Country Profile
From The Report: Ghana 2022
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With its tropical climate and overall low elevation due to the Volta Basin covering almost half of the country’s land area, Ghana has vast cocoa and gold resources. Its population is diverse, with a total of 75 ethnicities dispersed around the country due to increasing levels of human mobility. Ghana has witnessed robust urbanisation in recent years, with 58% of the population living in cities. It has overcome historical challenges to create a stable political and economic environment. For instance, its capital, Accra, hosts the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and seeks to become one of Africa’s largest centres for financial services.

This chapter contains interviews with Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana; and Siri Walt, Head of Sub-Saharan Division, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Strong will: The country overcame historical challenges to create a stable political and economic environment
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Ghana achieved independence from British colonial rule in 1957, making it the first African country to do so. After enduring decades of post-independence instability and intermittent military rule, the country is now widely regarded as a stable democracy, a regional economic powerhouse and a key continental player. Ghana is emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic in better shape than many of its regional and incomelevel peers: while GDP growth slowed to 0.7% in 2020, the economy rebounded in 2021. Rising…

Viewpoint

Coordinated response: President Nana Akufo-Addo, on international cooperation
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Viewpoint: President Nana Akufo-Addo Between 2017 and 2020 Ghana recorded an average GDP growth rate of 7%, among the highest in the world. In 2020 – when the global economy and sub-Saharan Africa’s contracted by 3.5% and 2.1%, respectively – Ghana was one of the few countries that registered positive GDP growth. This is a testament to the government’s Ghana Beyond Aid vision. While Covid-19 infection rates and deaths have been relatively low in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of the pandemic…

Overview

Body politic: A briefing on Ghana’s political structure and most recent general elections
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In December 2020 Ghanaians went to the polls to elect a president and members of Parliament. The incumbent head of state and leader of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), President Nana Akufo-Addo, was re-elected in the first round of voting over former President John Dramani Mahama, the candidate for the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). This marked the third time that the two men have faced each other for political office, with then-Vice President Mahama defeating…

Interview

Mutually beneficial: Siri Walt, Head of Sub-Saharan Division, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, on collaborative efforts supporting economic and sustainable development
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Interview:Siri Walt How might Ghana make its business environment more attractive for foreign direct investment? SIRI WALT: Reliable and predictable framework conditions are important factors for companies looking to invest abroad. Reducing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles and simplifying the investment process can go a long way in facilitating the entry into a new market. This is in line with the Ghanaian government’s goal of making the private sector the driving force of economic transformation.…