Ghana is considered an 'island of peace and stability' in the West Africa Sub-Region. Since 2000, Ghana has sustained a period of economic stability and has seen one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in Africa in recent years – less than a third of Ghanaians now live below the poverty line.

However, Ghana still faces a number of challenges. Currently, just 53% of people are thought to have access to safe, clean water. HIV/AIDS is another concern – in 2007, it was thought that 2.6% of people aged 15-49 were living with HIV/AIDS.

Key Facts

Ghana has a high infant mortality rate, with more than 1 in 10 children dying before the age of five. On average in the UK, only 6 out of every 1000 children die before the age of five.

Ghana is working hard to improve access to education; currently around 91% of children are thought to be attending primary school. 71.2% of males aged 15 and over are literate, compared to just 57.2% of females aged 15 and over.

Between 2005 and 2007, DFID (the government’s Department for International Development, who fund Platform2) provided over £205 million in support of Ghana’s Poverty Reduction Plans. From 2008 – 2010, DFID will provide at least £250 million in aid to Ghana which will be used in the following areas: health, education, water sanitation, governance and HIV/AIDS.

Although Ghana is making good progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in some areas, there is still much progress to be made.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that 189 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organisations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include halving extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development.

Population

Ghana's population is about 22.5 million and more than half live outside the cities in rural villages. The average life expectancy is about 60 years.

Language

Over 100 languages and dialects including Twi, Akan and Ewe. English is the official language, used for all government affairs, large-scale business transactions, education and in national radio and tv broadcasts.

Currency

The local currency is called the Cedi (pronounced seedi), and the current exchange rate is about 1.9 Cedis per pound.The average income per person in Ghana is $520 (or £260) per year. This is in some contrast to the average income in the UK, which is £22,