A Short History of Ghana

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The Dogomba and Mamprussi states flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries in the north while Akan speakers, the Ashanti and the Fanti, migrated from the savanna and formed a series of small states below the forest line.

In the 16th century the Portuguese established trading settlements on the coast and the region became a major supplier of gold to Europe hence the name Gold Coast. During the 16th century, the developing slave trade whetted the interest of several European nations. The Dutch, the British and the Danes forced the Portuguese out, built forts and competed to trade with the Ashanti Empire who controlled trade going through their capital Kumasi. In 1821, 14 years after the abolition of the slave trade, the British private settlements were taken over by the Crown as were the Danish forts in 1850 and the Dutch settlements in 1871. The coastal area, by then entirely under British control, was designated a crown colony in 1874. A series of Ashanti-British wars continued sporadically until the Ashanti and the northern territories were annexed to the colony in 1901. After WWII, part of the German Togoland was added in 1922 and the first elections for a legislative council were held in 1925.

In 1957, the British Parliament passed the Ghana Independence Act, and the National Assembly of the Gold Coast adopted the name of Ghana and proclaimed its independence with the Marxist Kwame Nkrumah as Prime Minister. Ghana became a republic in 1960 with Nkrumah as president and opposition parties were outlawed in 1964. Two years later Nkrumah was ousted in a military coup and the Soviet and Chinese technicians, whom he had brought in, were expelled from the country.

Ghana was ruled by the National Liberation Council until power was transferred in 1969 to a civilian government headed by Kofi A. Busia who was ousted by another army coup in 1972, this one headed by Colonel Ignatius K. Acheampong who suspended the constitution, banned political activity, and curbed freedom of the press and union activities. Acheampong was forced to resign in 1978, giving way to General Frederick W. Akuffo, who ruled for less than a year before he was overthrown by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings who stepped down in favor of an elected civilian president, Hilla Limann.

When economic conditions worsened, Limann was deposed in a second coup led by Rawlings in 1981. His regime had to suppress many coup attempts until a referendum reestablished a constitutional government in 1992. Rawlings, running as a civilian, won the presidency in multiparty elections that year and was re-elected in December 1996.

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