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148-520: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in contemporary Ghana . By 1471, they had reached the area that was to become known as the Gold Coast because it was an important source of gold. The Portuguese trading interests in gold , ivory and pepper so increased that in 1482 the Portuguese built their first permanent trading post on the western coast of present-day Ghana. This fortress,

296-527: A Militarized police Rapid deployment force and Marine Police Unit . The Ghana Police Service operates in 12 divisions: ten covering the regions of Ghana, one assigned specifically to the seaport and industrial hub of Tema , and the twelfth being the Railways, Ports and Harbours Division. The Ghana Police Service's Marine Police Unit and Division handles issues that arise from the country's offshore oil and gas industry . The Ghana Prisons Service and

444-505: A commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces ( President of Ghana ), parliament ( Parliament of Ghana ), cabinet ( Cabinet of Ghana ), council of state ( Ghanaian Council of State ), and an independent judiciary ( Judiciary of Ghana ). The government is elected by universal suffrage after every four years. Nana Akufo-Addo won the presidency in the general election in 2016 , defeating incumbent John Mahama . He also won

592-483: A constitutional amendment made Ghana a one-party state , with Nkrumah as president for life of both the nation and its party. Nkrumah was the first African head of state to promote the concept of Pan-Africanism , which he had been introduced to during his studies at Lincoln University , Pennsylvania in the United States, at the time when Marcus Garvey was known for his "Back to Africa Movement". He merged

740-689: A unitary presidential constitutional democracy with a parliamentary multi-party system that is dominated by two parties—the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Ghana alternated between civilian and military governments until January 1993, when the military government gave way to the Fourth Republic of Ghana after presidential and parliamentary elections in late 1992. The 1992 constitution of Ghana divides powers among

888-560: A free secondary-school initiative started in 2017 among other programs, despite having recorded its lowest economic growth rate in 37 years in 2020. It produces and exports hydrocarbons such as sweet crude oil and natural gas . The 100%-state-owned filling station company, Ghana Oil Company , is the number 1 petroleum and gas filling station, and the 100%-state-owned state oil company Ghana National Petroleum Corporation oversees hydrocarbon exploration and production of petroleum and natural gas reserves. Ghana aims to further increase

1036-516: A maximum of about 270 kilometres (170 miles) with locations for mining of industrial minerals and timber. Ghana is home to five terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Guinean forests , Guinean forest–savanna mosaic , West Sudanian savanna , Central African mangroves , and Guinean mangroves . It had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.53/10, ranking it 112th globally out of 172 countries. The White Volta River and its tributary Black Volta , flow south through Ghana to Lake Volta ,

1184-507: A peace treaty between the confederacy and Elmina was signed, in which Elmina pledged to be neutral if war was to break out between the Ashanti and Fante. The blockade of the town by the confederacy was not lifted, however, and trade between Elmina and the Ashanti dropped to an absolute minimum. Attempts were made to persuade Elmina to join the confederacy, to no avail. Elmina and the Dutch sent

1332-609: A private business monopoly in the Dutch Gold Coast. Eventually none of the plans came to fruition, as Daendels died of malaria in the castle of St. George d'Elmina , the Dutch seat of government, on 8 May 1818. His body was interred in the central tomb at the Dutch cemetery in Elmina town. He had been in the country less than for two years. In the remainder of the 19th century, the Dutch Gold Coast slowly fell into disarray. The only substantial development during this period

1480-588: A request for help to the king of Ashanti, whose army, under the leadership of Atjempon, arrived in Elmina on 27 December 1869. Unsurprisingly, the Ashanti army had an uncompromising attitude to their Fante rivals, making the prospect of a compromise between the Ashanti-backed Elminese and the new Fante-dominated forts transferred to the Dutch ever more difficult. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands,

1628-480: A stable, peaceful society. Dagbon extended beyond the boundaries of present-day Ghana. Kingdoms that emerged from Dagbon include the Mossi Kingdoms of Burkina Faso , and Bouna Kingdom of Ivory Coast . The kingdom enjoyed great prosperity, establishing Ghana's earliest educational systems, and using a writing script prior to European invasion. Female chiefs who rule over male subjects are present in

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1776-527: A structural adjustment plan, changing many old economic policies, and growth recovered during the mid-1980s. A new constitution restoring multi-party system politics was promulgated in the presidential election of 1992 , in which Rawlings was elected, and again in the general election of 1996 . In a tribal war in Northern Ghana in 1994, between the Konkomba and other ethnic groups, including

1924-410: A total of around 1,000 people accused of witchcraft. The Ghanaian government has announced that it intends to close the camps. Ghana possesses industrial minerals , hydrocarbons and precious metals . It is an emerging designated digital economy with mixed economy hybridisation and an emerging market . It has an economic plan target known as the "Ghana Vision 2020". This plan envisions Ghana as

2072-488: A trade castle called São Jorge da Mina , was constructed to protect Portuguese trade from European competitors. The Portuguese position on the Gold Coast, known as Portuguese Gold Coast , remained secure for over a century. During that time, Lisbon sought to monopolize all trade in the region in royal hands, though appointed officials at São Jorge, and used force to prevent English, French and Dutch efforts to trade on

2220-463: A trade of forts so as to produce more coherent areas of influence. In the Dutch political landscape of the time, a buyout was not a possibility, so a trade of forts was negotiated. In 1867, the Convention between Great Britain and the Netherlands for an Interchange of Territory on the Gold Coast of Africa was signed, in which all Dutch forts to the east of Elmina were handed over to Britain, while

2368-608: A trading lodge at a coastal settlement called Anomansah (the perpetual drink), which they renamed São Jorge da Mina . In 1481, King John II of Portugal commissioned Diogo de Azambuja to build the Elmina Castle , which was completed in three years. By 1598, the Dutch had joined the Portuguese in the gold trade, establishing the Dutch Gold Coast ( Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea – 'Dutch properties at

2516-675: Is Accra ; other significant cities include Kumasi , Tamale , and Sekondi-Takoradi . In 1957 Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty, under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah . The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were the Kingdom of Dagbon in the north and the Bonoman in the south, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century. The Ashanti Empire and other Akan kingdoms in

2664-459: Is a comprehensive measure of African government, based on variables which reflect the success with which governments deliver essential political goods to its citizens. According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices Ghana is ranked 67th electoral democracy worldwide and 10th electoral democracy in Africa . Since independence, Ghana has been devoted to ideals of nonalignment and is a founding member of

2812-916: Is classified as a middle income country. Services account for 50% of GDP, followed by manufacturing (24.1%), extractive industries (5%), and taxes (20.9%). Ghana has an increasing primary manufacturing economy and export of digital technology goods along with assembling and exporting automobiles and ships, diverse resource rich exportation of industrial minerals , agricultural products primarily cocoa, petroleum and natural gas, and industries such as information and communications technology primarily via Ghana's state digital technology corporation Rlg Communications which manufactures tablet computers with smartphones and various consumer electronics . Urban electric cars have been manufactured in Ghana since 2014. It announced plans to issue government debt by way of social and green bonds in Autumn 2021, making it

2960-593: Is geographically closer to the intersection of the Prime Meridian and the Equator than any other country, since this point, (0°, 0°), is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 614 km (382 mi) off the south-east coast of Ghana. Grasslands mixed with south coastal shrublands and forests dominate Ghana, with forest extending northward from the coast 320 kilometres (200 miles) and eastward for

3108-642: Is located on the Gulf of Guinea , a few degrees north of the Equator . It spans an area of 238,540 km (92,101 sq mi) and has an Atlantic coastline that stretches 560 kilometres (350 miles) on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to its south. Dodi Island and Bobowasi Island are near the south coast. It lies between latitudes 4°45'N and 11°N, and longitudes 1°15'E and 3°15'W. The prime meridian passes through Ghana, specifically through Tema . Ghana

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3256-498: Is nowadays primarily associated with Atlantic slave trade , this was not the reason for the first Dutch traders to trade with the Gold Coast. Barent Eriksz made a profit trading gold , ivory , and West African pepper , and these products remained the primary trading goods in the early 17th century. According to Joannes de Laet , the Dutch West India had transported West African goods worth 14 million Dutch guilders to

3404-569: Is the fifth largest on continental Africa and 3rd largest in sub-saharan Africa with a market capitalisation of GH¢ 57.2 billion or CN¥ 180.4 billion in 2012 with the South Africa JSE Limited as first. The Ghana Stock Exchange was the second best performing stock exchange in sub-saharan Africa in 2013. Ghana produces high-quality cocoa . It is the second largest producer of cocoa globally and its ICCO membership helps in its international cocoa trade. Ghana

3552-477: Is the fifth-largest in Africa and the 21st-to-25th- largest proven reserves in the world. It also has up to 1.7 × 10 cubic metres (6 × 10 ^  cu ft) of natural gas in reserves. The government has drawn up plans to nationalise petroleum and natural gas reserves to increase government revenue. As of 2019, Ghana was the 7th largest producer of gold in the world, producing ~140 tonnes that year. This record saw Ghana surpass South Africa in output for

3700-580: Is used as a key narcotics industry transshipment point by traffickers, usually from South America as well as some from other African nations. In 2013, the UN chief of the Office on Drugs and Crime stated that "West Africa is completely weak in terms of border control and the big drug cartels from Colombia and Latin America have chosen Africa as a way to reach Europe." There is not a wide or popular knowledge about

3848-560: The 2020 election after the presidential election results were challenged at the Supreme Court by flagbearer of the NDC, John Mahama. Presidents are limited to two four-year terms in office. The president can serve a second term only upon re-election. The 2012 Fragile States Index indicated that Ghana is ranked the 67th-least fragile state in the world and the fifth-least fragile state in Africa. Ghana ranked 112th out of 177 countries on

3996-687: The African Union , and a member of the Economic Community of West African States , the Group of 24 and the Commonwealth of Nations. The name Ghana comes from Wagadu , a vast empire in west Africa from the 3rd to 12th centuries; Wagadu was termed Ghana by Arab traders involved in the trans-Saharan trade . Ghana is thought to originate from the title Kaya Maghan of the rulers of Wagadu, which translates as ruler of gold . As

4144-491: The Akan are the largest ethnic group, they constitute a plurality. Most Ghanaians are Christians (71.3%); almost a fifth are Muslims ; a tenth practice traditional faiths or report no religion. Ghana is a unitary constitutional democracy led by a president who is head of state and head of government . For political stability in Africa, Ghana ranked seventh in the 2012 Ibrahim Index of African Governance and fifth in

4292-528: The Ashanti Empire replaced the Denkyira as the dominant power, and the Dutch began paying tribute to the Ashanti instead. Although the existence of the so-called "Elmina Note" is often questioned, the Dutch generally paid two ounces of gold per month to the Ashanti as tribute. This bond between the Dutch and the Ashanti, who through the port of Elmina had access to trade with the Dutch and the rest of

4440-638: The Atlantic slave trade in this area. More than 30 forts and castles were built by the merchants. The Germans established the Brandenburger Gold Coast or Groß Friedrichsburg. In 1874, Great Britain established control over some parts of the country, assigning these areas the status of the British Gold Coast . Military engagements occurred between British colonial powers and Akan nation-states. The Kingdom of Ashanti defeated

4588-683: The Batavian Republic replaced the Dutch Republic in 1795. The administration of the Dutch Gold Coast was reformed by a secret resolution of 12 May 1801. The office of Director-General was renamed Governor-General , and the council was split in a Great Council and a Small Council. The Small Council was responsible for the everyday government of the colony, and comprised the Governor-General, the administrator-and-Director-General (Dutch: administrateur en directeur-generaal ),

Dutch Gold Coast - Misplaced Pages Continue

4736-719: The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War , the British attacked Elmina . Although this attack failed, Britain seized Fort Nassau, Fort Amsterdam, Fort Lijdzaamheid, Fort Goede Hoop and Fort Crêvecoeur from the Dutch. The Dutch Republic only managed to seize Fort Sekondi from the British. In the Treaty of Paris of 1784, all forts returned to their pre-war owners. In 1791, the Dutch West India Company was disestablished, and on 1 January 1792, all territories held by

4884-474: The Gold Coast colony prepared for independence, the nation's leader and first prime minister later first president Kwame Nkrumah the one who led Ghana to independence, settled on Ghana , aiming to evoke a sense of unity and liberation among the Ghanaian people . The name was a powerful reminder of their shared heritage and the legacy of the ancient empire that once thrived in the wider region. It encapsulated

5032-605: The Great Post Road on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies , he came up with some very ambitious infrastructural projects, including a comprehensive road system, with a main road connecting Elmina and Kumasi in Ashanti . The Dutch government gave him a free hand and a substantial budget to implement his plans. At the same time, however, Daendels regarded his governorship as an opportunity to establish

5180-571: The Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing a border with Ivory Coast in the west , Burkina Faso in the north , and Togo in the east . Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse ecologies , from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests . With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa . The capital and largest city

5328-984: The Komenda Wars with the British over trade rights with the Eguafo Kingdom. In addition, Brandenburgers also had forts in the area from 1682 onwards, until they were bought out by the Dutch in 1717. The Portuguese had completely left the area, but still the Gold Coast had the highest concentration of European military architecture outside of Europe. The European powers were sometimes drawn into conflicts with local inhabitants as Europeans developed commercial alliances with local political authorities. These alliances, often complicated, involved both Europeans attempting to enlist or persuade their closest allies to attack rival European ports and their African allies, or conversely, various African powers seeking to recruit Europeans as mercenaries in their inter-state wars, or as diplomats to resolve conflicts. Another way conflicts with

5476-525: The Nanumba , Dagomba and Gonja , between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed and 150,000 people were displaced. After the 2000 general election , John Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party became president of Ghana on 7 January 2001 and was re-elected in 2004 , thus also serving two terms (the term limit) as president of Ghana and marking the first time under the fourth republic that power

5624-676: The Non-Aligned Movement . Ghana favours international and regional political and economic co-operation, and is an active member of the United Nations and the African Union . Ghana has a strong relationship with the United States. Three recent U.S. presidents— Bill Clinton , George W. Bush , and Barack Obama —and a Vice President— Kamala Harris —have made diplomatic trips to Ghana. Many Ghanaian diplomats and politicians hold positions in international organisations, including Ghanaian diplomat and former Secretary-General of

5772-649: The Northern Territories , and British Togoland . These were unified as an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations . On 6 March 1957 Ghana became the first colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve sovereignty - that is, gain independence. Under President Kwame Nkrumah , it became influential in decolonisation efforts and the Pan-African movement . Ghana is a multi-ethnic country with linguistic and religious groups; while

5920-535: The States-General of the Dutch Republic and the Dutch West India Company. The colonial government was based at Fort Nassau in Moree between 1621 and 1637, and at Fort George in Elmina from 1637 onward. When the Dutch conquered Luanda and São Tomé from the Portuguese in 1642, the Dutch West India Company's possessions on the coast of Africa were divided into two separate commandments. The government at Elmina

6068-526: The Takoradi Harbour . These ships were carrying thousands of kilograms of cocaine, with a street value running into billions of Ghana cedis . However, drug seizures saw a decline in 2011. Drug cartels are using new methods in narcotics production and narcotics exportation, to avoid Ghanaian security agencies. Underdeveloped institutions, porous open borders, and the existence of established smuggling organisations contribute to Ghana's position in

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6216-468: The Treaty of Butre was signed. This treaty established a Dutch protectorate in the area, and established diplomatic ties between the Dutch Republic and the Ahanta. The treaty's arrangements proved very stable and regulated Dutch-Ahanta diplomatic affairs for more than 213 years. Only after the Gold Coast was sold to Britain in 1872 were the provisions of the treaty abrogated. On 18 February 1782, as part of

6364-543: The Wolof princess, Anna Kingsley , who had earlier been enslaved and sold in Cuba , after being captured in modern-day Senegal. Cassare created political and economic bonds. The name is European, and reflects similar relationships of Portuguese men, who were the first explorers of the west African coast. But it antedated European contact; selling a daughter, if not for cash, then for some economic benefit, including simple peace,

6512-431: The "husband" was European and the wife/ concubine African. This was not marriage under Christian auspices, although there might be an African ceremony; there were few clerics in equatorial Africa, and the "wives" could not marry since they had not been baptized . Male monogamy was not expected. As such, concubinage is a more accurate term. The multinational Quaker slave trader and polygamist, Zephaniah Kingsley purchased

6660-1107: The 19th century, the territory of the southern part of Ghana was included in the Kingdom of Ashanti . The government of the Ashanti Empire operated first as a loose network and eventually as a centralised kingdom with a specialised bureaucracy centred in the capital city of Kumasi . Prior to Akan contact with Europeans, the Akan people created an economy based on principally gold and gold bar commodities , which were traded with other states in Africa. The Ga-Dangme and Ewe migrated westward from south-western Nigeria. The Ewe – formerly known as Dogbo- migrated from Oyo area with their Gbe-speaking kinsmen (Adja, Fon, Phla/Phera and Ogun/Gun) and in transition, settled at Ketou in Benin Republic, Tado in Togo, Dogbo Nyigbo in Benin Republic and with Nortsie (a walled town in present-day Togo) as their final dispersal point. Their dispersal from Nortsie

6808-548: The 19th century. Much more important were the African inhabitants of Elmina, who came from every region of the Gold Coast to Elmina to try their luck. Slaves formed a considerable portion of the population of Elmina as well, and were often in the possession of the Akan people inhabitants themselves. The third group in Elmina was of mixed race, and the result of interracial relations between Dutch West India Company employees and African women in Elmina. The illegitimate children of

6956-467: The 2012 Fragile States Index . It has maintained since 1993 one of the freest and most stable governments on the continent, and it performs relatively well in healthcare , economic growth, and human development, so that it has a significant influence in West Africa and Africa as a whole. Ghana is highly integrated in international affairs, being a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and

7104-614: The Akans were established in the Akan state called Bonoman , for which the Brong-Ahafo region was named. From the 17th century, Akans emerged from what is believed to have been the Bonoman area, to create Akan states, mainly based on gold trading. These states included Bonoman (Brong-Ahafo region), Ashanti ( Ashanti Region ), Denkyira ( Western North region ), Mankessim Kingdom ( Central region ), and Akwamu (Eastern region) . By

7252-412: The British forts west of Elmina were handed over to the Netherlands. The trade proved a disaster for the Dutch, as their long-standing alliance with the mighty inland Ashanti Empire did not fare well with the coastal Fante population around the new forts assigned to them, who were allied with the British. To subject the local people around Fort Komenda, the Dutch had to send an expeditionary force to

7400-516: The British some times in the 100-year-long Anglo-Ashanti wars and eventually lost with the War of the Golden Stool in 1900. In 1947, the newly formed United Gold Coast Convention led by "The Big Six" called for "self-government within the shortest possible time" following the 1946 Gold Coast legislative election . Kwame Nkrumah , a Ghanaian nationalist who led Ghana from 1957 to 1966 as

7548-550: The Dutch East Indies for the Batavian Republic in 1807. This republican and revolutionist background made him controversial in the Kingdom of the Netherlands established in 1815, which effectively banned him from the country by assigning to him the rather obscure governorship of the Gold Coast in 1815. Daendels tried to redevelop the rather dilapidated Dutch possessions as an African plantation colony driven by legitimate trade. Drawing on his experience in building

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7696-542: The Dutch East Indies than European soldiers. In 1836, the Dutch government had decided to recruit soldiers via the King of Ashanti. Major General Jan Verveer arrived for this purpose in Elmina on 1 November 1836, and went to the Ashanti capital of Kumasi with a delegation of about 900 people. After long negotiations, an agreement with King Kwaku Dua I was reached. A recruitment depot was established in Kumasi, and furthermore

7844-423: The Dutch Republic by 1637, of which the most important was the trade in gold. This changed with the gradual capture of Brazil from the Portuguese, from 1630 onward. Suddenly, the trade of slaves, for which there was no significant market earlier, became a necessity for the economic survival of Dutch Brazil . Nicolas van Yperen, Governor of the Dutch possessions on the Gold Coast, was instructed by his superiors of

7992-491: The Dutch West India Company to supply Dutch Brazil with slaves. In 1636, he managed to ship around a thousand slaves to Brazil from Fort Nassau , but to secure a continuous flow of slave labour, the company decided it was necessary to attempt once more to capture Elmina from the Portuguese. After Elmina was finally captured in August 1637 , the focus of trade for the Dutch West India Company shifted to slave trade. The directors of

8140-719: The Dutch West India Company were not happy with the increasing slave trade on the Gold Coast itself, however, as it interfered with the profitable gold trade, and actively tried to move the slave trade to the Slave Coast , where they had trading posts from 1640 onward. The loss of Brazil did not collapse Dutch slave trade, as in 1662, Dutch signed their first asiento with the Spanish Empire, pledging to provide slaves to Spanish America , primarily through their trading post in Willemstad , Curaçao . Furthermore, in 1664,

8288-526: The Dutch becoming a rather small player in the trans-Atlantic trade. Since globally this trade peaked in the 18th century, this meant that the Dutch contribution to the Atlantic slave trade only amounts to 5% of the grand total, equalling around 500,000 slaves shipped from Africa to the Americas. In 1730, the monopoly of the Dutch West India Company on the Atlantic slave trade was lifted. This contributed to

8436-431: The Dutch began buying slaves in large amounts from the 1670s onward. Until the liquidation of the Dutch West India Company in 1791, the title of the Director-General and the limits of jurisdiction remained the same. According to the 1722 government instruction, the Council comprised the Director-General, who functioned as the council's president, the fiscal (Dutch: fiscaal ), the senior merchant (Dutch: opperkoopman ), and

8584-425: The Dutch conquered Suriname , complementing Berbice and Essequibo as Caribbean plantation colonies depending on slave labour. Meanwhile, the Dutch had tried in 1654 to directly control the mining of gold by building Fort Ruychaver far inland on the Ankobra River , but had left gold production to the locals since that fort was attacked and burned to the ground in 1660. The supply of gold declined dramatically at

8732-399: The Dutch forts were a colonial backwater in the 19th century, the British forts were slowly developed into a full colony, especially after Britain took over the Danish Gold Coast in 1850. The presence of Dutch forts in an area that became increasingly influenced by the United Kingdom was deemed undesirable, and in the late 1850s British began pressing for either a buyout of the Dutch forts, or

8880-411: The Dutch managed to dislodge the Swedes from Butre and began building Fort Batenstein at that site, the leaders of the Dutch West India Company thought it beneficial to negotiate a treaty with the local political leadership in order to establish a peaceful long-term relationship in the area. The local Ahanta leaders found it equally beneficial to enter into such an agreement, and thus on 27 August 1656,

9028-443: The Dutch trading post at Ouidah , on the Slave Coast . De la Palma was a difficult personality and often at odds with his merchants and local African leaders. He resigned from his position in September 1705, but died before he could return to the Dutch Republic. He was replaced by his deputy, Pieter Nuyts, who tried to revive the gold trade at the coast. But by the beginning of the eighteenth century, even slave trade dwindled, with

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9176-404: The Dutch wanted the number of natives in the Dutch East Indies Army to be limited to roughly half the total strength to maintain the loyalty of native forces, the addition of forces from the Gold Coast seemed an ideal opportunity to keep the army at strength and loyal at the same time. It was also hoped that the African soldiers would be more resistant to the tropical climate and tropical diseases of

9324-445: The Europeans, when dealing within their trade networks. It made the transition from strangers to trading partners a lot smoother. “During the slave trade, these cassare marriages were central in establishing the cross-cultural connections that made trade possible.” The marriages functioned as an integral economic tool to integrate European men into the culture. West Africans embraced the arrangements as they provided some assurance that

9472-402: The GAF are conceptualised in the constitution, Ghana's Law on Armed Force Military Strategy, and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre agreements to which GAF is attestator. GAF military operations are executed under the auspices and imperium of the Ministry of Defence . Although Ghana is relatively peaceful and is often considered being one of the least violent countries in

9620-480: The GAF to support the United States of Africa ambitions. Thus, in 1961, 4th and 5th Battalions were established, and in 1964 6th Battalion was established, from a parachute airborne unit originally raised in 1963. Today, Ghana is a regional power and regional hegemon . In his book Shake Hands with the Devil , Canadian Forces commander Roméo Dallaire highly rated the GAF soldiers and military personnel. The military operations and military doctrine of

9768-462: The Gambia River and the “acephalous and matrilineal” societies south of the Gambia approached marriages to European traders. While the former groups mostly married daughters of enslaved women to the traders, the latter also married daughters of free women to European traders.” Many coastal ethnic groups in West Africa, such as the Ga and Fante , used this system to gain political and economic advantages. It enabled Africans to trust strangers, like

9916-408: The Gold Coast, eclipsing Accra and Kumasi . In the 18th century, its population numbered 12,000 to 16,000 inhabitants, and in the 19th century, this figure rose to between 18,000 and 20,000. Most of these inhabitants were not European, however; their number peaked at 377 Dutch West India Company employees for the entire Dutch Gold Coast in the 18th century, before sinking back to a mere 20 officers in

10064-421: The Gold Coast. William I of the Netherlands took over this abolition when he issued a royal decree to that effect in June 1814 and signed the Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty in May 1818. The abolition of slave trade was coupled with the arrival of Herman Willem Daendels as Governor-General. Daendels was a Patriot who played a major role in the Batavian Revolution , and subsequently became Governor-General of

10212-463: The Guinea coast') and building forts at Fort Komenda and Kormantsi. In 1617, the Dutch captured the Elmina Castle from the Portuguese and Axim in 1642 ( Fort St Anthony ). European traders had joined in gold trading by the 17th century, including the Swedes , establishing the Swedish Gold Coast ( Svenska Guldkusten ), and Denmark–Norway , establishing the Danish Gold Coast ( Danske Guldkyst or Dansk Guinea ). European traders participated in

10360-457: The Portuguese. After the Twelve Years's Truce ended in 1621, the Dutch West India Company was established, which tried to seize the Portuguese colonies in Africa and America as part of the Groot Desseyn plan. After failing in 1625 , the company managed to capture Elmina Castle from the Portuguese in 1637 . Fort San Sebastian at Shama and Fort Santo Antonio at Axim followed in 1640 and 1642 respectively. The Dutch West India Company

10508-405: The President Nana Akufo-Addo , Ghana was "the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve the goal of halving poverty, as contained in Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals ". In 1957, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) consisted of its headquarters, support services, three battalions of infantry and a reconnaissance squadron with armoured vehicles. President Nkrumah aimed at rapidly expanding

10656-539: The States-General of the Dutch Republic to build a fort on the coast. The States-General were receptive of their demands, and sent Jacob Clantius , who was to become the first General on the Coast, to the Gold Coast in 1611. In 1612, after gaining permission of the local rulers through the Treaty of Asebu , he built Fort Nassau near Moree , on the site of an original Dutch trading post that had been burned down by

10804-543: The United Kingdom , under which terms the whole colony was to be ceded for a sum of 46,939.62 Dutch guilders . On 6 April 1872, after ratification of the treaty by parliament, Elmina was formally handed over to Britain. As was to be expected, the Ashanti were less pleased by the handover of Elmina to the Fante-allied British. Ashanti king Kofi Karikari posited that the "Elmina Note", which governed

10952-565: The United Nations Kofi Annan , International Criminal Court Judge Akua Kuenyehia , as well as former President Jerry John Rawlings and former President John Agyekum Kufuor , who both served as diplomats of the United Nations. In September 2010, President John Atta Mills visited China on an official visit. Mills and China's former President Hu Jintao marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between

11100-699: The agricultural sector. The Volta River Authority and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation , both state-owned, are the two major electricity producers. The Akosombo Dam , built on the Volta River in 1965, along with the Bui Dam , the Kpong Dam and several other hydroelectric dams, provide hydropower . In addition, the government sought to build the second nuclear power plant in Africa . The Ghana Stock Exchange

11248-406: The alliances responsible for massive, racial-based enslavement, which fabricated European wealth as much as fabricated African systemic impoverishment. In essence, African individuals profited at the expense of enslavement and impoverishment of African peoples, while European individuals profited as means of consolidating wealth for European peoples. African wives could receive money and schooling for

11396-587: The aspirations of the Ghanaian people for self-governance, progress, and a future marked by dignity and resilience. The earliest recorded kingdoms to emerge in modern Ghana were the Mole-Dagbon states. Before the unification of Dagbon, societies were decentralised, and headed by the Tindaamba (singular: tindana). These decentralised states were unified by King Gbewaa , who lived a long life, and formed

11544-457: The budget. According to reports, the SDGs were implemented through a decentralized planning approach. This allows for stakeholders' participation, such as in UN agencies, traditional leaders, civil society organizations, academia, and others. The 17 SDGs are a global call to action to end poverty among others, and the UN and its partners in the country are working towards achieving them. According to

11692-435: The children of European men would benefit economically when their fathers left or died. Cassare marriages allowed mixed-race children to inherit. This was critically important in the establishment and continuation of trade between Europe and West Africa. Children of Cassare marriages were not embracing European culture over African culture, the hybridization of their culture is what made their position powerful. This power dynamic

11840-399: The children that resulted from these relationships would belong to the African families. As these slave-trading posts in West Africa were not colonial societies, where interracial marriages were directly subversive to power hierarchies, cassare marriages offered some stability in the trade relationships in West Africa for three centuries. This practice was particularly useful in ensuring that

11988-520: The children they bore by European men. Wives could also inherit slaves and property from their husbands when they returned to Europe or died. Many coastal ethnic groups in Africa, such as the Ga and Fante, used this system to gain economic and political advantages. These African ethnic groups had been using this practice before the arrival of the Europeans with strangers of a different ethnicity, and extended

12136-526: The claim on the territories lost in this area to the Portuguese. The title of the Director-General was concurrently changed to "Director-General of the North and South Coast of Africa." This larger claim was not primarily meant to reclaim Luanda and Sao Tomé from the Portuguese, however, but merely to establish authority over Dutch trade in the area. This was especially relevant for Loango , from which

12284-477: The coast, but virtually all attempts proved failures. One of the first attempts at establishing a plantation was made by the sons of Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels in 1816. They established a plantation named Oranje Dageraad in Simbo. The Governor-General himself tried to buy 300 slaves from Kumasi , which were to regain their freedom by cultivating farmland. Both projects failed. Between 1845 and 1850,

12432-473: The coast. After Barent Eriksz successfully sailed to the Gold Coast in 1591, Dutch merchants began trading in the area. Pieter de Marees 's publications greatly increased the interest of merchants in the region. The Twelve Years' Truce between Portugal-Spain and the Dutch Republic, which lasted from 1609 to 1621, disrupted Dutch trade on the Gold Coast, as the Portuguese now had sufficient resources to protect their trade monopoly. Dutch traders then petitioned

12580-409: The colonial government once again, after the failure of Fort Ruychaver , tried to establish a gold mine on the coast. The Dutch government bought an open-air gold mine from the chief of Butre, and sent in 1845 an expedition of a director, three engineers, and nine workers to the village of Dabokrom to establish a mine. Two engineers and all nine workers fell victim to tropical diseases and died, leaving

12728-495: The colours red, gold, green, and a black star, dates back to this unification. On 1 July 1960, following the Ghanaian constitutional referendum and Ghanaian presidential election , Nkrumah declared Ghana a republic and assumed the presidency. 6 March is the nation's Independence Day , and 1 July is celebrated as Republic Day . Nkrumah led an authoritarian regime in Ghana, as he repressed political opposition and conducted elections that were not free and fair. In 1964,

12876-616: The company reverted to the rule of the States-General of the Dutch Republic . During the French occupation of the Netherlands between 1810 and 1814, the Dutch possessions on the Gold Coast held the rather unusual position—together with the island of Deshima in Japan —of being the only Dutch territories not occupied by either France or Great Britain. The British Slave Trade Act of 1807 effectively ended all slave trade from

13024-443: The connections were. African wives could receive money and schooling for the children they bore to European men. Wives could also inherit slaves and property from their husbands when they returned to Europe or died. Depending on the region of West Africa, European men might cassare either free or enslaved women. Historian George Brooks explained “that there was a difference between how “stratified and patrilineal” societies north of

13172-471: The country's first prime minister and president , formed the Convention People's Party in 1949 with the motto "self-government now". The party initiated a "positive action" campaign involving non-violent protests, strikes and non-cooperation with the British authorities. Nkrumah was arrested and sentenced to one year imprisonment during this time. In the Gold Coast's 1951 general election , he

13320-612: The day was instituted as a public holiday in Ghana ( Founders' Day ). The government of Nkrumah was subsequently overthrown in a coup by the Ghana Armed Forces , codenamed "Operation Cold Chop". This occurred while Nkrumah was abroad with Zhou Enlai in the People's Republic of China, on a mission to Hanoi , Vietnam, to help end the Vietnam War . The coup took place on 24 February 1966, led by Colonel Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka and Brigadier Akwasi Afrifa. The National Liberation Council

13468-540: The demand also increased due to the asiento trading with the Spanish. Between 1660 and 1690, the Dutch trading posts in Africa, which included the Slave Coast , Arguin , and Senegambia , shipped a third of the total number of slaves across the Atlantic. On the Gold Coast, Governor De la Palma actively tried to systemize the slave trade and improve the numbers of slave shipped to the Americas. To this purpose, he sent Jacob van den Broucke as "opperkommies" (head merchant) to

13616-427: The employees were called "Tapoeijers" by the Dutch, for, according to them, the colour of their skin resembled those of native Americans . A decree from 1700 by the Governor-General at Elmina stipulated that employees of the Dutch West India Company who were to return to the Netherlands either had to take their (illegitimate) children with them, or had to pay a sum of money to provide for their "Christian upbringing". For

13764-539: The end, Carloff also left the Swedish company, this time for the Danish Africa Company , which he founded himself with Isaac Coymans and Nicolaes Pancras, also former Dutch West India Company employees. Whereas Swedish presence on the Gold Coast turned out to be only temporary, British and Danish settlement in the area proved to be permanent. From 1694 until 1700, the Dutch West India Company fought

13912-520: The first African country to become a developed country between 2020 and 2029 and a newly industrialised country between 2030 and 2039. This excludes fellow Group of 24 member and Sub-Saharan African country South Africa, which is a newly industrialised country. Ghana's economy has ties to the Chinese yuan renminbi along with Ghana's vast gold reserves. In 2013, the Bank of Ghana began circulating

14060-406: The first African country to do so. The country, which was planning to borrow up to $ 5 billion in international markets, would use the proceeds from these sustainable bonds to refinance debt used for social and environmental projects and pay for educational or health. Only a few other nations have sold them so far, including Chile and Ecuador . The country will use the proceeds to forge ahead with

14208-501: The first time, making Ghana the largest gold producer in Africa. In addition to gold, Ghana exports silver , timber, diamonds , bauxite , and manganese , and has other mineral deposits. Ghana ranks 9th in the world in diamond export and reserve size. The government has drawn up plans to nationalize mining industry to increase government revenue. "Shortages" of electricity in 2015 and 2016 led to dumsor ("persistent, irregular and unpredictable" electric power outages), increasing

14356-486: The forts, but also the territory surrounding the forts. District officers were instructed to make surveys of physical, economic, and socio-political situation of the districts. As a consequence of the tariff system set up in the Anglo-Dutch Gold Coast Treaty , a tax and customs office was established in Elmina in 1867. At the same time, a postal office was established as well. Although the colony

14504-423: The index. Ghana ranked as the 64th-least corrupt and politically corrupt country in the world out of all 174 countries ranked and ranked as the fifth-least corrupt and politically corrupt country in Africa out of 53 countries in the 2012 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index . Ghana was ranked seventh in Africa out of 53 countries in the 2012 Ibrahim Index of African Governance . The Ibrahim Index

14652-428: The interest in renewables. As of 2019, there is a surplus of electricity. The judicial system of Ghana deals with corruption, economic malpractice and lack of economic transparency. According to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index of 2018, out of 180 countries, Ghana was ranked 78th, with a score of 41 on a scale where a 0–9 score means highly corrupt, and a 90–100 score means very clean. This

14800-475: The intersection of three hydro-climatic zones. Changes in rainfall, weather conditions and sea-level rise affect the salinity of coastal waters. This is expected to negatively affect both farming and fisheries. In 2015, the government produced a document titled "Ghana's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution". Following that, Ghana signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. Ghana is

14948-461: The king sent the young Ashanti princes Kwasi Boachi and Kwame Poku with General Verveer to take with him to the Netherlands, so that they could receive a good education. Kwasi Boachi later received education at the forerunner of Delft University and became the first black Dutch mining engineer in the Dutch East Indies. Dutch author Arthur Japin wrote a novel about the life of the two princes with The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi (1997). Whereas

15096-570: The kingdom, and inheritance is both patrilineal and matrilineal. The Yaa Naa is the King of Dagbon and the Gundo Naa is the Queen. The kingdom remained uncolonised. In 1896, Germany invaded Eastern Dagbon (Naya) and burnt down its capital, Yendi, during the Battle of Adibo . The Akan -speaking peoples began to move into what later became Ghana toward the 15th century. By the 16th century,

15244-472: The latter purpose, a school was established in Elmina . Many people of mixed descent, also referred to as Euro-Africans, became wealthy merchants. The most prominent of these was Jan Niezer , who visited Europe on several occasions, and who traded directly with European and American companies. Ghana Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana , is a country in West Africa . It lies adjacent to

15392-558: The local capital of Kwassie-Krom. Meanwhile, a Fante Confederacy was founded to drive the Dutch and their Ashanti allies out of Elmina. The confederacy founded an army, which marched to Elmina in March 1868. Although the army was deemed strong enough in April to begin the siege of the town, struggle between the various tribes united in the confederacy meant that the siege was lifted in May. In June,

15540-451: The local inhabitants were avoided was through marriage. European men often created alliances with the local African people through a practice known as cassare or calisare derived from the Portuguese casar meaning "to marry." Dutch men and other Europeans would marry African women whose families had ties to the Atlantic slave trade. In this way, Europeans benefited from those marriages by corrupting African individuals in order to maintain

15688-473: The master of stores, the master of works, and the bookkeeper of the general office (Dutch: boekhouder ten comptoir-generaal ). The Great Council consisted of the Small Council, with the addition of the residents of Fort Crèvecoeur at Accra, Fort Saint Anthony at Axim, Fort Saint Sebastian at Shama, and Fort Amsterdam at Kormatin, and met every three months. The administration of the Dutch Gold Coast

15836-425: The minimum necessary to keep the colony running, fired all unnecessary colonial officers, and pensioned of most of the slaves of the state. Most notably, the offices of bookkeeper, fiscal, secretary, cashier, and bailiff were combined into one office, the summation of functions actually being the office-holder's title (Dutch: boekhouder, fiscaal, secretaris, kassier en deurwaarder ). Also, the office of Governor-General

15984-488: The narcotics industry and intercepted narcotics within Ghana, since it is an underground economy . The social context within which narcotic trafficking, storage, transportation, and repacking systems exist in Ghana and the state's location along the Gulf of Guinea makes Ghana an attractive country for the narcotics business. The Narcotics Control Board has impounded container ships at the Sekondi Naval Base in

16132-666: The narcotics industry. President Mills initiated ongoing efforts to reduce the role of airports in Ghana's drug trade. Homosexual acts are prohibited by law in Ghana. According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center , 96% of Ghanaians believe that homosexuality should not be accepted by society. Sometimes elderly women in Ghana are accused of witchcraft , particularly in rural Ghana. Issues of witchcraft mainly remain as speculations based on superstitions within families. In some parts of northern Ghana, there exist what are called witch camps . These are said to house

16280-607: The neighbouring Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria (around Badagry area). Akan trade with European states began after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century. European contact was by the Portuguese people , who came to the Gold Coast region in the 15th century to trade. The Portuguese then established the Portuguese Gold Coast (Costa do Ouro), focused on the availability of gold. The Portuguese built

16428-411: The newly established kingdom put up a plan to transform the colony into a profitable plantation colony. For this purpose, the new governor Herman Willem Daendels was given an open mandate and a large budget. The project was cut short with Daendels early death in 1818, however. Left without a visionary governor, budgets were cut for the colony. The new regulations of 1 November 1819 reduced the budget to

16576-484: The ongoing conflicts made the call for the transfer of the entire colony to Britain to become ever louder. The Dutch governor of Elmina, Cornelis Nagtglas , tried to persuade the Elminese to relinquish their city to the British. This was of course complicated by the presence of an Ashanti army in the town, which even arrested Nagtglas for a short while in April 1871. In February of that year, a treaty had been signed with

16724-428: The output of oil to 2.2 million barrels (350,000 m ) per day and gas to 34,000,000 cubic metres (1.2 × 10 ^  cu ft) per day. The Jubilee Oil Field , which contains up to 3 billion barrels (480,000,000 m ) of sweet crude oil, was discovered in 2007. Ghana is believed to have up to 5 billion barrels (790,000,000 m ) to 7 billion barrels (1.1 × 10  m ) of petroleum in reserves, which

16872-550: The region, Ghana has experienced political violence in the past and 2017 has thus far seen an upward trend in incidents motivated by political grievances. The Ghana Police Service and the Criminal Investigation Department are the main law enforcement agencies, responsible for the detection of crime, maintenance of law and order and the maintenance of internal peace and security. The Ghana Police Service has eleven specialised police units, including

17020-419: The reign of the Dutch West India Company, the government of the colony was headed by a Director-General . The Director-General was assisted by a Council composed of senior colonial officers. Aside from being the supreme ruler of the colony, the Director-General was also the supreme commander of the land and sea forces, and highest judicial officer. The Director-General had a double mandate, being installed by both

17168-442: The renminbi throughout Ghanaian state-owned banks and to the Ghana public as hard currency along with the national Ghanaian cedi for second national trade currency. Between 2012 and 2013, 38% of rural dwellers were experiencing poverty whereas only 11% of urban dwellers were. Urban areas hold greater opportunity for employment, particularly in informal trade, while nearly all (94 percent) of "rural poor households" participate in

17316-417: The rest of the expedition to return to Europe. The second expedition of 1847 was not less successful, now with 11 out of 13 people dying. By 1850, the Dutch government ended the mining attempt. Another attempt to develop the colony involved the establishment of a cotton plantation just outside Elmina. In light of this project, a Brazilian man by the name of La Rocha Vièra was brought to the Gold Coast. Due to

17464-585: The rise of the Middelburgsche Commercie Compagnie (MCC), which dominated the Dutch slave trade for much of the eighteenth century. With the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 , the Dutch vowed to stop trading slaves. This meant a severe blow to the economy of the Gold Coast, which had increasingly relied on slave trade from the 18th century onwards. Attempts were made to establish a plantation colony and to open gold mines on

17612-483: The rude treatment of workers, La Rocha Vièra was unable to attract new labourers, and the plantation died an early death. In 1848, a tobacco plantation was attempted in the government's garden in Elmina, but failed due to bad soil conditions. A more successful tobacco plantation was established in Simbo, but fell victim to a lack of labourers wanting to work on the plantation. From February to October 1859, Dutch colonial government official J.S.G. Gramberg tried to develop

17760-483: The same privilege to European men by the late 1400s. Cassare enabled Africans to trust strangers, like the Europeans, when dealing within their trade networks. It made the transition between stranger and trade partner a lot smoother. At Elmina, the Dutch had inherited from the Portuguese a system in which tribute was paid to the Denkyira , who were the dominant power in the region. After the Battle of Feyiase (1701),

17908-550: The senior commissioners (Dutch: oppercommies ). These senior commissioners consisted of the head of Fort Saint Anthony at Axim , the head of Fort Nassau at Moree , the head of Fort Crèvecoeur at Accra , and the head of the factory at Ouidah , on the Dutch Slave Coast . Between 1746 and 1768, the Council consisted of the Director-General, the fiscal, and the seven highest ranking "first officials", which included

18056-417: The senior commissioners, the master of works (Dutch: equipagemeester ), the bookkeeper-general (Dutch: boekhouder-generaal ), and the ensign (Dutch: vaandrig ). In 1768, the council was again reduced to the fiscal, the three senior commissioners (the trading post at Ouidah has since been abandoned), and the commissioner-and councillor. The composition of the council was changed for a final time in 1784, in

18204-584: The soil on the Bossumprah River, but also had difficulty attracting workers. The only two plantations that were successful comprised a coffee plantation in Akropong , established by missionaries from Basel , and another coffee plantation in Mayra near Accra , owned by mulatto entrepreneur Lutterodt, worked by slaves. Until the destruction of Elmina in 1873, the town was the largest settlement on

18352-561: The south emerged over the centuries. Beginning in the 15th century, the Portuguese Empire , followed by other European powers , contested the area for trading rights, until the British ultimately established control of the coast by the 19th century . Following more than a century of colonial resistance, the current borders of the country took shape, encompassing four separate British colonial territories: Gold Coast , Ashanti ,

18500-504: The sub-division Borstal Institute for Juveniles administers incarceration. Ghana retains and exercises the death penalty for treason, corruption, robbery, piracy, drug trafficking, rape, and homicide. The new sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations call for the international community to come together to promote the rule of law; support equal access to justice for all; reduce corruption; and develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels. Ghana

18648-550: The supply of gold was declining, the supply of slaves boomed as never before. This was to a large part due to the Ashanti wars; Governor-General Willem de la Palma wrote to his superiors at the Dutch West India Company that the war had unleashed slave raids among the local peoples in the Gold Coast. Whereas between 1693 and 1701, 1,522 slaves were transported from Elmina to the Americas, an average of 169 slaves per year, 1,213 slaves were transported between 1702 and 1704, an average of 404 per year. Apart from increased supply of slaves,

18796-524: The sustainability of Chinese-financed projects, environmental impacts, and the lack of transparency in their investments call for a careful assessment of these collaborations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Mahama in 2013 to hold discussions on strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement and also co–chair a bilateral meeting between Ghana and Iran at the Ghanaian presidential palace Flagstaff House . The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were integrated into Ghana's development agenda and

18944-636: The teachings of Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr. and the naturalised Ghanaian scholar W. E. B. Du Bois into the formation of 1960s Ghana. Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he became known, played an instrumental part in the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement , and in establishing the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute to teach his ideologies of communism and socialism . His life achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebration, and

19092-399: The tribute paid by the Dutch to the Ashanti, asserted Ashanti sovereignty over the town. In June 1873, the situation escalated when an Ashanti army marched to Elmina to "win back" the town from Britain. The Third Anglo-Ashanti War had started, and Britain began bombing Elmina on 13 June 1873. The old town of Elmina was completely destroyed and leveled to make room for a parade ground. During

19240-400: The turn of the eighteenth century, due to warfare among the states of the Gold Coast. While the Ashanti succeeded in the Battle of Feyiase of 1701 to establish their hegemony on the Gold Coast, it took them a few years to fully "pacify" their newly conquered territory. 1701 proved to be the historic low for the gold trade, with only 530 mark of gold exported, worth 178.080 guilders. Whereas

19388-797: The two nations, at the Great Hall of the People . China reciprocated with an official visit in November 2011, by the vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China , Zhou Tienong who visited Ghana and met with Ghana's President John Mahama . China recently became one of the top investing countries of Ghana, which predominantly focus on infrastructure, natural resources, and manufacturing sectors, have promoted economic growth, job creation, and technology transfer in Ghana. However, concerns regarding

19536-480: The wake of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War , now extending the membership to include the bookkeeper-general-and-commissioner. After the liquidation of the Dutch West India Company in 1791, the Council of Colonies for the West Indies took over the government of the Dutch Gold Coast. Little changed in the first years, and the old administration of the Dutch West India Company was left largely intact. This changed when

19684-405: The world's third-largest reservoir by volume and largest by surface area, formed by the hydroelectric Akosombo Dam , completed in 1965. The Volta flows out of Lake Volta into the Gulf of Guinea . The northernmost part of Ghana is Pulmakong and the southernmost part of Ghana is Cape Three Points . The climate of Ghana is tropical , and there is wet season and dry season . Ghana sits at

19832-467: The world, deeply affected the relations between the Dutch, the other local peoples and the British. The latter were increasingly tight with the Fante , to which the Denkyira and thus also Elmina were culturally and linguistically close. Several Ashanti-Fante wars followed and the rivalry between the two peoples were key in the events surrounding the transfer of the Dutch Gold Coast to Britain in 1872. After

19980-452: Was a pre-European practice used to integrate the "other" from a differing African ethnic group. Powerful West African groups with ties to the slave trade used these marriages to strengthen their alliances with European men by marrying off (selling) their daughters. Early on in the Atlantic slave trade, these marriages were common. The marriages were sometimes performed using African customs, which Europeans did not object to, seeing how important

20128-519: Was again reformed when the Kingdom of Holland replaced the Batavian Republic in 1806. By royal decree of Louis Napoleon , King of Holland, the office of Governor-General was demoted to Commandant-General in 1807, and the administration was overhauled in 1809. An even bigger change came with the establishment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. Leaving behind the uncertain years of French occupation, and with slave trade abolished,

20276-472: Was based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. The trans-African automobile route – the Dakar-Lagos Highway passes through Ghana. There are several airports in Ghana . Cassare Cassare or calissare (from Portuguese casar , "to marry") was the term applied to the marriage alliances , largely in West Africa , set up between European and African slave traders ;

20424-480: Was charged with the rule over "Guinea and its dependencies from Cabo Tres Puntas to Cabo Lopes Gonsalves ," and the government at Luanda with the possessions south of the latter cape, including São Tomé. The title of the Director-General at Elmina was changed to "Director-General of the North Coast of Africa." When the Dutch lost Luanda to the Portuguese in 1648, Sao Tomé was shortly ruled from Elmina, until it

20572-495: Was demoted to Commander . When the Dutch decided to recruit soldiers for the Dutch East Indies Army in 1836, the government was strengthened again, something which was reinforced in the wake of the disastrous Ahanta War of 1838. By virtue of a royal decree dated 23 March 1838, the office of Commander was raised to Governor and extra officers were installed to make government more effective. The government itself

20720-405: Was described as a "stable democracy". As a result of the 2016 general election , Nana Akufo-Addo became president on 7 January 2017. He was re-elected after a tightly contested election in 2020 . To combat deforestation, on 11 June 2021 Ghana inaugurated Green Ghana Day, with the aim of planting five million trees in a concentrated effort to preserve the country's rainforest cover. Ghana

20868-653: Was elected to Parliament and was released from prison. He became prime minister in 1952 and began a policy of Africanization. At midnight of March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland were unified as one single independent dominion within the British Commonwealth under the name Ghana. This was done under the Ghana Independence Act 1957 . The current flag of Ghana , consisting of

21016-577: Was formed, chaired by Lieutenant General Joseph A. Ankrah . A series of alternating military and civilian governments, often affected by economic instabilities, ruled Ghana from 1966, ending with the ascent to power of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings of the Provisional National Defence Council in 1981. These changes resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties . The economy soon declined, so Rawlings negotiated

21164-559: Was given the monopoly on trade in the West Indies, including the Gold Coast, in 1621. Mismanagement meant that several disillusioned employees of the Dutch West India Company left the company to work for another European power. Hendrik Carloff , for example, was a former high-ranking officer in the company, who joined the Swedish Africa Company , founded in 1649 by the Walloon-Dutch industrialist Louis De Geer . In

21312-700: Was necessitated by the high-handed rule of King Agorkorli (Agɔ Akɔli) who was the reigning monarch of the tribe at that time. The Ewe in Ghana speak three principal dialects: Anlo(along the coast),Tongu(along the Volta river) and Ewedome (in the hill country side).The Ga-Dangme occupy the Greater Accra Region and parts of the Eastern Region, while the Ewe are found in the Volta Region as well as

21460-495: Was recaptured by the Portuguese as well in the same year. With the establishment of the Second Dutch West India Company in 1675, the government structure was revised. The area under the authority of the Director-General was redefined as "the Coast of Africa, from Sierra Leone all exclusively to 30 degrees South of the equator , together with all the islands in between," thereby nominally reinstating

21608-464: Was reformed in 1847, which among its most notable inventions included the establishment of a Court of Justice, legally separate from the council, although memberships often overlapped. The office of fiscal, responsible for public prosecution, was renamed Officer of Justice . In the late 1850s, the administrative divisions into forts was changed into a division into districts (Dutch: afdelingen ), asserting Dutch sovereignty (or suzerainty ) over not only

21756-553: Was the recruitment of soldiers for the Dutch East Indies Army . This recruitment of the so-called Belanda Hitam (Indonesian for "Black Dutchmen") started in 1831 as an emergency measure as the Dutch army lost thousands of European soldiers and a much larger number of "native" soldiers in the Java War (1825–1830), and at the same time saw its own population base diminished by the independence of Belgium (1830). As

21904-530: Was transferred from one legitimately elected head of state and head of government to another. Nana Akufo-Addo , the ruling party candidate, was defeated in a very close 2008 general election by John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress . Mills died of natural causes and was succeeded by Vice President John Mahama on 24 July 2012. Following the 2012 general election , Mahama became president in his own right, and Ghana

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