Education and Health Care Policies in Ghana: Examining the Prospects and Challenges of Recent Provisions

Ghana is located in West Africa with Accra as its capital. With a population of approximately 25 million (Ghana Statistical Service [GSS], 2012), the country is divided into 10 administrative regions. Its neighbors are Togo to the East, Ivory Coast to the West, and Burkina Faso to the North. The southern part of Ghana is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea. In 1957, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonial rule. Since the nascent years of the republic, government has been very proactive in recognizing the important benefits of education and health care in the lives of its citizens. The country has a large youthful population with the proportion of youth 15 years and younger constituting 38% of the population (GSS, 2012).