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What Languages Are Spoken In Ghana?

Posted by khethiwe qotyana on 28 March 2018, 14:10 SAST
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In the multilingual nation of Ghana, nearly 80 languages are spoken throughout the country.

Ghana is a West African state which is situated along the Gulf of Guinea. The name Ghana means “Warrior King” in Soninke language. It is known for its diverse wildlife, secluded beaches, and old forts. The capital city of Ghana is Accra. Ghana covers an area of 238,535 km2. In 2016, World Bank estimated the population of Ghana as 28.21 million. Ghana is a multilingual nation. It is believed that there are about 80 native languages spoken by the Ghanaians. However, the official language used in Ghana is English.

The Official Language Of Ghana

English is the official language used in Ghana. It was passed on to the Ghanaians by their British colonialists. English is predominantly used for government and business affairs. It is used in legal and administrative documents and procedures. Besides, English is also used in Ghanaian politics and media coverage. Examples of newspapers which are written in English include the “Daily Guide Ghana” and the “Ghanaian Chronicle.” Additionally, it is used by Ghana’s education sector as a language of instruction. English is also one of the subjects taken by students in the Ghanaian schools. The English spoken by the locals is not as fluent as a native speaker’s English. It is mostly influenced by the indigenous languages’ idioms, phrases, and grammatical rules. It is therefore common to hear the English being referred to as Pidgin English.

The Indigenous Languages Of Ghana

 

The major ethnic groups in Ghana are Akans, Dagbani, Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, Gurma, Fulani, Guan, Gurunsi, and Bissa/Mande. Akans is the largest ethnic group as it comprises of 47.5% of the Ghanaian population. The languages in Ghana are categorized into two groups: government-sponsored and non-government sponsored languages. The languages which are sponsored by government are supported by the Bureau of Ghana languages. In addition, materials such as books used to teach students in first grade, can only be published in these languages. There are nine languages which are sponsored by the government. These languages are Akan languages (Twi languages), Dagaare, Dangbe, Dagbane, Ga, Kasem, Ewe, and Nzema. Those languages which are not sponsored by the government include Bimoba, Bassari, Anufo, Adele, and Sisaala among others.

Different languages are spoken in different regions of Ghana. In Upper Western Region, the languages spoken include Gagaare, Birifor, and Sisaala. Ghanaians who live in the Northern Regionspeak Dagbane, Gonja, Anufo/Chokosi, Mampruli, Mo, Deg, Nawuri, Chumburung, Birifor, Hanga, Konkomba, and Tampulma among other languages. In the Volta Regions of Ghana, the languages spoken are Akyode, Nkonya, Adele, Ntrubo, and Ewe. Kasem, Buli, Frafra, Kusaal, Kasem, and Koma are spoken by people who live in the Upper Eastern Region of Ghana. The people who live in the Greater Accra Region speak Ga and Dangbe. On the other hand, those who live in the Western Region speak Nzema.

The most widely spoken native language in Ghana is Akan. Though the languages are many, they are mutually intelligible if they belong to the same ethnic group. For example the Mampelle and Frafra languages are mutually intelligible since they belong to the same ethnic group called Mole-Dagbani.

Hence, being a multilingual nation, the official language is a unifying factor. It has made communication amongst people who speak different native languages easier.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-ghana.html

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Ghana - Economic Growth and Development

Posted by khethiwe qotyana on 28 March 2018, 11:50 SAST
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his study note covers aspects of economic growth and development in Ghana

Ghana's economy is the second biggest in West Africa and it is booming helped by strong exports of cocoa, gold and oil. Ghana is one of Africa's most established democracies with a history of free elections and changes in government between the main parties.

The launch of crude oil production at the Jubilee oil field in 2011 combined with a strong performance of the gold and cocoa sector boosted Ghana's real GDP growth to 15% in 2011 and 7.9% in 2012. Ghana hopes that this growth will be sustained with the help of an expanding service sector. The economy continues to attract FDI, aided by the prospect of rising oil and gas production.

Although the country is experiencing rapid growth, Ghana is running a large fiscal deficitand a large balance of payments deficit. Despite growing revenues from the oil and gas sector the fiscal deficit jumped to 11.5% of GDP in 2012 as the government increased spending on public sector wages and subsidies before the 2012 election. Public debt level rose to 56% of GDP in 2012, up from 33% of GDP in 2008.

Largely owing to high capital imports for the development of infrastructure and the oil sector the current account for Ghana has been in deficit for the last decade. The deficit is expected to reach 11.6% of GDP in 2013. External debt is also on the rise climbing to 34% of GDP in 2013.

Ghana's export base is concentrated on commodity exports with gold, oil and cocoa accounting for 75% of total exports.

A prolonged period of low world commodity prices would put further pressure on the country's external and fiscal accounts. In their report on the Ghana economy published in 2013, the IMF reported "the concentration of exports in three commodities—gold, cocoa, and oil—makes the economy vulnerable to terms of trade shocks." Indeed in 2014, Ghana had to ask for IMF support because of its unsustainable balance of payments deficit.

Increasing wages and energy prices and the effects of a weakening currency that increases import prices has meant that inflation in Ghana has increased to a 3-year high of 11% in May 2013. Ghana's currency has been one of Africa's worst performers in recent times, depreciating by a sizeable amount against the US dollar. Ghana's central bank has increased interest rates from 15 per cent to 16 per cent, stepping up its efforts to halt the decline of the cedi.

Rapid growth has helped to lift per capita incomes - Ghana has made great strides in reducing poverty to less than 30 percent of the population and has recently reached lower middle–income status. But Ghana's widespread relative poverty, illustrated by children hawking food on the streets at night to support their families, is equally striking. About 52 per cent of Ghanaians live on less than $2 a day, another 27 per cent on between $2 and $4.In between the two extremes is an “emerging market middle class". The African Development Bank estimates that nearly one in five Ghanaians, or 4.6m people, is now either lower or upper middle class by its definition, with a per capita daily consumption of between $4 and $20.

The IMF analysis concluded that "Better infrastructure, improved access to credit, further investment in health and education, and sustained macroeconomic stability will be central to ensure Ghana's continued robust and inclusive growth."

https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/reference/ghana-economic-growth-and-development

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