Customs and traditions
Characteristics that are high in the course of Ghanaian society are hospitality, openness and courtesy. According to Abbreviationfinder, the lifestyle is often relaxed. Respect for the elderly is great.
Relatives and friends often visit each other without warning. People are not usually punctual when it comes to meetings. However, it should be remembered that this is often due to poor transport and communication.
Greeting phrases alternate between different ethnic groups, but English is common. When greeting, you take your hand and ask how the other person and his/ her family are feeling. Visitors greet all the family members of the house.
- Countryaah: Overview of the capital city of Ghana, including information about its population, economy, geography, history and map.
Ghanaians want visitors to feel at home. Most discussion topics are accepted, but as a foreigner you should avoid getting into political discussions, at least at the first meetings.
Courtesy and respect
A younger person addresses an older person as a father or mother and must show due respect. It is common for friends of the same sex to hold hands when they walk or talk, it signals nothing more than friendship.
Polite behavior is important. If you yawn or use a toothpick, for example, you have to hold your mouth. It is rude to use your left hand when receiving or giving something, or when waving. Staring or pointing at someone in front of others is also inappropriate.
Since in Ghana you usually eat with your right hand, you wash your hands in a bowl of water, which goes around among guests before the meal. Even after the food, water is sent around to wash your hands.
Food and clothing
Jams, corn and beans are the staple food throughout the country. In the south, cassava and seedlings are common, and in the north millet and sorghum are grown. Imported crops such as rice and wheat have become increasingly common. Ghanaian food is often spicy. Stews with fish, meat or chicken are common. Fufu is a common porridge-like dish consisting of leafy and cassava. It is shaped with the right hand into a ball, which with a touch of the thumb is made spoon-like and used to grind up stew or soup. For fufu you like to eat peanut soup. Egusi is a popular spicy soup consisting of palm oil and melon seeds, ground into a paste. Egusi is very nutritious and can be cooked with or without vegetables, fish or meat. The diet is varied with tropical fruits, of which there is abundant supply.
Casual clothing is most common, although suit and tie are required on more formal occasions. Shorts are not acceptable in public settings. Western clothing is most common in the cities, but you can also see mantles woven from traditional kente fabric. Women often wear a long skirt with top and head scarf. This dress can be very colorful.
According to Countryaah, in addition to the major Christian and Muslim holidays, New Year’s Day, Independence Day (March 6), Republic Day (July 1), Father’s Day (September 21; Kwame Nkrumah’s Birthday, 1909) and Revolution Day (December 31; Jerry Rawling’s 1981 coup) are celebrated.
2016
December
The election leads to a shift in power
December 7
Opposition Party NPP leader Nana Akufo-Addo wins the presidential election with close to 54 percent of the vote against just over 44 percent for NDC President Mahama. Despite some unrest during the election movement, the election itself is conducted under calm conditions. Mahama admits being defeated without a whip when the Election Commission announces the result.
A death in election-related violence
December 5
One person is killed and six seriously injured when fighting erupts between supporters of the two major parties NPP and NDC in connection with a political meeting in northeastern Ghana.
October
The opposition promises lower taxes
October 10
The opposition party NPP’s presidential candidate Akufo-Addo intensifies the electoral movement by harshly accusing the NDC government of financial neglect and friendship corruption . Akufo-Addo says the government has failed to solve the severe problems with electricity shortages and power outages as well as bring down high unemployment. Akufo-Addo promises to create high economic growth through reduced taxes and a better budget process.
September
President Mahama is criticized for the gift
September 29th
A Ghanaian commission criticizes President Mahama for breaking the state’s gift rules when he received a car from a company that was later awarded a contract on a road construction. However, the Commission notes that Mahama was not guilty of bribery.
The economy’s most important election issue
September 17th
President Mahama promises economic growth and new jobs if he wins the December presidential election. However, his scope for maneuver is limited, in fact, because the IMF, which recently granted Ghana a large loan, demands stringent government finances and economic reforms as loan terms. Opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo criticizes the government’s way of dealing with the economic crisis.
July
Radio talkers are imprisoned
July 28
The Supreme Court sentenced a well-known radio reporter and his two co-workers to each of four months in prison and fined for threatening to kill judges who made the decision to remove 56,000 names from the ballot boxes in the December elections. The opposition has complained that these voters have been registered after identifying themselves with health insurance cards, which does not guarantee that they are Ghanaian citizens. The three radio talkers sympathize with the government.
Elections in December
July 22nd
The Election Commission decides that presidential and parliamentary elections should be held on December 7, after Parliament voted down a proposal to permanently conduct the elections a month earlier. Those who advocated a previous election wanted to give more time to discuss any protests and to make any second round of presidential elections before the head of state takes office.
January
The Minister of Energy is leaving
January 1st
Energy Minister Kwabena Donkor resigns after he failed to solve the severe energy crisis with electricity shortages and constant power cuts.