GHANA REPORT |
Ghana is located on West Africa's Gulf of Guinea , between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo only a few degrees north of the Equator. It borders Burkina Faso in the north. The 537-kilometer coastline is mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, most of which are navigable only by canoe. A tropical rain forest belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extends northward from the shore, near the Cote d'Ivoire frontier. This area produces most of the country's cocoa, minerals, and timber. The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and comparatively dry; the southwest corner, hot and humid; and the north, hot and dry. There are two distinct rainy seasons: in the south it rains in May-June and in August-September; in the north, the rainy seasons tend to merge. A dry, northeasterly wind, the Harmattan, blows in January and February. Annual rainfall in the coastal zone averages 83 centimeters. Ghana is home to Lake Volta , the largest manmade lake in the world. The lake extends from the Akosombo Dam in southeastern Ghana to the town of Yapei, 520 kilometers to the north. The lake generates electricity, provides inland transportation, and is a potentially valuable resource for irrigation and fish farming. The country covers 239,460 sq km.
GOVERNMENT Ghana has a presidential system with the president serving as both the chief of state and head of government. The President is popularly elected for a maximum of two 4 year terms . Current President is John Agyekum Kufuor, in office since January 2001. The Vice President is Alhaji Aliu Mahama . Presidential Elections were last held in December 2004; the next elections will be held in December 2008. The Cabinet called the Council of Ministers is appointed by the president subject to the approval of Parliament. PARLIAMENT Ghana has a single chamber parliament of 230 members. MPs are popularly elected for 4 year terms. Parliamentary Elections were last held in December 2004; the next elections will be held in December 2008.
POLITICAL PARTIES Ghana has four major political parties and several minor parties. The Ruling Party is the National Patriotic Party(NPP). The main Opposition Parties are the National Democratic Congress (NDC); the Conventional Peoples Party (CPP), and the Peoples National Convention (PNC).
THE JUDICIARY Ghana has an independent Supreme Court with the Justices nominated by the president and approved by parliament. ANIT-CORRUPTION INSTITUTIONS There are two main entities that fight aganist graft in Ghana.
APNAC Ghana main intervention measures have been sensitisation workshops, media campaigns, and research. Notable achievements include:
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