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The Strategic Significance of Ghana

Peaceful nation Friendly, good natured people

600 mile radius of Ghana includes 200 million people Highest ranking "Economic Freedom" index in West Africa, Heritage Foundation Highest ranking "Ease of Doing Business" index in West Africa, World Bank Modern transport hubs by air and sea World's largest reservoir, Lake Volta Plentiful farmland; consistent seasonal rains Reasonable access to electric power Reasonable access to modern health care (expatriate) Government commitment to public education and higher education

Agriculture in Ghana

Agriculture is Ghana's most important economic sector, employing more than half the population on a formal and informal basis and accounting for almost half of GDP and export earnings. The country produces a variety of crops in various climatic zones which range from dry savannah to wet forest and which run in east west bands across the country. Agricultural crops, including yams, grains, cocoa, oil palms, kola nuts, and timber, form the base of Ghana's economy. The climate of Ghana is tropical, but temperatures vary with season and elevation. Except in the north two rainy seasons occur, from April to July and from September to November. In the north the rainy season begins in April and lasts until September. Annual rainfall ranges from about 1,100 mm (about 43 in) in the north to about 2,100 mm (about 83 in) in the southeast.

The Harmattan, a dry desert wind, blows from the northeast from December to March, lowering the humidity and creating hot days and cool nights in the north. In the south the effects of the Harmattan are felt in January. In most areas the highest temperatures occur in March, the lowest in August. The average annual temperature is about 26oC (about 79oF). Annual Rainfall: 736.6mm / 29" Temp

January: 27 Sunny sky

Feb 28 ---" -

March 28 ---" ---

April 28 light rains

May 27 heavy rains

June 26 "

July 25 light rains

August 24 Scattered showers

September 25 "

October 26 Sunny skies

November 27 ---"---

December 28 Sunny skies (dry)

Weather Accra, Ghana

Weather can't be forecast more than a week or so in advance, but weather averages are good indicators of what to expect any month. Month Average high Average low Warmest ever Coldest ever Average dew point Average precipitation JAN. 87 77 100 64 71 0.6 FEB. 88 79 102 68 74 1.1 MARCH 88 79 102 68 75 2.2 APRIL 87 79 97 68 75 3.5 MAY 86 78 101 66 75 5.3 JUNE 83 76 102 64 74 7.8 JULY 81 75 100 68 72 2.0 AUG. 80 74 100 64 71 0.7 SEP. 82 75 102 68 72 1.7 OCT. 84 76 101 69 73 2.5 NOV. 87 77 102 70 74 1.3 DEC. 86 77 97 70 73 0.8 ________________________________________

Latitude: 5 degrees, 36 minutes north

Longitude: 0 degrees, 10 minutes east

Tropical and humid;

Whole country: average low: 20,5C (69F), average high 26C (79F).

Accra: average daily temperature is 30C (86F). The coolest time of year is between June and September when the main rainfall occurs. Variations in temperature both annually and daily are quite small. The minimum temperature is around 23C (73F). warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north Agro-ecological zones The country is divided into six agro-ecological zones on the basis of their climate. The natural vegetation is determined by the different climatic conditions and influenced by different soil types. These agro-ecological zones from north to south are: Sudan Savannah Zone, Guinea Savannah Zone, Transition Zone, Semi-deciduous Forest zone, Rain Forest Zone and the Coastal Savannah Zone (Figure 2). Climate The climatic conditions of the different agro-ecological zones are shown in Table 4. The wet and dry seasons are determined by rainfall and temperature.

The Tropical Eastern Coastal Belt is warm and comparatively dry, the southwest is hot and humid and the north is relatively hot and dry, compared with the other parts of the country. The mean annual rainfall ranges from 800 mm in the Coastal Savannah to 2 200 mm in the Rain Forest. The rainfall pattern is uni-modal in the Sudan and Guinea Savannah Zones and bi-modal in all the other zones (Table 4). FIGURE 1 Land use

Source: FAOSTAT.

Soils

FIGURE 2

Agro-ecological zones

The soils of Ghana are highly weathered with predominantly light textured surface horizons in which sandy loams and loams are the common textural classes. The lower soil horizons have relatively heavier textures varying from coarse sandy clay loams/sandy loams to clays. Heavier textured soils are normally abundant in the valley bottoms, which are ideal for rice cultivation. The B-horizons - sub surface horizons showing features of accumulation or significant alterations - may contain abundant coarse material either as gravel or stone/concretionary materials. The coarse nature of the soils has an adverse impact on their physical properties, particularly their water holding capacity. Thus crop water stress is not uncommon during the growing season. The soil map of Ghana based on the FAO Legend is given in Figure 3. TABLE 4 Climates of the agro-ecological zones Agro-ecological zone Area (km2) Mean annual rainfall

(mm) Range

(mm) Major rainy season Minor rainy season Rain Forest 9 500 2 200 800-2 800 March-July Sept.-Nov.

Deciduous Forest 66 000 1 500 1 200-1 600 March-July Sept.-Nov.

Transitional Zone 8 400 1 300 1 100-1 400 March-July Sept.-Oct.

Coastal Savannah 4 500 800 600-1 200 March-July Sept.-Oct.

Guinea Savannah 147 900 1 000 800-1 200 May-Sept.

Sudan Savannah 2 200 1 000 May-Sept.

Source: Adapted from data from the Meteorological Department, Legon, Accra, Ghana. FIGURE 3 Dominant soils of Ghana, major climates and length of growing period Original scale 1:5 million.

Source: DSMW-FAO-UNESCO.

The average fertility status of soils of the different regions is presented in Table 5. The levels of organic carbon, nitrogen and available phosphorus are generally very low. Figures are not given for potassium since it is mostly abundant in the soils of Ghana. TABLE 5 Average soil fertility status of some regions Region Soil pH Organic matter Total nitrogen Available P Available Ca

(%) (%) (mg/kg soil) (mg/kg soil)

Ashanti 4.3 - 7.8 1.5 - 3.0 0.1 - 0.3 0.1 - 12.0 50 - 100 Brong Ahafo 3.5 - 6.7 0.3 - 1.7 - 0.1 - 64.3 16 - 140 Greater Accra 5.4 - 8.2 0.1 - 1.7 0.05 - 0.9 0.8 - 144.0 14 - 470 Northern 4.5 - 6.7 0.6 - 2.0 0.02 - 0.05 2.5 - 10.0 45 - 90 Upper East 5.1 - 6.8 1.1 - 2.5 0.06 - 0.14 1.8 - 14.8 44 - 152 Upper West 6.0 - 6.8 0.5 - 1.3 0.01 - 0.07 2.0 - 7.4 52 - 152 Western 3.8 - 7.1 1.0 - 5.7 0.06 - 5.4 0.4 - 11.3 28 - 420

Source: Soil Research Institute (SRI) CSIR - Kumasi