Ghana

Overview

Economically, Ghana is one of the most sucessful countries in West-Africa. It also has a lot to offer to visitors. on a relatively small area and since transport is good by African standards you will find travel enjoyable.

Your trip to Ghana will probably start in Accra, the capital. It is a vibrant city with some good museums and many colourful markets. It is an ideal starting place to explore the country since the distances are not too big and Accra is the travel hub of Ghana.

The coast towns of Ghana played an important role in the days of the slave trade and there are many forts that remind you of this period. The forts and the beaches are the prime attraction of this area. Elmina, Cape coast Shama and Dixcove - where you can sleep on the beach or in a fort - are among the hot spot on the coast.

When you visit a slavefort you feel the history lumbering between the walls. you feel the presence of the slave their souls. The most important thing is that you remember what happened there when you leave the place again.

In the centre of the country Kumasi has a huge market and great opportunities for buying art and handicrafts. Although the city is wonderful and abuzz, it can be disorienting, hot and crowded. The area around is perfect for daytripping.

Kumasi is the hotspot for encountering the african urban feeling. In contrast with Accra (which tries to be as western as possible), Kumasi is...more

History

In 1984, under international and domestic pressure for a return to democracy, the PNDC created a National Commission on Democracy to study ways to establish participatory democracy in Ghana. A 258-member Consultative Assembly was established and charged to draw up a draft constitution for a Fourth Republic. The PNDC accepted the constitution, and it was put to a national referendum on 28th April 1992 - it received 92% approval. On 18th May 1992 the ban on party politics was lifted in preparation for multi-party elections. The PNDC and its supporters formed a new party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which won the democratic election - Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings was inaugurated as President. In 1996 the opposition fully contested the presidential and parliamentary elections, which were described as peaceful, free, and transparent by domestic and international observers. In that election, President Rawlings was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote. Under Rawlings’ rule, Ghana become one of the most politically stable and prosperous nations in West Africa. The World Bank declared it a model of development for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

On 7th December 2000 John A. Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the largest share of the presidential vote. The transitional election was declared both free and fair by a large contingent of domestic and international monitors and President Kufuor took the oath of office on 7th January 2001, becoming the first elected president in Ghana’s history to succeed another elected president. He was re-elected in...more