The most important of the latter is cocoa, of which Ghana is one of the world's major producers. Coffee and various fruit are the other main crops. Fishing has grown in importance since the acquisition of modern vessels. Although recent mineral exploration failed to discover anticipated oil and gas deposits, new bauxite and manganese deposits have been identified.
Manufacturing is concentrated in food processing, textiles, vehicles and chemicals.
The country's energy needs are met by hydroelectric projects, and produce a surplus which Ghana sells to its neighbours. As a primary commodity producer, Ghana has suffered from consistently low world prices for its main products throughout much of the last 20 years. Since the late 1980s, Ghana has been something of a laboratory for a new regime of less developed countries devised by the International Monetary Fund and known as a Structural Adjustment programme. Customised for each state, the IMF, in conjunction with the World bank offers steady financial support to the national exchequer in exchange for government undertakings to implement agreed economic policies. Despite the notable lack of tangible benefits to the population as a whole, the Ghana programme has been judged a success.