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REPORT ON
GHANA'S COMPLIANCE WITH ITS REPORTING OBLIGATIONS
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 62 OF THE
AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS
BACKGROUND
Ghana gained independence from British colonial rule in March 1957. The
country has experienced several military coups and civilian governments.
Ghana is a unitary state with a presidential system of government. The
country is divided into 10 administrative regions.
Ghana covers an area of about 238,537 square kilometers (92,100 square
miles). It is situated in West Africa and bounded on the North by
Burkina Faso, on the East by Togo, on West by La Cote d'Ivoire and on the
South by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a coastline of 350 miles. The
largest man-made lake in the world was created on the River Volta, which
flows through and joins the sea in Ghana.
The population of Ghana as at the last population census in 1984 was
13.54 million with an annual growth rate of about 3%. The population was
estimated in January 1997 at 18.5 million. Accra is the capital of Ghana
and has the largest population density of about 52 persons per square
kilometers.
In 1991, the military government of the erstwhile Provisional National
Defence Council (PNDC), unveiled a transitional Programme to return
Ghana to a constitutional democracy. A Committee of Experts was
appointed to prepare a draft constitution for the administration of
Ghana. A Consultative Assembly was set up by PNDC Law 253 to consider
the draft constitution. In a referendum organized on 28 th April 1992,
the draft constitution was adopted by Ghanaians. This marked the start
of a new process toward an era of liberal democratic governance.
In January 1993, Ghana returned to civilian constitutional rule after
eleven years of military rule. The restoration of constitutional
government occasioned the birth of several democratic institutions.