances and there are different dances for different occasions. There are dances for funerals celebrations storytelling praise and worship etc. Some of these dances include bamaya adowa kpanlongo klama agbadza atsiagbekor atsia bbb and agahu. The media of Ghana is one of the most free in Africa and had previously undergone a series of government overthrows by military leaders and periods of severe restriction. Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees freedom of the press and independence of the media while Chapter 2 prohibits censorship.55 Post independence the government and media often had a tense relationship with private outlets closed during the military coups and strict media laws that prevent criticism of government.56 The media freedoms were restored in 1992 and after the election in 2000 of John Kufuor the tensions between the private media and government decreased. Kufuor was a supporter of press freedom and repealed a libel law though maintained that the media had to act responsibly.57 The Ghanaian media has been described as "one of the most unfettered" in Africa operating with little restriction on private media. The private press often carries criticism of government policy.58 The media were vigorous in their coverage of the 2008 Ghanaian presidential election and the Ghanaian Journalists Association (GJA) praised John Atta Mills on his election hoping to foster a good media-government relationship.59 British artist Adelaide Damoah is of Ghanaian descent. Her work is noted for raising social issues whilst combining African and western influences.60 Education Main article: Education in Ghana Ghanaian school children Classroom in Ghana The adult literacy rate in Ghana was 65% in 2007 with males at 71.7% and females at 58.3%. Ghana has a 6-year primary education system beginning at age six and under the educational reforms implemented in 1987 and reformed in 2007 they pass on to a 3-year junior high school system. At the end of the 3rd year of junior high there is a mandatory Basic Education Certificate Examination. Those continuing must complete the 3-year senior high school program and take an admission exam to enter any university or tertiary programme. Presently Ghana has 21530 primary schools 8850 junior secondary schools 900 senior secondary schools 5261 public training colleges 561 private training colleges 561 polytechnical institutions 461 non-university public tertiary institutions 861 public universities and over 4561 private tertiary institutions. Most Ghanaians have relatively easy access to primary and secondary education. These numbers can be contrasted with the single university and handful of secondary and primary schools that existed at the time of independence in 1957. Ghana's spending on education has varied between 28-40% of its annual budget in the past decade. All teaching is done in English mostly by qualified Ghanaian educators. The courses taught at the primary or basic school level include English Ghanaian language and culture mathematics environmental studies social studies and French as a third language are added integrated or general science pre-vocational skills and pre-technical skills religious and moral education and physical activities such as music dance and physical education. The senior high level school curriculum has core subjects and elective subjects of which students must take four the core subjects of English language mathematics integrated science (including science agriculture and environmental studies) and social studies (economics geography history and government). The high school students also choose 3 elective subjects from 5 available programmes: agriculture programme general programme (arts or science option) business programme vocational programme and technical programme.62 Apart from most primary and secondary schools which choose the Ghanaian system of schooling there are also international schools such as the Ghana International School Takoradi International School Tema International School Galaxy International School The Roman Ridge School the Lincoln Community School Faith Montessori School and SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College which offer the International Baccalaureat Advanced Level General Certificate of Education and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). With 83% of its children in school Ghana currently has one of the highest school enrolment rates in West Africa.63 The ratio of girls to boys in the total education system is 1:0.96 which for a West African country is a considerable achievement.64 That said some 500000 children still remain out of school because of resource constraints in building schools providing adequate textbooks and training new teachers.64 The oldest university in Ghana the University of Ghana which was founded in 1948 had a total of about 29754 students in 2008.65 Since Ghana's independence the country has been one of the educational hot spots in sub-Saharan Africa and has played host to notables such as President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe Alhaji Sir Dauda Jawara of The Gambia and Cyprian Ekwensi of Nigeria among others. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been chancellor of the University of Ghana since 2008. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology the second university to be established in Ghana is the premier university of science and technology in Ghana and West Africa. It has very high international rating and has consistently been ranked the country's best university since 2008.66 See also Ghana portal Main articles: Outline of Ghana and Index of Ghana-related articles Bibliography of Ghana Transport in Ghana References "Emefa.myserver.org". http://www.emefa.myserver.org/Ghana.mp3. Retrieved 2010-12-21.  Bartlett Duncan (2010-11-10). "Korea uses G20 to nurture African links". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11730513. Retrieved 20 March 2011.  2010 Provisional Census Results Out. 04 February 2011. Ghana Government. 2010. http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.phpoptioncomcontent&viewarticle&id4712:2010-provisional-census-results-out&catid88:daily-news-summary&Itemid236. Retrieved 2011-02-07.  a b c d "Ghana". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspxsy2008&ey2011&scsm1&ssd1&sortcountry&ds.&br1&c652&sNGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp0&a&pr.x67&pr.y12. Retrieved 2011-04-26.  "Human Development Report 2010". United Nations. 2010. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR2010ENComplete.pdf. Retrieved 4 November 2010. dead link Jackson John G. Introduction to African Civilizations 2001. Page 201. MacLean Iain. Rational Choice and British Politics: An Analysis of Rhetoric and Manipulation from Peel to Blair 2001. Page 76. Peter N. Stearns and William Leonard Langer. The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient Medieval and Modern Chronologically Arranged 2001. Pages 813 1050. "Ghana - MSN Encarta". Ghana - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia761570799/Ghana.html.  encarta.msn.com "NEWS.BBC.co.uk". NEWS.BBC.co.uk. 2010-02-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/countryprofiles/1023355.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Geography.about.com". Geography.about.com. http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcghana.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Ghana: The World's Fastest Growing Economy in 2011". Press CentreThe presidencyRepublic of Ghana. Tuesday 04/01/2011. http://www.presidency.gov.gh/press-centre/general-news/ghana-worlds-fastest-growing-economy-2011. Retrieved 13 June 2011.  "Ghana - MSN Encarta". Ghana - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia761570799/Ghana.html.  Encarta.msn.com http://books.google.com/booksidDRc4AAAAIAAJ&pgPA23&dqAdansi&hlen&eiE7F5TdnsEZPzrAHBxMjCBQ&saX&oibookresult&ctresult&resnum5&ved0CD0Q6AEwBA#vonepage&qAdansi&ffalse a b http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/pre-colonial.php http://books.google.com/booksidItt1hIbsbQsC&pgPA60&dqAkan+Bono+11th+century&hlak&eiQrDdTbXDCqjs0gH4mYCeCg&saX&oibookresult&ctresult&resnum3&ved0CCsQ6AEwAg#vonepage&qAkan%20Bono%2011th%20century&ffalse Levy Patricia; Wong Winnie (2010). Ghana. Marshall Cavendish. p. 24. ISBN 9780761448471.  Bush Praises Strong Leadership of Ghanaian President Kufuor. America.gov. September 15 2008. http://books.google.com/booksidtEL4ToU8JSQC&pgPA76&dq%22Ashanti+defeated+british%22&hlen&eirlvjTbyKMOfl0QGL-aWtBw&saX&oibookresult&ctresult&resnum2&ved0CC4Q6AEwAQ#vonepage&q%22Ashanti%20defeated%20british%22&ffalse Chronology of world history: a calendar of principal events from 3000 BC to AD 1973 Part 1973 Sankofa: a journal of African children's and young adult literature Volumes 1-5 a b c Encarta.msn.comdead link Webcitation.org Archived 2009-10-31. The history of Ghana - Google Books. Books.google.com. 2005. ISBN 9780313318948. http://books.google.com/idT9io2oPOAXAC&pgPA92&lpgPA92&dqugcc+ghana+self+governance. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Ghana Flag". Ghanaweb.com. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/republic/flag.php. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  Adam Curtis (22 June 1992). "Interview with John Stockwell on "Black Power"". BBC Two series "Pandora's Box":  "Ghana - MSN Encarta". Ghana - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia76157079910/Ghana.html.  "BBC: Opposition leader wins Ghana poll - modernghana.com/ghana elections". Modernghana.com. http://www.modernghana.com/news/197296/1/bbc-opposition-leader-wins-ghana-poll.html. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Thousands celebrate as new president takes office". The Guardian. 8 January 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/world-news-in-brief.  "Foreignpolicy.com" (PDF). http://www.foreignpolicy.com/images/0906242009finaldata.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Welcome to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation". Moibrahimfoundation.org. http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  a b c d e "Government and Politics". A Country Study: Ghana (La Verle Berry editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (November 1994). This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain. Lcweb2.loc.gov name"World Bank.org">1 "Aluworks.com". Aluworks.com. http://www.aluworks.com/site/index.phpoptioncomcontent&viewarticle&id63&Itemid60&734e1554a786d82e908c7c85044123c2746b376516a36724613692ecab763f6f. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Ghana leader: Oil reserves at 3B barrels - Yahoo! News". Web.archive.org. 2007-12-22. Archived from the original on 2007-12-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20071226200944/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071222/aponreaf/ghanaoildiscovery3. Retrieved 2010-12-21.  "Kosmos Makes Second Oil Discovery Offshore Ghana". Rigzone.com. 2008-02-25. http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.aspaid57319. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "bet.com". bet.com. 2010-12-15. http://www.bet.com/News/GhanatoPumpOil.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-21.  a b c 2dead link "Ghana - MSN Encarta". Ghana - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia7615707995/Ghana.html.  encarta.msn.com "STX Group Signs Ghana Contract to Build $1.5 Billion Residential Complex- Bloomberg". STX Group Signs Ghana Contract to Build $1.5 Billion Residential Complex- Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-15/stx-group-signs-ghana-contract-to-build-1-5-billion-residential-complex.html.  bloomberg.com Extreme points of Earth "Ghana population". Library of Congress Country Studies. "Ghana - MSN Encarta". Ghana - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia7615707992/Ghana.html.  "International Religious Freedom Report 2007". U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90100.htm. Retrieved 5 December 2009.  "CIA - The World Factbook - Ghana". U.S. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009.  a b "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html. Retrieved 2010-12-21.  a b "Afro.who.int". Afro.who.int. http://www.afro.who.int/home/countries/factsheets/ghana.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  Ethnologue: Languages of Ghana LaVerle Berry ed (1995). Ghana: A Country Study. Federal Research Division Library of Congress. pp. 8182. ISBN 0844408352. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ghtoc.html.  Hausa language http://www.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/Fcsenjeu21esiecle.pdf (french) http://www.overlandingafrica.com/ghana/religion/ http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art7902.html "USA 1-2 Ghana (aet)". NEWS.BBC.co.uk. 2009-06-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/worldcup2010/matches/match50. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "Ghana: Kofi Ghanaba - Influential Drummer Who Emphasised the African Origins of Jazz". Ghanaian Chronicle. 12 February 2009. http://allafrica.com/stories/200902120888.html. Retrieved 2009-05-30.  Constitution of Ghana Government of Ghana. Anokwa K. (1997). In Press Freedom and Communication in Africa. Erbio F. & Jong-Ebot W. (Eds.) Africa World Press. ISBN 978-0-86543-551-3. Ghanian Media Press Reference. BBC Country Profile: Ghana BBC News. GJA congratulates President Atta Mills Joy Radio January 11 2009. "My work is social commentary". 2010-12-24. http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/Art/5475534-147/story.csp. Retrieved 2010-12-24.  a b c d e f NAB.gov.ghdead link "TobeWorldwide.org". http://www.tobeworldwide.org/index.phpoptioncomdocman&taskdocview&gid4. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/a-fragile-island-of-stabilityin-a-sea-of-turbulence/article1214628/. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  a b "Ghana News :: '''Obama:''' What is the agenda for education in Ghana ::: Breaking News News in Ghana features". News.myjoyonline.com. 2009-07-10. http://news.myjoyonline.com/features/200907/32516.asp. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  "University of Ghana". Ug.edu.gh. http://www.ug.edu.gh/index1.phplinkid243&sublinkid72. Retrieved 2010-06-26.  http://knust.edu.gh v d e Ghana topics Government and politics Corruption  Elections  Flag  Foreign relations  Governments  Ministries and Agencies   Ministers  Parliament  Political parties  President  LGBT rights Geography Regions  Cities  Districts Economy Markets Health Ministry of Health  Ghana Health Service  NHIS  Christian Health Association of Ghana  Eyecare   Optometry   Optician Religion Christianity (Christian Council of Ghana   Roman Catholicism)   Hinduism   Islam Law Judiciary  Human rights Ghana Sports Black stars  Rugby union in Ghana Culture and society Cuisine  Demographics  Education  Holidays  Languages  Social conduct   Women Other topics Communications  Economy  History  Military  Transport  List of Ghanaians   Water supply and sanitation Years in Ghana External links Find more about Ghana on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Images and media from Commons Learning resources from Wikiversity News stories from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Government Ghana official website The Parliament of Ghana official site National Commission on Culture official site Chief of State and Cabinet Members General information Country Profile from BBC News Ghana from Encyclopaedia Britannica Ghana entry at The World Factbook Ghana from UCB Libraries GovPubs Ghana at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Ghana The African Activist Archive Project website has photographs of the All Africa People's Conference held in Accra Ghana December 513 1958 including Kwame Nkrumah Prime Minister of Ghana addressing the conference the American Committee on Africa delegation meeting with Nkrumah and of Patrick Duncan and Alfred Hutchinson of South Africa at the conference. Health Unite For Sight at Buduburam Refugee Camp Ghana Ghana Eye Foundation Other List of books about Ghana Proverbs from Ghana Business Anti-Corruption Portal Ghana country profile Rural poverty in Ghana Ghana travel pages  Articles Related to Ghana v d e Ghana topics Government and politics Corruption  Elections  Flag  Foreign relations  Governments  Ministries and Agencies   Ministers  Parliament  Political parties  President  LGBT rights Geography Regions  Cities  Districts Economy Markets Health Ministry of Health  Ghana Health Service  NHIS  Christian Health Association of Ghana  Eyecare   Optometry   Optician Religion Christianity (Christian Council of Ghana   Roman Catholicism)   Hinduism   Islam Law Judiciary  Human rights Ghana Sports Black stars  Rugby union in Ghana Culture and society Cuisine  Demographics  Education  Holidays  Languages  Social conduct   Women Other topics Communications  Economy  History  Military  Transport  List of Ghanaians   Water supply and sanitation Years in Ghana v d e     Ghana governments Democratic: Nkrumah government  Busia government  Limann government  Rawlings government  Kufuor government  Mills government  Military: National Liberation Council  National Redemption Council  Supreme Military Council  Armed Forces Revolutionary Council  Provisional National Defence Council   Geographic locale Lat. and Long. 533N 015W / 5.55N 0.25W / 5.55; -0.25 (Accra) v d eCountries and territories of Africa Sovereign states Algeria  Angola  Benin  Botswana  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)  Djibouti  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Ethiopia  France (Mayotte  Runion)  Gabon  The Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Italy (Pantelleria)  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mali  Mauritania  Mauritius  Morocco  Mozambique  Namibia  Niger  Nigeria  Portugal (Madeira)  Rwanda  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Somalia  South Africa  Spain (Canary Islands  Ceuta  Melilla  Plazas de soberana)  Sudan  Swaziland  Togo  Tanzania  Tunisia  Uganda  Yemen (Socotra)  Zambia  Zimbabwe States with limited recognition Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic  Somaliland Dependencies les parses (France)  Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) Unclear sovereignty Western Sahara  International membership v d eMember states of the African Union (AU) Algeria  Angola  Benin  Botswana  Burkina Faso  Burundi  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Central African Republic  Chad  Comoros  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire  Djibouti  Egypt  Equatorial Guinea  Eritrea  Ethiopia  Gabon  The Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Libya  Madagascar  Malawi  Mali  Mauritania  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  Niger  Nigeria  Rwanda  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Somalia  South Africa  Sudan  Swaziland  Tanzania  Togo  Tunisia  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe v d eSouth Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone Members Angola  Argentina  Benin  Brazil  Cameroon  Cape Verde  Republic of the Congo  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Cte d'Ivoire  Equatorial Guinea  Gabon  The Gambia  Ghana  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Liberia  Namibia  Nigeria  So Tom and Prncipe  Senegal  Sierra Leone  South Africa  Togo  Uruguay Ministerial Meetings 2nd (1993)  3rd (1994)  4th (1996)  5th (1998)  6th (2007) v d eMembers of the Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Bahamas  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belize  Botswana  Brunei  Cameroon  Canada  Cyprus  Dominica  Fiji (suspended)  The Gambia  Ghana  Grenada  Guyana  India  Jamaica  Kenya  Kiribati  Lesotho  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives  Malta  Mauritius  Mozambique  Namibia  Nauru  New Zealand  Nigeria  Pakistan  Papua New Guinea  Rwanda  St. Kitts and Nevis  St. Lucia  St. Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa  Sri Lanka  Swaziland  Tanzania  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Tuvalu  Uganda  United Kingdom  Vanuatu  Zambia Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands  Australian Antarctic Territory  Christmas Island  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Coral Sea Islands  Heard Island and McDonald Islands  Norfolk Island New Zealand Cook Islands  Niue  Ross Dependency  Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia  Anguilla  Bermuda  British Antarctic Territory  British Indian Ocean Territory  British Virgin Islands  Cayman Islands  Falkland Islands  Gibraltar  Guernsey  Isle of Man  Jersey  Montserrat  Pitcairn Islands  St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha)  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Turks and Caicos Islands  Languages v d eNiger-Congo-speaking nations  Kordofanian  Sudan  Mande      Gambia  Guinea  Guinea-Bissau  Mali  Mauritania  Senegal  Sierra Leone  Liberia  Cte d'Ivoire  Nigeria  Burkina Faso  Benin  Togo  Atlantic-Congo     Atlantic  Benin  Burkina Faso  Cameroon  CAR Ijoid  Nigeria  Chad  Cte d'Ivoire  Gambia  Guinea Dogon  Mali  Guinea-Bissau  Liberia  Mali  Mauritania  Niger  Senegal  Sierra Leone  Sudan  Togo  Volta-Congo     Senufo  Benin  Cte d'Ivoire  Mali Gur  Benin  Burkina Faso  Cte d'Ivoire  Ghana  Mali  Nigeria  Togo Adamawa-Ubangi  Cameroon  CAR  Chad  Nigeria Kru  Burkina Faso  Cte d'Ivoire  Liberia Kwa  Benin  Cte d'Ivoire  Ghana  Nigeria  Togo  Benue-Congo     Bantu  Angola  Botswana  Burundi  Cameroon  DRC Yoruba and Igbo  Nigeria  Rep. of the Congo  Equatorial Guinea  Gabon  Kenya  Lesotho  Nigeria  Malawi  Mozambique  Namibia  Rwanda  South Africa  Swaziland  Tanzania  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe CAR Central African Republic  DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo v d eEnglish-speaking world Anglosphere Dark blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language and spoken natively by a significant population. Light blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language but less widely spoken. Click on the coloured regions to view the related article.     Regions where English is an official language and spoken by a significant population Africa Mauritius  Saint Helena  Americas (Anglo-America) Anguilla  Antigua and Barbuda  The Bahamas  Barbados  Belize  Bermuda  British Virgin Islands  Canada  Cayman Islands  Dominica  Falkland Islands  Grenada  Guyana  Jamaica  Montserrat  Puerto Rico  Saba  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Saint Eustatius  Sint Maarten  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Trinidad and Tobago  Turks and Caicos Islands  United States  United States Virgin Islands Asia Hong Kong  Philippines  Singapore Europe Gibraltar  Guernsey  Ireland  Isle of Man  Jersey  Malta  United Kingdom Oceania American Samoa  Australia  Christmas Island  Guam  Marshall Islands  Federated States of Micronesia  Nauru  New Zealand  Norfolk Island  Northern Mariana Islands  Palau  Vanuatu   Regions where English is an official language but not as widely spoken Africa Botswana  Cameroon  Gambia  Ghana  Kenya  Lesotho  Liberia  Malawi  Namibia  Nigeria  Rwanda  Sierra Leone  Somaliland  South Africa  Sudan  Swaziland  Tanzania  Uganda  Zambia  Zimbabwe Asia India  Pakistan    Oceania Cook Islands  Fiji  Niue  Papua New Guinea  Pitcairn Islands  Solomon Islands  Tokelau  Tuvalu v d e Years in Ghana Years in Ghana 1950-80 1950s   1960s   1970s   1980s 1990s 1990   1991   1992   1993   1994   1995   1996   1997   1998   1999 2000s 2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009 2010s 2010   2011   2012