Product Code Database
Ghanaians are a nation originating in the Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of 2024, making up 85% of the population. The word "Ghana" means "warrior king". An estimated diaspora population of 4 million people worldwide are of Ghanaian descent. The term ethnic Ghanaian may also be used in some contexts to refer to a group of related ethnic groups native to the Gold Coast.
Early Ghanaians established a number of powerful kingdoms and empires from the 10th to 17th century, some of which became great powers in the west African region. By 1902, the kingdoms had been annexed by the United Kingdom to the Gold Coast colony following a series of Anglo-Ghanaian conflicts in the 19th century. Ghanaians gained their independence from British colonial rule in 1957, and renamed their sovereign state "Ghana (Warrior King)" because the various Ghanaian kingdoms were a warrior-based society according to contemporary and historical historiography. The Republic of Ghana was the first African country to gain independence from European colonial rule., ,
According to a 2005 Y-DNA study, indigenous Ghanaians in Ghana carry 61% E1b1a.Wood, Elizabeth T., et al., 2005. Contrasting patterns of Y chromosome and mtDNA variation in Africa: evidence for sex-biased demographic processes ; also Appendix AGhana Kwa languages: Indigenous Ghanaians of Kwa languages-speaking ethnicity in Ghana 68.8% of Ghana's population β Akan people (Ashanti people, Fante people), Ga-Adangbe, and Ewe people; see also Y-DNA haplogroups in populations of Sub-Saharan Africa. Indigenous Ghanaians also belong to Patrilineality at 2.2% E1a. Indigenous Ghanaians in Ghana are 1.1% E1b1b clade bearers, a haplogroup that is most common in North Africa and the Horn of Africa. Eurasia haplogroup R1b is present in 1.1% of the population.
To obtain Ghanaian nationality, one must be Naturalization after seven years of Ghana Card permanent residency. The Asian people, Middle Easterners and Europeans who have lived in Ghana for most of their lives have acquired Ghanaian citizenship, which is granted without any discrimination. Two thirds, or 67%, of Ghanaians speak English. There are more than 100 ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language. However, languages that belong to the same ethnic group are usually mutually intelligible. There are nine language family groups and 11 languages from these groups are officially sponsored by the government: Akuapem dialect, Asante dialect, Ewe language, Fante dialect, Ga language, Dangme language, Dagbani language, Nzema language, Ahanta language (Ahantas) Dagaare language, Gonja language and Kasena language.
During the colonial era, a number of Europeans intermarried with Africans and had offspring, who include such notable Gold Coasters as Carel Hendrik Bartels and James Bannerman. Most European settlers left the Gold Coast after it won independence. Currently, the most significant immigrant populations in Ghana are Africans from other countries on the continent, Asians (Indians and Chinese people), some of them Europeans (Britons, Portuguese, Dutch people, French, Italians, Latin Americans, Poles, , and Germans), and Middle Easterners, particularly Lebanese and Syrians.
On 8 February 1951, the first elections in the history of the Gold Coast were held; Nkrumah's win was confirmed on 12 February 1951. Ghanaian nationalism was initiated in organisation with the Ghanaian Nationalism movement, the Big Six and through the Gold Coast Aborigines' Rights Protection Society; then strikes and mass riots were formed on the streets of the Gold Coast by its natives for Gold Coast independence, the colonial governor at the time, the Earl of Listowel, proclaimed Gold Coast's independence on 6 March 1957. Nkrumah became the first prime minister. On 1 July 1960, Nkrumah drew up the first Constitution of Ghana; the British monarch ceased to be head of state, and Ghana became a republic.
| Ashanti Region | 4,780,380 | 24,389 | Kumasi | ||
| Brong-Ahafo Region | 2,310,983 | 39,557 | Sunyani | 87,642 | |
| Central Region | 2,201,863 | 9,826 | Cape Coast | 217,032 | |
| Eastern Region | 2,633,154 | 19,323 | Koforidua | 127,334 | |
| Greater Accra Region | 4,010,054 | 3,245 | Accra | 2,291,352 | |
| Northern Region | 2,479,461 | 70,384 | Tamale | 537,986 | |
| Upper East Region | 1,046,545 | 8,842 | Bolgatanga | 66,68 | |
| Upper West Region | 702,110 | 18,476 | Wa | 102,446 | |
| Volta Region | 2,118,252 | 20,570 | Ho | 96,213 | |
| Western Region | 2,376,021 | 23,921 | Sekondi-Takoradi | 445,205 | |
| Total Ghana | 24,658,823 | 238,533 | Accra | ||
Kente is a Ghanaian ceremonial cloth traditionally used as the national costume. Kente is hand-woven on a horizontal Loom in strips measuring about 4 inches wide, which are sewn together into larger pieces of cloth. Cloths come in various colours, sizes and designs, which have different meanings, and are worn on important social occasions. During the 13th century, Ghanaians developed their unique art of Adinkra symbols printing.
Notable Ghanaian authors include novelists Ayi Kwei Armah ( The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born), Ama Ata Aidoo ( ) and J. E. Casely Hayford, author of Osiris Rising. In addition to novels, other literary genres such as theatre and poetry have been well developed at a national level.
Ghanaian music incorporates several distinct types of instruments, including , the atenteben and koloko lute, the atumpan, and log used in asonko music. The most well-known genre to come from Ghana is highlife. Highlife originated in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In the 1990s, a new genre of music, hiplife, was created through the combination of highlife, Afro-reggae, dancehall and hip hop. Hiplife is the most popular Ghanaian music, followed by the other genre of Ghanaian music, highlife. Ghanaian dance is globally well known and performed worldwide. The dances are varied and may involve complex and co-ordinated movement of the arms, torso, hips, feet and head, performed to different Ghanaian music forms for entertainment, celebrating at festivals, and other occasions. Some popular dances include Adowa and Azonto. Other traditional dances from Ghana are Kpanlogo, Klama and Bamaya.
Sports in Ghana is dominated by association football represented by the Ghana Premier League and the Ghana national football team. The rich culture in Ghana led to the annual festival held at the capital region, Greater Accra at the James Town township which is celebrated along with the Homowo festival. This new festival called Chale Wote has caught the eyes of many who seek to experience the true Ghanaian culture and festival for themselves.
During 2008β2012, the national literacy rate for women aged 15β24 was 83.2%, only slightly lower than that for males of the same age group (88.3%). However, literacy rates fluctuate across Ghana country and socioeconomic statuses. By regions of Ghana, literacy rates for females range from 44% to 81%. Women living at the highest socioeconomic status exhibit the highest literacy rates at 85%, while only 31% of women living at the lowest socioeconomic status are literate. Over the timespan of 2008β12, there were 4% more females enrolled in preschool than males. Net enrolment and attendance ratios for primary school were both about the same for males and females, net enrollment standing at about 84% and net attendance at about 73%. Enrolment in secondary school for females was slightly lower than for males (44.4% vs. 48.1%), but female attendance was higher by about the same difference (39.7% vs. 43.6%).
As of 2011, women made up 66.9% of economically active population in Ghana. Within the informal sector, women usually work in personal services. There are distinct differences in artisan apprenticeships offered to women and men, as well. Men are offered a much wider range of apprenticeships, such as carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, mechanics, painters, repairers of electrical and electronic appliances, upholsters, metal workers, car sprayers, etc. In contrast, most female artisans are involved in either hairdressing or dressmaking. Women generally experience a disparity in earnings, receiving a daily average of 6,280 cedis compared to 8,560 cedis received by men, according to the Ghana Living Standards Survey. Women are flourishing in teaching professions.
Early 1990s' data showed that about 19% of the instructional staff at the nation's three universities in 1990 was female. Of the teaching staff in specialized and diploma-granting institutions, 20% was female; elsewhere, corresponding figures were 21% at secondary-school level; 23% at middle-school level, and as high as 42% at primary-school level. Women also dominated the secretarial and nursing professions in Ghana. When women were employed in the same line of work as men, they were paid equal wages, and they were granted maternity leave with pay. However, women in research professions report experiencing more difficulties than men in the same field, which can be linked to restricted professional networks for women because of lingering traditional familial roles.
Feminist organizing has increased in Ghana as women seek to obtain a stronger role in the nation's democratic government. In 2004, a coalition of women created the Women's Manifesto for Ghana, a document that demands economic and political equality as well as reproductive health care and other rights.Interview with Manifesto organizers Dzodzi Tsikata, Rose Mensah-Kutin, and Hamida Harrison, conducted by Amina Mama: " In Conversation: The Ghanaian Women's Manifesto Movement ", in Feminist Africa 4, 2005. The National Council for Women and Development (NCWD) is fervent in its stance that the social and economic well-being of women, who compose slightly more than half of the nation's population, cannot be taken for granted. The Council sponsored a number of studies on women's work, education, and training, and on family issues that are relevant in the design and execution of policies for the improvement of the condition of women. Among these considerations the NCWD stressed family planning, child care, and female education as paramount.Owusu-Ansah, David. "The Position of Women", in A Country Study: Ghana (La Verle Berry, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (November 1994). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
In 2007, the government of Ghana took legal proceedings to prosecute men who abuse their women.
In 2002, John Kufuor succeeded Rawlings as Ghanaian head of state until the year 2008. Kufuor was replaced as Ghanaian head of state by John Atta Mills until 2012. In 2013, John Dramani Mahama succeeded Mills as the Republic of Ghana President and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. "MPs called to Parliament as CJ prepares to swear in John Mahama as president" , Joy Online, 24 August 2012.
On 7 January 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo took office as President. On 7 January 2025, John Dramani Mahama took office once again as President of the Republic of Ghana.
Republic of Ghana (1957βpresent)
In 1966, Nkrumah was deposed, after which Ghana entered a period of military rule. On 31 December 1981, the regime led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), of which he became chairman. In 1992, Rawlings retired from the military and set up the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and was subsequently elected for two terms as president.
See also
References and notes
Notes
External links
|
|
