[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1134, 313], "category": "Text", "text": "Ghana's middle and southern parts benefit from a rich **subsoil**, a **fertile soil** with a **climate** and a large **sea access favorable for agriculture and fishing**. Cocoa plantations and large hydrocarbon resources reaching 0.66 billion barrels of oil reserves and 0.8 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves (2021) are concentrated in the south of the country. Hydrocarbon production is expected to increase within the next five years with the start of 17 new oil and gas projects during the period 2023-2027 and the implementation of two refineries and three petrochemical processing facilities."}, {"bbox": [96, 338, 1134, 525], "category": "Text", "text": "Northern regions are located in a more difficult natural environment with a history of colonial and post-colonial neglect of development activity. The socio-economic condition of northern Ghana is attributable to a range of factors including political marginalization, poor infrastructure, localized conflicts, rapid population growth and insufficient investments. The spill-over of violence and conflict from Burkina Faso remains one of the most serious concerns for the authorities, which have decided to strengthen collaboration with armed forces and law enforcement agencies of neighbouring countries in the framework of the Accra Initiative. Since the beginning of 2023 more than 15 000 refugees have also crossed the border from Burkina Faso to Ghana."}, {"bbox": [96, 550, 1134, 686], "category": "Text", "text": "Despite high growth over the last decade, Ghana economy was not able to create decent or productive employment opportunities for workers moving out of agriculture. In 2015, 98% of the country's businesses were micro or small and 90% were informal. The vast majority of Ghanaians are self-employed. In 2016-2017, 84% of the working-age population and 85% of youth were self-employed. Nationally, 92% of employed women are in informal employment, compared to 86% of men¹³."}, {"bbox": [96, 697, 1134, 908], "category": "Text", "text": "On the **macroeconomic** side, due to pre-existing fiscal vulnerabilities, and exacerbated by the international context, Ghana is facing a violent financial crisis since 2022, severely impacting the population with high inflation and rapid currency depreciation rates in the second part of 2022. The situation has started to stabilize mid 2023 with a 36-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement approved by the IMF, on May 17th 2023, for USD 3 billion. In Januray 2024, Ghana has reached a deal to restructure USD 5.4 billion of loans with its official creditors. In the context of high debt and tight fiscal constraints, Ghana needs to carefully prioritize investments starting from no-regret actions that maximize resilience benefits (on employment and public services) at an affordable cost."}, {"bbox": [96, 921, 1134, 1002], "category": "Text", "text": "Ghana is facing various types of **inequalities**, and some of them are increasing: income (Gini Coefficient Index of 43.5 in 2016), wealth inequality (disparities in access to land, financial assets, and property ownership), education, healthcare and gender."}, {"bbox": [96, 1013, 1134, 1283], "category": "Text", "text": "In terms of **gender** equality and women's empowerment (GEWE), women face inequalities when it comes to education, control and access to land, technology, decision-making power, and financial and other productive resources. These inequalities stem from prevailing cultural norms as well as legal and regulatory barriers. Women's illiteracy rate is at 30% compared to 17% of men. Women are affected by the gendered divisions of labour which limit many women to unpaid activities such as collecting firewood or water, instead of in market-valued productive activities¹⁴. About 8% of women own land compared to 30% of men. Women's inclusion into decision-making processes in Ghana is still low: only 15% of deputies in national parliament are women and the management positions in the private sector include only 27% women. The rates of gender-based violence continues to be high in Ghana. While there is only limited information on GBV of women and girls with disabilities, it is globally known that they are at a higher risk."}, {"bbox": [96, 1295, 1134, 1403], "category": "Text", "text": "According to the latest census in 2021, 8% of the population in Ghana has **disabilities**. According Ghana's report to the Committee on the Rights of persons with disabilities, majority of persons with disabilities face challenges to access most basic services and experience important socio-economic inequalities. Moreover, they are not adequately accessing social protection mechanisms which further undermine their standard of living¹⁵."}, {"bbox": [96, 1413, 1134, 1520], "category": "Text", "text": "**Ghanaian households are under pressure from high inflation and slowing economic growth and inequalities have deepened.** Poverty has worsened. The “international poverty” rate is estimated at 27% in 2022, an increase of 2.2% points since 2021. According to the World Bank's latest Economic Update, poverty is projected to worsen between now and 2025, increasing to nearly 34% (international poverty line) by 2025, consistent with a muted"}, {"bbox": [87, 1548, 421, 1573], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ WIEGO_Statistical_Brief_N21_0.pdf"}, {"bbox": [87, 1573, 485, 1598], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ undp-ndcsp-ghana-gender-analysis-final2.pdf"}, {"bbox": [87, 1598, 902, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁵ Ghana's report to the CRPD Committee 2018: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/TBSearch.aspx?Lang=en&TreatyID=4"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1144, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 30"}]