The fertility transition in Ghana revisited

Samuel Agyei-Mensah, University of Ghana

The past two decades have witnessed a growing interest in the subject of fertility transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Generally the declines have been more pronounced in Southern Africa than in West Africa. Within the West African region, Ghana’s fertility decline is seen as the most dramatic, thus raising a number of questions as to the nature of the transition. There are also myths and puzzles that surround the decline. This paper revisits Ghanaian fertility transition, and situates it within an historical perspective. It addresses some of the myths and puzzles that have surrounded the transition to date, and makes a plea for the engagement of localised studies alongside national aggregate data in order to provide a more comprehensive account of the transition.