Ghana, Society

Culture and Religion

In Ghana around 71% of the population is Christian, 18% is Muslim, 5% is
indigenous and 6% belongs to other religious groups or has no religious beliefs.
Islam is one of the major religions practiced widely in Ghana. Its presence in
Ghana dates to the 10th century. Ghanaians come from six main ethnic groups:
the Akan the Ewe, the Ga-Adangbe, the Mole-Dagbani, the Guan, and the
Gurma. Most of the other religions come from immigrants. In Ghana there are
around 250,000 Hindus. Ghana is one of the three countries outside Asia where
Hindus are native, not immigrants. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in
Ghana. Ghanaian society is hierarchical. People are respected because of their
age, experience, wealth, and their position. Older people are viewed as wise and
are granted respect. In a group the eldest member is the most respected. Ghana’s
native religion, called Akan, comprises the traditional beliefs and religious
practices of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast. Akan is the most widely
spoken and used indigenous language in Ghana. About 44% of Ghana's
population, speak Akan as first language. However, about 80% of Ghana citizens
speak Akan as a first and second language. Akan religion is referred to as Akom
meaning "prophecy”. Nyame is the God of the Akan people of Ghana. His name
means "he who knows and sees everything" in the Akan language. There
are seventy-seven deities that are recognised in the Akan religion. These deities
are believed to be children of the Akan God, Nyame. Nyame is thought to have
assigned these deities to protect and assist Akan people. Ghanaians are proud of
their culture and love welcoming people from outside to integrate and mix in
with their local cultures and way of living.
 Food
The typical staple foods in the southern part of Ghana include cassava and
plantain. In the northern part, the main staple foods include millet and sorghum.
Yam, maize and beans are used across Ghana as staples. Sweet potatoes and
cocoyam are also important in the Ghanaian diet and cuisine. Fufu is Ghana's
national dish, a starchy side dish, and an important accompaniment to various
stews and sauce-based dishes. Beef, pork, goat, lamb, chicken, smoked turkey,
tripe, dried snails, and fried fish are common sources of protein in Ghanaian
soups, stews, and dishes, sometimes mixing different types of meat and
occasionally fish into one soup. Soups are served as a main course rather than a
starter. In Ghana the minimum drinking age is 18. One of the most popular
dishes in Ghana and throughout Africa is Jollof rice. Originally from Senegal,
Jollof rice is a pot of rice cooked with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish.
The rice soaks up the flavours and turns orange when cooking and is a national
favourite that can be found in most restaurants and is sold by street vendors at
affordable prices. Akpeteshie is the national spirit of Ghana, it is produced by
distilling palm wine or sugar cane. Sobolo, also known as hibiscus tea, is a
refreshing drink native to Ghana. It can be made from either roselle leaves or
flowers which is a a species of hibiscus that is native to West Africa. The leaves or
flowers are left in hot water, and once the water has turned red, the water is
strained, sweetened and left to cool. Many of the carbonated drinks in UK are
also popular in Ghana, such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and
 Safety, Quality of life, HDI
Ghana is a very friendly country, ideal for first time travellers to Africa. It
is fairly safe compared to other African countries, and as long as you familiarise
yourself with the culture you will be safe. Ghana is always recognized as one of
the Most Peaceful Countries in Africa. The crime rates in Ghana are relatively
low compared to other countries in Africa, however crime has increased since
2021. Ghana's HDI is 0.611, it is in the medium human development category it
ranks at 138 out of 189 countries and territories. The rank is shared with Eswatini.
Ghana’s HDI is higher than Africa’s average HDI which is 0.54. The UK’s HDI is
0.932, which makes it 0.321 higher than Ghana. Living in Ghana is a one-of-a-
kind experience, despite the lack of public transport and other features of
modern Western life, the country more makes up for it with its charm,
friendliness and originality. People in Ghana are involved in their culture and
most of them would rather live in the village than in the towns. Their main
reasons for moving to towns is to find work and they usually still try stick to
their village life. However, life in rural Ghana is quite primitive and there is a
scarcity of running water and electricity. People still have to go and fetch water
in clay pots from the nearest water sources.
 Housing
In Ghana there is overcrowding in many urban areas. Most housing is
built by individuals. The government in Ghana builds mainly low-cost housing,
and they have set a national building code. In Ghana there is mainly two types of
houses, the traditional house and modern house. Currently in Ghana there are
6856 houses for sale, the average price is around ₵3,140,074 which is £3,140,075
while the cheapest house available starts at ₵21,756 which is £2,392 and the most
expensive costs ₵967,017,940 which is £106,316,36.