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Introduction
Formerly
called the Gold Coast, Ghana became independent from British colonial
rule on 6th March 1957, the first black African country to achieve
independence. Ghana, the closest landmark to the centre of the world, is
located on the west coast of Africa. Tema, the industrial city, which is adjunct to Accra, the capital
city of Ghana, is on the Greenwich Meridian. Ghana is bounded on the north by Burkina Faso, on the west by La
Cote d’Ivoire, on the east by Togo and on the south by the Gulf of
Guinea.The country has a
total land area of 238,537 km (92,100 sq. miles).
Ghana
has a tropical climate. There
are two rainy seasons from March to July and from September to October,
separated by a short cool dry season in August and a relatively long dry
season in the south from mid-October to March.
The
country is richly endowed with human and natural resources. The latter include mineral wealth, extensive forest resources,
sizable supply of viable land suitable for crop and livestock
production, marine and freshwater fish stock, and a good potential for
hydro-electricity generation. It is basically agricultural.
The
Agriculture sector employs about 60 percent of the labour force and
contributes about 40 percent to GDP. Out of this, the share of the cocoa sub-sector is significant but
crops and livestock remain the dominant activities. The service sector is the fastest growing sector in the economy
with a contribution of about 32 percent of GDP. This sector is driven mainly by government and to a lesser extent
trade. The industrial
sector’s share of GDP is around 28 percent and has manufacturing and
construction as the main sub-sectors.
Government
development priorities to be pursued within the medium term are:
vigorous infrastructural development; modernized agriculture with
emphasis on rural development; enhanced social services with emphasis on
education and health; good governance; and, private sector development.
The thrust of the Government’s economic policy
is on a liberalized trade regime, liberalized investment, an export
oriented value addition industrial development strategy, and development
of Free Zones.
Investment
Climate
Ghana has great
potential for investment. Broad areas for investment include
agriculture, industry, mining, infrastructure, energy, environment
science and technology. Ghana offers the following unique blend of
advantages to potential investors:
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A stable multi-party
democratic environment; |
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A demonstrated
commitment to the philosophy and practice of market liberalization
policies; |
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An
on-going divestiture programme;
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Investor
confidence in the country’s economy;
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An
investment law with in-built transparent procedures;
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Availability
of low-cost labour and a good supply of trained and trainable labour;
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Availability
of a stock exchange and other emerging financial markets;
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Progressive
institutional development;
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On-going
donor and government support for infrastructure development;
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Quota-free
access to United States of America and European Union markets;
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A
gateway to the West African sub-region;
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Strong
private sector advocacy groups such as the Private Enterprise
Foundation and the Private Sector Advisory Group;
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A
strategic location for communication facilities in terms of
international commerce; and, |
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Warm and friendly people and high degree of
personal safety |
Ghana – India
Relations
Ghana
and India are traditional friends. They may be called sister nations in
terms of affinity of mind, ideas, beliefs and values. For several
decades, Indians have played a significant role in Ghana’s
educational, health, scientific and commercial sectors. Ghanaians have
watched Indian films with extreme delight since the early 1950s. This is
not surprising. We share
values in the extended family system, respect for elders, love for
principle and self-dignity as well as an unbridled quest for education,
development and self-emancipation.
These
qualities propelled both India and Ghana into leadership in the
liberation struggles in Asia and Africa. Ultimately, Nehru and Nkrumah
became pioneers of the Non-Aligned Movement.
In
the pursuit of active diplomacy towards humanitarian development in the
developing world, there have been frequent interactions between our
leaders – commencing from Nkrumah’s historic state visit in 1958 and
President Limann’s state visit in 1980. India reciprocated in a variety of ways.
In
the process, scientific, cultural, educational and military training
programmes and exchanges have strengthened the bond of friendship
between the two nations.
At
a time when a vacuum appeared to have developed in this very close tie,
Ghana’s President Kufuor visited India in August 2002 on a state
visit. The visit revamped the ties between our two nations. Four
protocols were signed relating to IT, protection of investment,
scientific exchange and consultations between the two nations. It is anticipated that through the viable economic diplomacy
between the two nations, the ideals of South-South cooperation will be
concretised.
Even
though India has often been described as a developing nation, it
possesses all the qualifications of a developed nation, including
nuclear capability, food self-sufficiency, brilliant strides in IT,
excellent fabric/garment industry, food processing, pharmaceuticals and
chemicals etc. India today
deserves a permanent seat in the Security Council. Ghana is very supportive in this regard.
It
is our hope that Indian technical know-how, if married to Ghana’s vast
natural resources, will result in a beautiful rainbow of development in
the interest of both nations.
In
our joint endeavour, we look forward to concrete developments, in IT,
software parks and technology etc., irrigation, chemicals and
fertilizers, food processing, gem and jewellery manufacture, production
of pharmaceuticals, technical and scientific products, electrification,
water treatment, jute bags, mining, manufacturing of soap and
detergents, and small scale industries generally.
Ghana
Country Data
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Official Name:
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Republic of Ghana
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Capital:
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Accra
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Natural Resources:
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Gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, timber,
iron ore, various clay and salt deposits |
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Population:
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21,029,853
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Population growth rate:
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1.25%
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Languages:
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English (Official), Akan, Ga, Ewe, Hausa, Dagbani,
Kasem and Dagaare
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Religions:
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Christianity is the dominant religion, Islam and
traditional religions
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GDP:
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US$48.27 billion (2004 est.)*
Real
growth rate: 5.4% (2004 est.)
Per capita: $2,300 (2004 est.)*
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Industries:
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Mining, lumbering, light manufacturing,
aluminum, food processing |
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Main Exports:
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Cocoa, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite and aluminium
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Main
Imports:
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Petroleum,
consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods capital equipment |
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Currency:
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The Cedi (¢) [1US$ = 8,866
Cedis]
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