Visualizing Ghana's Imports and Exports

In 2024, Ghana recorded a nominal trade surplus of GH₵44.7B, as exports (GH₵294.9B) outpaced imports (GH₵250.2B). This surplus is nearly eight times the GH₵5.3B recorded in 2023—a significant year-on-year shift.

Ghana’s export profile remains highly concentrated, with just three commodities—gold, mineral fuels/oils, and cocoa—making up 83.4% of total exports. Still, “All other products” contributed GH₵42.4B (14.4%), indicating some level of diversification beyond the dominant commodities.

In contrast, Ghana’s imports are far more diversified. The “All other products” category alone accounts for GH₵166.7B, or 66.6% of total imports. Even the top 10 import items together make up only 33.4%, with mineral fuels/oils being the largest single category at 23.8%. No other single group of commodities dominates imports to the same extent as with exports, revealing a much broader and varied import base.

This contrast reveals an important economic reality: Ghana exports a narrow set of high-value commodities, but imports a very wide array of goods. Diversifying exports could be key to building long-term trade resilience.

This project provided a great opportunity to transform data into a story that’s both easy to understand and visually engaging through data visualization, and it was excellent practice for honing my skills. 📊