This site mirrors the IFLA Library Map to maintain access, under CC-BY 4.0, due to poor site reliability. Additional fixes: removed intrusive tracking. Improved mobile device compatibility.

About Ghana

Ghana

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa

Area: 238,539 km²

Population: 34,427,414

Libraries (Service Points): 283

Libraries in Ghana

Last update: October 2018

Different types of libraries are at various stages of development as some are doing well while others are struggling. There are academic libraries (tertiary), public and community libraries (in regions, districts, communities, etc.), school libraries (pre-tertiary to kindergarten), and special libraries (in departments, institutions, etc.).

Ghana does not have a national library. Some roles of national library are performed by some special libraries.

Public libraries operate in a centralized system and are mainly located in regional and some district capitals. They are under the Ghana Library Authority which covers some community libraries.

The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) provides training and sharing of electronic resources to and among academic libraries, but each academic library operates on their own under their respective parent institutions.

The Ministry of Education is the authority responsible for public and community libraries and libraries in general. The Public library is considered as an agency under the Ministry. Libraries are funded mainly from their parent institution, be it government, individual, or institution etc.

The main objectives of the Ghana Library Association are to be the voice of librarians and to champion their professional development, development of standards and welfare.

Broad concerns of the library field are the lack of a national library, absence of a professional legal government body (i.e. council or commission for libraries) to regulate the profession, and the proper recognition of libraries.

One of the achievements is the establishment of the Library and Information Week (LIW), which is observed annually since 2013. The last week in September is used to highlight issues in libraries, the profession and to carry out literacy activities in public basic schools in the form of reading clinics, quizzes, fun games, visits to school libraries to offer professional support etc.

Library data

Libraries (Service Points) 283
Main Libraries
Branch Libraries
External Service Points
Mobile Libraries
Libraries (Administrative Units)
Libraries with Internet Access 24
Full-Time Staff 536
Volunteers
Registered Users 9,340
Physical Visits 709,584
Physical Loans 281,114
eBook Loans
Audio Book Loans
Downloads

Contextual data

Population and Geography
34,427,414

Population

No Data Available

Population Growth

59.2%

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

6.1%

Proportion of Population Older than 64

148.5

Population Density
people per sq km

58.4%

Population Growth

Information and Infrastructure
89.5%

Access to Electricity

69.9%

Internet Users

5.4%

Female Internet Users

No Data Available

Male Internet Users

Poverty and Employment
8,020.0%

GDP per capita

39.0%

Poverty Rate
2011 PPP

43.5%

Inequality
2011 PPP

2.9%

Unemployment

27.6%

Inactive Youth
2011 PPP

Education and Literacy
2.9%

Education Spending
% of GDP

76.5%

Adult Literacy Rate
% of people age 15+

72.1%

Female Adult Literacy
% of GDP

72.1%

Male Adult Literacy
% of people age 15+

91.3%

Female Youth Literacy
% of GDP

91.7%

Male Youth Literacy
% of people age 15+

Innovation and Skills
0.4%

Research Spending
% of GDP

0

Researchers
% of GDP

3,075

Research Spending
% of GDP

Library data

Library type

Total

National

Academic

Public

Community

School

Other

Libraries (Service Points)

Library service point is a fixed or mobile facility through which library provides a service to its users. Central libraries, branch libraries, mobile libraries, and external service points located in different geographical locations and managed by one administrative unit are all each individual service points. Number of libraries is the total number of central/main libraries, branch libraries, external service points and mobile libraries.

283

283

2017

N/A

2017

222

2017

61

2016

Main Libraries

Central/main library is usually part or those parts of an administrative unit where the main administrative functions and the important parts of the library collection and services are located. An administrative unit comprising several branch libraries does not necessarily include a central library.

N/A

2017

Branch Libraries

Branch library is a part of a larger administrative unit providing, in separate quarters, a service for a particular user group (e.g. children, faculties) or for a locally defined clientele. Institute, departmental and other affiliated libraries are included. Mobile libraries and external service points are excluded.

N/A

2017

External Service Points

External service point is a point away from library premises at which a certain service is regularly offered to users. This includes places within a locality at which library material is deposited for informal circulation to a restricted group of users but without other library services, for example, old people’s homes, community centres, collections for hospital patients. Mobile libraries and their stops are not counted as external service points.

N/A

2017

Mobile Libraries

Mobile library is a library, sometimes a division of a public library, using transport means to provide documents and services directly to users as an alternative to access on library premises.

N/A

2017

Libraries (Administrative Units)

Administrative unit is any independent library, or group of libraries, under a single directorate or a single administration. The term “independent” does not imply legal or financial independence but only that the library is a recognisably separate unit, typically within a larger organisation. The administrative unit can be a single library or a larger organisation, typically containing a central/main library, branch libraries and administrative functions.

N/A

2017

Libraries with Internet Access

Libraries (Service Points) that provides internet access from at least one workstation available to the public regardless of whether access is free, and/or provides a wireless network allowing users to connect to the Internet.

24

24

2017

N/A

2017

24

2016

Full-Time Staff

Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff are all library employees who work for the library in return for payment. It includes professional staff, qualified staff, project staff and assistants. Other staff (library employees who work in security and on domestic duties, for example, cleaners, porters, caretakers and catering staff) and volunteers are excluded.

536

536

2017

N/A

2017

536

2016

Volunteers

Volunteer is a person working on library tasks without payment. In counting volunteers, the concept of headcount is used.

N/A

2017

Registered Users

Registered user is a person or organisation registered with a library in order to use its collection and/or services within or away from the library. Users may be registered upon their request or automatically when enrolling in the institutions.

9,340

9,340

2017

N/A

2017

9,340

2016

Physical Visits

Physical visit is a person (individual) entering the library premises.

709,584

709,584

2017

N/A

2017

709,584

2016

Physical Loans

Physical loan is a direct lending or delivery transaction of an item in physical form. Physical loans include loans of items in non-electronic form (e.g. books) and loans electronic documents on a physical carrier (e.g. CD-ROM).

281,114

281,114

2017

N/A

2017

281,114

2016

eBook Loans

eBook is a non-serial digital document, licenced or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and similar to a print book (monograph). eBooks can be lent to users either on portable devices (eBook readers) or by transmitting the contents to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

N/A

2017

Audio Book Loans

Audio book (or talking book) is a sound recording of readings of a book, magazine, or newspaper, usually designed for use by visually impaired people. Audio books can be lent to users either on a physical carrier or other device, or by transmitting the content to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

N/A

2017

Downloads

Download is a content unit that is successfully requested from a library-provided online service or other internet service (e.g. database, electronic serial or digital document).

N/A

2017

Population

Ghana

Region

World

Population

Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

total

34,427,414

2024

1,291,044,964

2024

8,141,808,945

2024

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

percentage of working-age population

59.2%

2024

72.5%

2024

38.0%

2024

Proportion of Population Older than 64

Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

precentage of working-age population

6.1%

2024

5.7%

2024

15.7%

2024

Population Growth

Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

annual percentage

1.9%

2024

2

2024

1.0%

2024

Population Density

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

people persq. km of land area

148.5%

2023

51.5%

2022

61.6%

2022

Urban Population

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.

percentage of total population

58.4%

2024

44.1%

2024

57.6%

2024

Information Infrastructure

Ghana

Region

World

Internet Users

Internet users are individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of population

69.9%

2023

33.6%

2024

71.2%

2024

Female Internet Users

This indicator refers to female individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of female population

5.4%

2010

29.4%

2024

68.2%

2024

Male Internet Users

This indicator refers to male individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of male population

-

29.4%

-

Access to Electricity

Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources.

percentage of population

89.5%

2023

53.3%

2023

91.6%

2023

Economy, Poverty, and Employment

Ghana

Region

World

GDP per Capita

This indicator provides values for gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in current international dollars, converted by purchasing power parities (PPPs). PPPs account for the different price levels across countries and thus PPP-based comparisons of economic output are more appropriate for comparing the output of economies and the average material well-being of their inhabitants than exchange-rate based comparisons. Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This series has been linked to produce a consistent time series to counteract breaks in series over time due to changes in base years, source data and methodologies. Thus, it may not be comparable with other national accounts series in the database for historical years. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. The PPP conversion factor is a currency conversion factor and a spatial price deflator. PPPs convert different currencies to a common currency and, in the process of conversion, equalize their purchasing power by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries, thereby allowing volume or output comparisons of GDP and its expenditure components.

current international $

8,020

2024

5,517.4

2024

24,405

2024

Poverty Rate

Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.00 a day at 2021 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

percentage of population

39.0%

2016

46.0%

2024

10.3%

2024

Inequality

Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

percentage

43.5%

2016

0.0%

-

Unemployment

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

percentage of total labor force

2.9%

2022

0.0%

6.2%

2021

Inactive Youth

The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).


percentage of youth population

27.6%

2022

0.0%

-

Education and Literacy

Ghana

Region

World

Education Spending

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.


percentage of GDP

2.9%

2022

3.3%

2023

3.5%

2023

Adult Literacy Rate

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of people ages 15 and above

76.5%

2021

3.3%

2023

87.7%

2024

Female Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15 and above

72.1%

2021

62.7%

2024

84.6%

2024

Male Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15 and above

72.1%

2021

74.9%

2024

90.9%

2024

Female Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15-24

91.3%

2021

76.6%

2024

92.0%

2024

Male Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15-24

91.7%

2021

81.3%

2024

94.1%

2024

Research and Innovation

Ghana

Region

World

Research Spending

Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


percentage of GDP

0.4%

2010

-

2.7%

2022

Researchers

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


per million people

87

2015

-

1,516

2018

Scientific Articles

Article counts refer to publications from a selection of conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals from Scopus in science and engineering fields, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Taxonomy of Disciplines.


fractional count

3,075

2022

-

3,338,192

2022

National Library Associations

Ghana Library Association – GLA

Fields of interest covers every area of the library profession. The goal is to be the official voice of the profession. The objective is to unify librarians and information professionals, seeking their professional development and welfare and ensuring the maintenance of standards and ethics. There are over 500 members. Broad areas of concerns are lack of a national library, commission on libraries, strong united library front and recognition.

There is no information available.

Ministry of Education – MoE

The Ministry of Education is responsible for all policies on education, including apprenticeships and wider skills acquisition in Ghana. MoE work to provide education that ensure opportunity is equal for all, no matter what their background or family circumstances. It is headed by a Minister with two deputies, a Minister of State.

Ghana Library Authority

The Ghana Library Authority exists to provide a comprehensive and accessible public library service to promote lifelong reading habits among the populace with the objective of ensuring the development of the individual’s social and intellectual capabilities and the creation of a well-informed society for national development.

African Library and Information Association and Institutions – AfLIA

AfLIA is an independent international not-for-profit organization which pursues the interests of library and information associations, library and information services, librarians and information workers and the communities they serve in Africa. It was established in 2013 and registered as an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the laws of Ghana in October 2014. AfLIA is the trusted voice of the African library and information community in Africa’s development.

Biblionef Ghana

Biblionef Ghana is a non – profit organisation that donates new storybooks to institutions/organisations that offer services to less privileged children, thus supporting literacy in the provision of reading materials in mainly deprieve communities.

Goethe Institut Ghana

The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. The Goethe-Institute library works in partnership with other libraries and professional associations in this country and abroad to promote professional dialogue and exchanges. In Ghana, the Goethe-Institut works together with Ghana Library Board to organise conferences.

Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH)

The CARLIGH was founded in 2004 to provide access to online resources and training for members. University libraries, polytechnic libraries, college of education libraries, research libraries, special libraries, and other consortia are eligible to become members of CARLIGH. Currently there are 40 member institutions.

National Policy for Libraries

There is no information available.

Ghana Library Board Act

This law covers establishment and operations of public libraries. The Act was issued in 1970 (ACT 327).

Professional Qualification Requirements

Professional Qualification Requirements

The minimum starting point for librarians is a post-garduate diploma or Masters degree. This can be by Master of Philosophy, which is an advantage, or Master of Arts in Library or Information Studies. The middle level staff is usually a diploma or first degree in library or information studies.

Education

The Department of Information Studies (formerly Department of Library and Archival Studies) of University of Ghana was the sole formal institution training librarians and archivist at the post graduate level and beyond. From about 2010 it has started offering first degree programmes. Other universities since then also have started training applicants for the Diploma, First Degree, Masters (M.A. and M.Phil. and Ph.D levels). Some are by the normal regular attendance as others are by sandwish and others distance. Some of the main institutions are University of Ghana, University of Ghana – Distance Education, Kumasi Technical University, Ho Technical University.

Ghana Library Journal

The Ghana Library Journal focuses on the practice and research in librarianship especially in Ghana and generally in Africa. It also considers articles relating to Information Technology and Archival Admistration. It is published once a year with a Special publication every other year.

Library and Information Week (LIW)

This national event was started in the year 2013 and it is a yearly one week event in the month of September. It is usually celebrated as a national event in a region and other libraries also celebrate the week alone side. The main goal is to highlight a topical need in the country as well as drawing attention to libraries and librarians. There are talk shows on radio and television, there is a national launch with speech by the President of the Association and the rest of the days used to engage school pupils and students in reading activities.

Annual General Meeting with a Seminar

The event takes place every year in a selected region for a day. It usually rotates among the 10 regions. The main goal is to give account of activities for the year by the elected executives headed by the President to members. During the period professional and academic papers are presented by some members on the theme for the meeting. The papers are discussed and later published in the Ghana Library Journal.

Biennial Congress

This event takes place every other year in a selected region for two days. It usually rotates among the 10 regions. The main goal is to give account of activities for the year by the elected executives headed by the President to members and to re-elect or elect a new Council for a tenure of two years. During the period professional and academic papers are presented by some members on the theme for the meeting. The papers are discussed and later published in the Ghana Library Journal.

Library Location Resources