Ghana

Historical overview

The area of present-day Ghana was home to powerful African societies and trading states long before European colonial rule. The Akan states, including the Asante Empire, developed complex political institutions, commercial networks and military systems. The Fante, Ga, Ewe and other communities also maintained their own political structures and regional relationships.

Portuguese traders established contact with the coast in the fifteenth century. European forts and trading posts later became central to the Atlantic slave trade. The British gradually expanded their influence, and the Gold Coast became a British Crown Colony in 1874. The Asante Empire resisted British expansion through a series of wars, culminating in British occupation of Kumasi in 1896 and the annexation of Asante in 1901.

The modern independence movement gained strength after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention was formed in 1947, and Kwame Nkrumah established the Convention People’s Party in 1949. The 1948 Accra disturbances and subsequent political reforms accelerated the movement towards self-government. Ghana became independent on 6 March 1957, the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from British colonial rule. Ministry Of Foreign AffairsGhana became a republic in 1960 under Nkrumah. His government pursued industrialisation, education and pan-African diplomacy, but political opposition and civil liberties were increasingly restricted. Ghana became a one-party state in 1964. A military coup on 24 February 1966 removed Nkrumah while he was abroad.

The country experienced alternating civilian and military governments between 1966 and 1993. These included the Second Republic under Kofi Busia (1969–72), military rule under Ignatius Acheampong and subsequent leaders, the short-lived Third Republic under Hilla Limann (1979–81), and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) led by Jerry Rawlings after the coup of 31 December 1981. parliament.ghA new Constitution was approved in 1992, and the Fourth Republic began on 7 January 1993. Since then, Ghana has maintained continuous constitutional civilian government and has experienced peaceful transfers of power between competing political parties. This continuity is an important subject for research into democratic institutions in West Africa. Parliament of Ghana Library

Key historical timeline

1. 15th centuryPortuguese establish contact with the Gold Coast.
2. 1701Asante victory at the Battle of Feyiase helps consolidate the Asante Empire.
3. 1874Gold Coast declared a British Crown Colony.
4. 1901Asante annexed by Britain; Northern Territories made a protectorate.
5. 1947United Gold Coast Convention founded.
6. 1948Accra disturbances and colonial crackdown.
7. 1949Convention People’s Party founded by Kwame Nkrumah.
8. 1951CPP wins elections; Nkrumah becomes Leader of Government Business.
9. 6 March 1957Ghana gains independence.
10. 1 July 1960Ghana becomes a republic.
11. 1964Ghana becomes a one-party state.
12. 24 February 1966Military coup removes Nkrumah.
13. 1969Second Republic begins.
14. 13 January 1972Military coup ends the Second Republic.
15. 4 June 1979Armed Forces Revolutionary Council takes power.
16. September 1979Third Republic begins.
17. 31 December 1981Military coup establishes the PNDC.
18. 1992New Constitution approved and multiparty elections held.
19. 7 January 1993Fourth Republic inaugurated.
20. 2000First transfer of presidential power between elected governments under the Fourth Republic.
21. 2008Another peaceful transfer of presidential power following elections.Important historical documents to digitiseAsante royal records and diplomatic correspondence.Records of the Anglo-Asante wars.Bond of 1844 and related colonial agreements.Gold Coast Legislative Council records.Burns Constitution (1946).Coussey Committee report and constitutional proposals.Records of the 1948 disturbances.Independence Constitution (1957).Republican Constitution (1960).Records of the 1966 coup and subsequent military governments.Constitutions of 1969 and 1979.1992 Constitution of Ghana.Electoral Commission reports and election results.Parliamentary records of the Fourth Republic.Archives and research linksPublic Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) – Ghana’s national archival institution.Parliament of Ghana – History of Parliament – official parliamentary chronology.Parliament of Ghana Library – Historical collection – constitutional and legislative background.Ministry of Foreign Affairs – About Ghana – pre-colonial kingdoms and independence.Judicial Service of Ghana – Constitutional history – legal institutions and changes of government.Human-rights focus: Colonial political exclusion, the suppression of opposition under one-party rule, preventive detention, military coups, restrictions on the media and the development of multiparty constitutional government.