 Location
Located on the West Coast of Africa along the Gulf of Guinea and on the Greenwich Meridian, Ghana is bordered by Burkina Faso to the North, Cote D’Ivoire to the West, Togo to the East and to the South by the Atlantic Ocean.
Land Area
238, 540 sq km ( 92,100 sq miles )
Population
22.6 million
Capital City
Accra. It has a population of 3.6 million.
Coastline
540 km.
Climate
Tropical - General temperatures 21 – 32 Degrees Celci
Rainy seasons : March - July,
September – October
Dry & Hot season ( Dry Harmattan winds ) : November - March
Languages
Official – English
Local : - Local languages include Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagbani, Nzema, and Hausa
Religion
Mostly Christian and Muslim. Traditional religions also exist.
Government
Constitutional Democracy ( Multi-Party Democracy )Ghana has an Executive Presidency, and an independent legislative and judicial system. The President and the Legislators are elected every 4 years.
Independence 6th March 1957 from British Administration. The country was formerly known as the Gold Coast.
Republic
Ist July 1960
Business And Shopping Hours
Offices - 8.30 - 12.30 noo
13.30 – 17.00 hours
Banks - 8.00 a.m. - 2 .00 p.m. Monday – Thursday
8.00 a.m. - 3 p.m. Fridays
Some banks and insurance companies are open on Saturdays from 8:00 to 12 : 00 hours.
Shops : 8: 30 to 19: 00 from Mondays to Saturdays
Local Time
Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT )
Currency
Ghana Cedi ( GH© )
GHC Notes are in denominations of GH ©1, 5, 10, 20, 50.
Coins in circulation are Gp 50 , 20, 10, 5, 1.
Economy
Services : 38.7% of GDP
Agriculture : 36.6% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force.
Agricultural products include cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn and timber.
Industry : 24.6% of GDP : mainly Mining, light manufacturing, aluminium smelting, food processing and lumber.
GDP per capita : 600 dollars
GDP real growth rate : 5.9%
Natural Resources
Gold, Diamond, Bauxite, Manganese, Timber, and Cocoa.
Administration
Ten Administrative Regions and Capitals as follows:
| REGIONS |
CAPITAL |
MILEAGE FROM ACCRA |
| Greater Accra |
Accra |
( Tema 29 km ) |
| Eastern |
Koforidua |
85 km |
| Volta |
Ho |
165km |
| Central |
Cape Coast |
144km |
| Western |
Sekondi / Takoradi |
218km |
| Ashanti |
Kumasi |
270km |
| Brong Ahafo |
Sunyani |
400km |
| Northern |
Tamale |
658km |
| Upper East |
Bolgatanga |
810km |
| Upper West |
Wa |
740km. |
Public Holidays
January 1 – New Year’s Day
January / February - Eid Ul Adha ( according to Muslim Calendar )
March 6 - Independence Day
March / April – Good Friday , Easter Monday
May 1 - May Day
May 25 - African Union Day
July 1 - Republic Day
November / December - Eid Ul –Fitr ( Moslem Festival )
December 1st Friday - Farmers Day
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Boxing Day
Electricity
220 - 240 Volts
Country Dialling Code
233
Foreign Entry Requirements
Health : Yellow Fever Vaccinations required by all.
Infants under one year exempt.
Precaution against malaria, cholera, typhoid and polio recommended.
Passport
Required by all
Visas
Required of most non-residents. Consult the Ghana Embassy or Ghana High Commission or Consular office near you. ECOWAS nationals require no visas.
Emergency and Useful Telephone Numbers
Police - 999, 191
Fire - 192 , 999
Ambulance - 999 , 777595
Hospital - Korle Bu - 665401, 673033 – 34
Ridge - 228382 – 3 , / 228315
Police Hospital – 776141 / 77390
Military Hospital - 776111 – 5
SSNIT Hospital - 776787 , 761974 - 7
Tema General Hospital - 022 – 302094 , 302695
Mental Hospital - 228688
Nyaho Clinic - 775341 / 775291 0277 75341
Holy Trinity Clinic - 233506
Trust Hospital - 761974 - 7
State Transport Company ( STC )
221912
What to wear
Conditions are generally hot. So, bring lots of light clothing.
A light jumper or sweat-shirt is suitable.
Be sensitive to local dress codes.
Ladies should refrain from dressing too skimpily, except in the grounds of upmarket beach hotels.
A hat, sunglasses and ( during the rainy season ) a waterproof jacket are recommended.
Eating Out
There are a wide selection of international restaurants particularly in Accra and Kumasi together with ubiquitous local “ chop bars ” for adventurous visitors.
Popular staples include fufu ( a pulped gooey ball of crushed cassava or yam that is most often served submerged in a light soup ) , kenkey and banku ( both of which are ,made of fermented maize meal and usually served with a tomato based relish .
Also available are fried yam sticks ( local equivalent of potato chips ), spicy beef khebabs, char-grilled chicken, guinea foul and tilapia, and jollof rice ( rice cooked in a tomato sauce with red meat, fish or chicken )
Telecommunication
Direct Enquiries ( Ghana Telecom ) - 100
| Other Information |
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Currency and Banking
The currency in use in Ghana is the Ghana Cedi (GHC). One Ghana Cedi is equivalent to 100 Ghana Pesewas (¢1=100GP). It is the only legal tender for the transaction of any business in Ghana. The cedi can be exchanged for major foreign currencies as follows:
US$1 = ¢ 9,400.00
GB£ = ¢18,200.00
Eu€1 = ¢12,400.00
$1 = 94 pesewas
£1 = ¢1.82 pesewas
€1 = ¢1.2 pesewas
CFA = ¢18,500
Re-denomination of the cedi
Ghana will redenominate the cedi with effect from 1st July 2007. Thus ¢10,000.00 = ¢1.00 to run parallel with the old cedi until end of December 2007. The value will however remain the same.
Below is a chart indicating conversion form the old cedi to the new cedi: |
| Old cedi |
New cedi |
| ¢1,000,000.00 |
GH¢100 |
| ¢500,000.00 |
GH¢50 |
| ¢200,000.00 |
GH¢20 |
| ¢100,000.00 |
GH¢10 |
| ¢50,000.00 |
GH¢5 |
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| NB: ¢10,000.00 will be equal to GH¢1 |
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Business and Shopping hours
Offices are generally open Monday to Friday form 8:30 hours to 12:30 hours and in the morning, and 13:30 to 17:00 in the afternoon. Shops are open form 8:30 to 19:00 form Monday to Saturday. In addition, some banks and insurance companies are open on Saturdays form 8:00 to 12:00 hours.
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| Foreign Embassies Accredited to Ghana With Residence in Accra |
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| Algeria |
+ (233) 021-776719 |
| Angola |
+ (233) 021-784357 |
| Australia |
+ (233) 021-701296 |
| Benin |
+ (233) 021-774860/774889 |
| Brazil |
+ (233) 021-774908/0244326566 |
| Bulgaria |
+ (233) 021-772404 |
| Burkina Faso |
+ (233) 021-221988 |
| Canada |
+ (233) 021-228566/773791 |
| China |
+ (233) 021-761133/777073 |
| Cote d'Ivoire |
+ (233) 021-774612/774611 |
| Cuba |
+ (233) 021-775868/765945 |
| Czech |
+ (233) 021-223540/247282 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo |
+ (233) 244 637 065 |
| Dernmark |
+ (233) 021-226972/253473 |
| Egypt |
+ (233) 021-776854 |
| Equitorial Guinea |
+ (233) 244 475166/973791 |
| Ethiopia |
+ (233) 021-775928/765682 |
| France |
+ (233) 021-774480/228504/214550 |
| Germany |
+ (233) 021-221311/221326/241082 |
| Great Britain |
+ (233) 021-221665/7010650 |
| Guinea |
+ (233) 021-777921 |
| Holy Sea |
+ (233) 021-777759 |
| India |
+ (233) 021-775601/775602/774745 |
| Iran |
+ (233) 021-760521/774474 |
| Italy |
+ (233) 021-775621/775622 |
| Japan |
+ (233) 021-765060/765061 |
| Korea Republic |
+ (233) 021-776157/777533 |
| Lebanon |
+ (233) 021-776745/776727 |
| Liberia |
+ (233) 021-775641/0208111699 |
| Libya |
+ (233) 021-774819/774820 |
| Malaysia |
+ (2330 021-763691/783087 |
| Mali |
+ (233) 021-663276 |
| Morocco |
+ (233) 021-775669/781888 |
| Netherlands |
+ (233) 021-785487/773644/231992 |
| Niger |
+ (233) 021-224962 |
| Nigeria |
+ (233) 021-776158/776159 |
| Palestine |
+ (233) 021-778736 |
| Romania |
Suspended at the moment |
| Russia |
+ (233) 021-775611 |
| Saudi Arabia |
+ (233) 021-776651/774311 |
| Sierra Leone |
+ (233) 021-761990/769477/769479 |
| South Africa |
+ (233) 021-7011580/773880/762380 |
| Spain |
+ (233) 021-774004/774005 |
| Switzerland |
+ (233) 021-228185/228125 |
| Togo |
+ (233) 021-777950 |
| USA |
+ (233) 021-775347/775297/775298 |
| Zimbabwe |
+ (233) 021-780956/780958 |
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