In 1957, Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan country to gain independence. Its territory was the result of the union of the British colony known as the Gold Coast, the Ashanti Empire, and the British strip of territory known as Togo, following a plebiscite organised by the United Nations.. At present, Ghana is a member of the Commonwealth, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States.

In 2009 general elections were held, and were considered to have been fair, despite a number of irregularities. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) took over from the New Patriotic Party (NPP). John Evans Atta Mills narrowly won the elections and has been President of the Republic since January 2009. He is governing for a 4-year term.

The Ghanaian Parliament is single-chamber, and has 230 seats. Nineteen women hold seats, 8.3% of the total.

Ghana is rich in natural resources and the world's second largest producer of cacao. It also has gold, timber, diamonds, manganese, plus petroleum and bauxite, which are important sources of income. The local economy is based around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 40% of GDP and employs 60% of the active population.

On 21 January 2010 the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) ordered the destruction of structures built beside the railway tracks in Accra as part of national reconstruction of the railway network. These structures are home to numerous poor people, including old folk, childen and sick people. Evicting them without providing suitable alternative housing and compensation will only exacerbate their poverty.

Discrimination is prohibited on grounds of race, gender, disability, language or social status, but enforcement is lax. By law tribal chiefs have the right to apply traditional laws to resolve divorce, child custody and property disputes.

Executive power is formally independent, but there continue to be reports of improper use of preventive imprisonment, bail procedures, and of accusations of contempt of court, as well as cases of bribery. Reports cite the use of torture by police and security forces. Impunity is an additional problem. Transparency International continues to point out that the police is the institution most strongly perceived to be corrupt. No legislation relating to access to information has been introduced. Foreign media operate freely and international newspapers are sold without restrictions. However, journalists reporting on corruption have been harassed and arrested, and some key political figures have sued the media for libel. Despite anti-trafficking legislation, the country continues to be a point of origin, transit and destination for women and children for purposes of forced labour and sexual exploitation. Child prostitution continues to be a major problem.

Homosexuality continues to be classed as a crime; male homosexuals are subjected to abuse in prison and extortion by police. There are no legal provisions for recognising homosexual couples.

HIV/AIDS continue to be a generalised epidemic in Ghana, and more than 1% of the population is infected. According to the yearly sentinel surveillance, the incidence of HIV decreased to 2.2% in 2008, and increased again to 2.9% in 2009. Discrimination and stigmatisation of persons with HIV/AIDS discourage testing. The authorities speak out against those who discriminate against persons with HIV/AIDS, but the legislation is not consistently applied and there is continuing prejudice and discrimination against HIV-positive persons and AIDS sufferers.

The government continues developing the 2003-2015 Education Plan aimed at providing free-of-charge universal primary and secondary education by 2015. Education is compulsory between the ages of six and 14, but it is not free of charge. Although the government has eliminated enrolment fees and introduced a programme of scholarships, parents have to pay for uniforms and books. Some schools also impose charges per term, and teachers supplement low salaries by charging additional fees for extra classes. Travel to school is a deterrent, and walks to and from school is a cause of concern for parents, particularly in the case of girls. The lack of teachers in rural areas leads to many children dropping out of school. The authorities are carrying out a campaign to encourage girls to attend school. Scholarships help girls go on to secondary school and women teachers are offered incentives to work in rural areas. Officials in charge of girls' education together with community participation coordinators work in every district education office to encourage communities to keep their girls in school. Science and maths classes are provided at lower secondary level to encourage girls to pursue careers in science and technology. Unofficial schools offering classes to working children are receiving increasing public funds.

There are, unfortunately, continuing cases of teachers sexually harassing and abusing girl pupils, although these cases are not usually reported to the authorities for fear of losing teachers, who are very difficult to replace. However, reports are now coming to light of teachers and head teachers arrested and charged with sexually abusing several girl pupils, and reports of teachers and head teachers dismissed for not acting on or reporting these serious incidents. Corporal punishment such as caning is commonplace, though it is now being questioned.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level, 33% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) is 49%. Of the 29,041 teachers at ECE level, 91% are women, and only 20% are suitably trained. The number of pupils per teacher (PTR) is 25: 1.

Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 14. Primary education begins at age 6 and lasts for 6 years. 21% of primary education is private. The NER is 76% (49% girls). 60% of pupils enrolled in the first-year course stay on to the last year of Primary Education. 6% of pupils have to repeat a year's course. 89,278 teachers (31% women) work at this level and 58% are suitably trained (55% of men, 65% of women). The PTR is 33: 1.

Secondary education begins at age 12 and lasts for 6 years. 6% of secondary pupils study technical training programmes. The NER is 46%. 2% of pupils have to repeat a course year. There are 71,763 secondary teachers (18% women), of whom 55,958 (20% women) work in lower secondary and 15,805 (14% women) in upper secondary. The PTR is 18: 1 in lower secondary and 22: 1 in upper.

203,376 students (37% female) are studying at tertiary institutions, giving a Gross Enrolment Rate of 8%. Ghanaian students studying abroad tend to go to the USA (3,288), the UK (2,798), Germany (744), Canada (222) and Denmark (106).

Educational opportunities for pupils with special needs have been increased. Grants are given to schools that enrol pupils with disabilities. The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by law, but social discrimination is evident, as well as abuse and intolerance. Some religious groups believe that persons with disabilities are possessed by demons and subject them to exorcism practices. 10% of the population has some kind of disability. Disabled workers are entitled to an allowance; although the Ghana Union of Physically Disabled Workers points out that the allowance is not always paid.

The law provides for asylum or the status of refugee to be granted in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The government cooperates with UNHCR in helping refugees and asylum seekers and has a relatively liberal policy on the admission of refugees from other countries in West Africa. This policy does not extend to granting work permits or permanent residency, but some schooling is provided.

As the situation in neighbouring Ivory Coast progressively deteriorated, the flow of refugees into Ghanaian territory gradually increased. The President of the Ghanaian Committee for Refugees stated in March 2011 that he did not know how many refugees have arrived from the Ivory Coast. Newspaper reports claim that 2000 refugees arrived in March 2011 alone. Conditions in the reception camps are precarious.

Ethnic differences are evident over a variety of issues. Efforts are still being made to maintain peaceful coexistence, but there have been several violent confrontations related to land succession rights. The language of education is an issue that continues to be a source of debate. The country has numerous different ethnic groups speaking different languages. Children study in the local languages during the first years of primary school until English later becomes the dominant language in teaching.

Reports do not indicate any major restrictions on academic freedom, and access to Internet is not restricted.

Women are victims of discrimination in many aspects of daily life. Resistance to women entering traditionally masculine fields persists, and rural women are subject to very heavy workloads. Traditional practices often restrict women's inheritance, property and child custody rights. Access to credit is a barrier for women who want to start up or expand a business. Beliefs in witchcraft cause some older women and widows to be accused of witchcraft and sent to penal villages known as "witch camps". Fear of being lynched prevents them from leaving and returning home. The law does not prohibit domestic violence, and husbands enjoy immunity from any accusation of assault on their wives. The police hardly ever intervene in cases of gender violence. Female genital mutilation is illegal, but continues to be a major problem. Trafficking in women and children for prostitution persists, and women's rights groups report sexual harassment in the workplace as a problem. The African Women Lawyers Association reported a high rate of sexual harassment in the work place and in educational institutions.

There are not enough women and children enrolled in higher education, where the greatest benefits from education are to be found. The result is that there are fewer women in the formal labour market. Women work in low-competitive employment sectors, with lower wages and poorer work conditions.

The Network for Women's Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) has called for a provision to be included in the Constitution to create a National Commission on Gender Equality. The commission's functions would include promoting recognition, defence, and development of gender equality in all public and private institutions and all aspects of life. It should also encourage enforcement of positive discrimination laws and other gender equality policies and programmes.
NETRIGHT has also requested that wherever the Constitution refers to men, the text should be amended to include women, and proposes the word person as a replacement for man or woman.

The minimum age for working is 15. Children under the age of 18 are not permitted to carry out hazardous work nor cant work at night, and under the age of 15 become apprentices. However, child labour laws are not strictly enforced, and local customs make it still more difficult to apply minimum age laws. Child labour is a major problem, particularly in the informal economy. A large number of children have to fend for themselves. In rural areas they fall victim to child-trafficking and are forced to work in dangerous conditions, often resulting in serious injuries or death. Recruitment for child labour sometimes occurs with the consent of the child's parents, who are given advance payments or promises of later payment. An ILO survey on child labour showed that 2.47 million children work, more than half of them (1.27 million) in hazardous conditions. 64.3% of working children attend school, but many never complete secondary education. Child labour has also increased in the tourist industry but its incidence is lower in the formal sector where regulations are more strictly enforced.

Workers can join and form unions, but membership has decreased with the growth of the informal sector, which now accounts for 80% of the work force. Only unions that represent the majority of a company's workers can obtain a Collective Bargaining Certificate. The right to strike is safeguarded, except for workers in essential services. Private enterprise employees whose services are deemed essential for the company's survival do not have the right to strike. Forced or bonded labour is illegal but still exists. A National Tripartite Committee sets minimum wage levels. The minimum wage is not enough to provide an acceptable standard of living for a worker and family. Widespread breaches of the minimum wage law are noted. Householders have multiple sources of income, and family farming is very common. The law establishes a maximum working week of 40 hours.

According to the 2010 Annual Report from ITUC on violations of Labour and Trade Union Rights, several union activists were dismissed from their jobs that year. Labour legislation does not provide sufficient protection for union rights. The official list of essential services drawn up in 2007 is too extensive and imposes still more restrictions on the right to strike. Discriminatory actions were also recorded in the banking and insurance sectors.

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