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General Information
From the north savannah to the rain forests, down
to the coast, a variety of landscapes exalts stunned
gazes from a variety of nationalities. The welcoming,
stable and warm country of Ghana invites people to
follow unbeaten paths.
Some visitors to Ghana come to discover the slave
routes and visit slave dungeons in the castles and
forts along the coast. Others come to explore in-
vestment opportunities in gold and diamond mining,
while some come for timber and other wood prod-
ucts, or cocoa. Many still come to see the rich culture
of festivals and the tranquil setting of the country-
side.
Ghana has remained stable throughout the past
twenty-two years. The first nine years after its inde-
pendence, in 1957, were also stable but the years
from 1966 to 1981 were marred with coups and po-
litical instability. Even though Ghana was under mili-
tary rule from 1981 to 1992, the country was stable
and peaceful.
Since 1992, there have been three general elections
in the country. In the 2000 elections, political power
was transferred from the then ruling party to the op-
position (The New Patriotic Party), for the first time in
Ghana’s history. After three attempts, ex-law teacher
John Atta Mills, member of the National Democratic
Party, got elected president in December 2008. Mills
often describes himself as a Social Democrat who
has been inspired by the social welfare ideas of first
president after independence, Kwame Nkrumah.
The focus is now on building infrastructure for sus-
tained economic growth and development. The
joint border posts linking Ghana with Togo, Burkina
Faso and the Ivory Coast under construction will ac-
celerate the ECOWAS process, which is meant to
improve the economic advantages of its members
through the free movement of persons, goods and
services. Telephone coverage and Internet service
is increasing, as well as access to air and seaport
transport services.
From the crocodile pond in the north, waterfalls in
the east, mines in the centre and west, and to the
slave castles in the south, there is a lot to see and
vast business opportunities to seize in Ghana.
INTRODUCTION History
On March 6, 1957 Ghana was the first African country
to gain its independence from British Colonial rule. In
1960, Kwame Nkrumah, supporter of the Common-
wealth and the Non-Aligned movement, became the
first president of Sub-Saharan Republic of Ghana.
As a colony, the country was known as the Gold
Coast, a name that was given by the early Portu-
guese explorers who initially set foot on the shores
of the country during the 15th century to describe the
country’s wealth in gold and natural resources.
At different periods, from the time the Portuguese
discovered gold in Ghana in 1471 to independ-
ence in 1957, monarchs from several European
Kingdoms, notably Denmark, England, Holland,
Russia and Sweden, sent hordes of explorers and
merchants to the country for its abundant resources,
both natural and human. They battled for control
over the land and as a result, built forts and castles,
which also served as trading ports. The fact that 29
of the 32 European colonial forts and castles along
the West African Coast are in Ghana illustrates the
extent to which European Colonial presence was in
the country.
In more recent years, Ghana has also experienced
some turmoil, having its fourth coup in 15 years.
Power was seized by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
Under the Rawlings administration, parliament was
dissolved, the constitution was abolished, and all
political parties were banned, and in their place a
Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was
installed. Due to international and domestic pres-
sure for a return to democracy, the PNDC allowed
the establishment of a 258 members Consultative
Assembly made up of members representing geo-
graphic districts, as well as established civic or busi-
ness organizations. The assembly was put in charge
of drawing up a draft constitution to establish a fourth
republic, using PNDC proposals. The PNDC accept-
ed the final draft without revision, and it was put to a
national referendum on April 28, 1992, and received
92% approval. On May 1992, the ban on political
parties was lifted in preparation for multi-party elec-
tions. The PNDC and its supporters formed a new
party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to
participate in the elections. Presidential elections
were held on November 3 and parliamentary elec-
tions on December 29 of that year. Members of the
opposition boycotted the parliamentary elections,
which resulted in a 200 seat Parliament with only 17
opposition party members and two independents.
The Constitution became official on January 7th 1993