In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to gain independence. After gaining independence, Ghana struggled for years with economic and political problems, and instability in its leadership. However, the most recent elections in 2008 were fair and transparent, and demonstrated both a peaceful transition of power to a new party, and the country’s adherence to democratic principles and institutions.
In recent years, many advances have been made to improve healthcare, hygiene, and education. However, malnutrition, disease, and the large economic divide between well-paid workers and low-paid workers have hindered some of this progress. In addition, the population in Ghana has been growing more quickly than facilities to provide proper social services can be created. One way that Ghanaians have used to tackle these issues is to create community NGOs to help provide the basic social services that residents need.
