| Official Name | Republic of Ghana |
| Capital | Accra |
| Land Area | 238, 533 sq km |
| Population | 26.3 million (2015) |
| Currency | 1 CAD = 2.97 Ghanaian cedis |
| National Holiday | March 6th (Independence Day) |
| Language(s) | [one]Insert your content here[/one]English (official), Twi, Ewe, Fante, Ga, and Hausa |
| Largest Cities | Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale |
| Form of State | Unitary republic |
| Head of State | President Nana Akufo-Addo |
| Elections | December 2016, Next: November 2020 (every 4 years) |
| Ghana | Canada | |
| GDP (PPP) | $144.90 billion (2015) | $2.082 trillion (2015 est.) |
| GDP per capita | $5,659 (est.) | $60,012 |
| GDP annual growth rate | 3.5% (2015) | 3.34% |
| GDP – composition by sector | Agriculture: 20.7% Industry: 27.7% Services: 51.6% | Agriculture: 1.6% Industry: 28.9% Services: 70.5% (2015 est.) |
| Inflation rate – average consumer prices | 10.2% | 3.34% |
| Main industries | Mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building, and petroleum. | Transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas. |
| Trade Partners & Direction | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Ave. Yearly Growth |
| Ghana Exports to the World | $ 17,932 M | $ 15,752 M | $ 13,016 M | $ 14,649 M | $ 13,155 M | -7% |
| Ghana Exports to United States | $440 M | $297 M | $336 M | $345 M | M | -29% |
| Ghana Exports to Canada | $55 M | $20 M | $23 M | $24 M | $50 M | 16% |
| Canadian Exports to Ghana | $266 M | $216 M | $253 M | $157 M | $215 M | -1% |
Ghana’s economy remains heavily concentrated on the commodities of oil, gold and cocoa. Recent efforts to diversify the country’s export base have seen impressive growth in fresh and processed foods, among other areas. In 2015, Ghana was Canada’s 4th largest export partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Main Canadian exports included cereals, vehicles and parts, machinery, and miscellaneous textiles. Main imports from Ghana included cocoa, wood, and vegetables products, fish, pearls and precious stones.
1. Agriculture & Food Processing
Agriculture accounts for approximately a third of Ghana’s GDP and employs over half of its workforce. The country offers a range of agricultural products for export, including cereals, maize, rice, millet, yam, cassava, sweet potato, plantain and legumes. Ghanaian exports of fruits have seen unprecedented growth in recent years, primarily driven by the increased export of pineapples. Pineapple production in the country quadrupled in 2004 to reach records highs and remains an important area of agricultural growth. Commercial production of pineapples is concentrated in Southern parts of the country, which offer four main varieties in quantities for export: Smooth cayenne, Queen Victoria, MD2, and Sugar Loaf. Other major exports of fruit include Banana, Mango, Papaya Coconut and, more recently agro-processing of fruit juices.
Ghana’s rich soil also offers a range of industrial crops including cocoa, rubber, sugarcane, cotton, palm oil, coconut and coffee. Cocoa crops have a long history in the country and today Ghana is the second largest cocoa-growing country in the world. Ghana is Canada’s third largest source of cocoa and cocoa preparations from Africa, following Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Worldwide, Ghana exported CAD $ 3.2 million worth of cocoa products in 2015. While exports remain concentrated in cocoa beans, the country is investing in value-added cocoa products including cocoa butter, fat and oil as well as food preparations that contain cocoa, such as chocolate.
In addition to fruit juices and cocoa products, the country has achieved high overall growth in processed and prepared foods including canned tuna, tomato paste, baby food, sweet biscuits and wine. Ghana also exports prepared and preserved tilapia and cat fish and is the fourth largest exporter of unshelled cashew nuts in the world.
2. Textiles, Wood & Floriculture
While exports remain relatively modest, Ghana has seen consistent growth in textiles led by cotton fabrics and raw lint cotton. The country’s textiles are well known for their hand-woven quality, bright colours, and traditional designs, including the Kente cloth of the Ashanti and Ewe people. Ghana also exports a range of linens, bedspread, towels, curtains and carpets and is well known for its traditional handicrafts, including beaded jewellery and clay pottery.
Ghana is Canada’s second largest source for wood products from Africa. Wood products exported to Canada in 2015. After cocoa, wood products of veneer sheets, plywood and lumber amounted to 9% of Canadian imports from the country in 2015. Floriculture is another developing export area with Ghana’s climate boasting a number of exotic flowers, including heliconia, caribea, celosia, curcuma, gladioli, hibiscus, roses, ornamental palms and ferns. A number of medicinal plant varieties grow naturally in Ghana, and the country has been praised by ECOWAS for its stringent adherence to pharmaceutical inspection and enforcement procedures. Significant opportunities exist for Canadian companies across a range of sectors in Ghana.
[vc_column_text]| Aid to Artisans Ghana | www.atagh.org |
| Association of Ghanaian Industries | www.agighana.org |
| Bank of Ghana | www.bog.gov.gh |
| Ghana Cocoa Board | www.cocobod.gh |
| Ghana International Trade Fair Company | www.tradefair.com.gh |
| Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders | www.ghanafreightforwarders.org |
| Ghana Investment Promotion Centre | www.gipcghana.com |
| Ghana Free Zones Board | www.gfzb.com.gh |
| Ghana Ministry of Trade and Industry | www.home.moti.gov.gh |
| Ghana National Chamber of Commerce | www.ghanachamber.org |
| Ghana National Board for Small Scale Industries | www.nbssi.org |
| Ghana Standards Authority | www.gsa.gov.gh |
| Ghana Timber Industry Development Division (under the Forestry Commission of Ghana) | www.fcghana.org (GTIDD) |
| Sea-Freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana | www.spegpine.com/speg/index.php |
| Bank of Canada – Daily Currency Convertor | www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/exchange/daily-converter |
| Canadian Trade Commissioner Service – Country Info | www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/trade-offices.jsp |
| CIA World Factbook | www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook |
| Global Affairs Canada – Foreign Relations | www.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/geo.aspx |
| Global Affairs Canada – Travel Reports | www.travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories |
| EDC (Export Development Canada) – Country Profiles | www.edc.ca/EN/Country-Info/Pages/default.aspx |
| Industry Canada – Trade Data Online | www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/tdo-dcd.nsf/eng/Home |
| International Trade Centre – Trade Map | www.trademap.org |
| Transparency International – Corruption Perception Index | www.cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results |
| World Bank – Doing Business Report | www.doingbusiness.org/rankings |
| World Bank – Open Data | www.data.worldbank.org/country |
TFO Canada improves lives through the creation of sustainable trade partnerships for exporters from developing countries with Canadian and foreign buyers.
