Formerly a British colony known as the Gold Coast, Ghana gained independence on 6 March 1957 within the British Commonwealth, and on 1 July 1960 it was declared a republic under President Kwame Nkrumah until 1966, when military forces took power. In 1979, a revolt of young officers in the Ghanaian air force led by Jerry Rawlings brought back democracy, but soon after (1981) Rawlings himself established an authoritarian regime.
Starting in 1988 the process of democratization began and in 1992 a new multi-party constitution came into effect. Based on this, the President of the Republic, elected for a four-year term by direct suffrage (and eligible for re-election only once) is also head of the executive. From that moment on, the country’s democracy has shown itself to be one of the most solid in Africa. The National Assembly is made up of 275 members elected for four-year terms.

Primary sector.
The main crop is cocoa, grown particularly in the Ashanti area; other important plantation crops include palm oil (in the south) and peanuts (in the north). Subsistence agriculture is based around cassava, yams, bananas, maize and taro.
The forests provide high quality wood, such as mahogany, wawa, sapele, Guarea cedrata.

Secondary sector.
The main mineral resources are gold (at Bibiani, Butre, Damang, Obuasi, Prestea, Tarkwa and Wassa), oil and natural gas (off Saltpond and south-east of Cape Three Points), whose production is growing, and diamonds (at Akwatia and Birim). There are also significant manganese reserves (in Nsuta) and bauxite (at Awaso).
Most of the electricity produced comes from two facilities: Akosombo (on the River Volta) and Kpong. Production is however insufficient to meet the needs of the nation.
Foreign companies are behind industrial activity in the country’s industry, both in terms of most raw materials and the production plants. Tema is an important industrial centre with an oil refinery, an aluminium smelter plant, a sugar-refining plants and the country’s main port. At Atuabo there is a gas processing plant. Chemical, mechanical and textile plants are found in Kumasi, while Sekondi-Takoradi has chemical plants linked to the gas pipeline coming from Nigeria, as well as a cement works, some textile plants, wood mills and food processing plants. Cement factories are active in Accra, Buipe, Konongo, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tema.

Tertiary sector.

Credit is supported by a strong banking sector.
The Bank of Ghana acts as the central bank.

Main exports
(M US$ - 2017) 
gold 4 347, oil and petroleum products 2 604, cocoa and derived products 2 594, tropical fruit 302, manganese 301, timber 215, fresh and preserved fish 186, aluminium 166, vegetable oils 142, natural rubber 65, refined copper 38, roots and tubers 36, iron and steel 35, machinery 25

Tourism. Tourism is partly supported by the arrivals of African American descendants of slaves taken to the USA.

Education.
Education is officially compulsory between 6 and 16 years of age. There are several universities, among the best of Africa’s former British colonies.