THERE WILL BE INK - Initiative for Policy Dialogue

evenues each year,” 106 which would far eclipse Ghana’s current revenues from mining. The majoroil companies involved in the planned extraction of these oil deposits include Irish-based TullowOil, British-firm Kosmos, and the American oil company Hess Corporation.Ghana has experienced political stability since 1992, when multi-democracy was re-establishedfollowing the introduction of a new constitution. This stability has encouraged foreign investmentinto Ghana. Ghana’s GDP per capita in 2005 stood at approximately $2,500, “roughly twice the percapita output of the poorest countries in West Africa.” 107 Ghana was accepted as an ExtractiveIndustries Transparency Initiative (EITI) candidate country on 27 September 2007. Ghana alsomaintains its own Ghana EITI 108 , to which mining company Newmont is a signatory. 109TelecommunicationsGhana’s telecommunications statistics and data reveal a surprising lack of infrastructure given thecountry’s overall development. Approximately 43 percent of Ghana’s population has access toelectricity, 80 percent of which is consumed in urban areas. 110 Telephone usage is dominated by thecellular sector: 7.6 million Ghanaians had cell phones in 2007 compared to only 376,500 landlines inuse.Internet penetration in Ghana is surprisingly low. According to Eric Akumiah, Secretary of theInternet Society, a Ghanaian NGO, the Internet reaches a mere 2.7 percent of Ghana’s populationas compared to a penetration rate of 5.3 percent for Africa’s population as a whole. 111 The biggestfactor for Ghana’s low Internet usage rates seems to be the high cost of equipment, installation andmonthly subscription costs, which for broadband for a household can cost $200 a month, anexorbitant amount in Ghana.Literacy and EducationWith its large number of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools, Ghanaians have relativelyeasy access to education. Government spending on education is also quite strong. Between 1997 and2007, government spending on education was between 28 percent and 40 percent of thegovernment’s annual budget. 112 During this time, primary school enrollment increased considerably,from 57 percent in 1999 to 90 percent in 2006. 113 According to UNICEF, total public expenditureson education accounted for 5.4 percent of Ghana’s GDP in 2005. 114By 2009, according to USAID, primary school net enrollment and completion rates “were expectedto reach 73 percent and 75 percent, respectively,” while the percentage of primary school children106 Ibid.107 “Ghana,” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 4 December 2008. Accessed 13 December 2008:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html.108 See http://www.geiti.gov.gh.109 http://newmontghana.com/index.php?Itemid=40&id=69&option=com_content&task=view.110 Ghana Energy Foundation website: http://www.ghanaef.org/energyinghana/energyinghana.htm.111 Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, “Ghana’s low internet penetration, high cost and national growth,” Ghana Business News, 6December 2008: http://ghanabusinessnews.com/2008/12/06/ghanas-low-internet-penetration-high-cost-and-nationalgrowth/112 http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/education/113 USAID, “President's International Education Initiative Expanded Education for the World's Poorest Children:Ghana Fact Sheet,” September 24, 2007: http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheets/2007/fs070924_3.html.114 UNICEF, Division of Policy and Practice, Statistics and Monitoring Section, www.childinfo.org, May 2008.– 37 –