Ghana, the former “Gold Coast”, was the first African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence in 1957.

Ghana lies at the heart of a region which has been leading sub-Saharan African culture since the first millennium BC in metal-working, mining, sculpture and agriculture. The ancient kingdom of Ghana controlled the gold trade between the mining areas and the Saharan trade routes and was also the focus for the export trade in Saharan copper and salt.

The coming of Europeans altered the trading patterns, and the focus of economic power shifted to the West African coast-line. The Portuguese came first, seeking the source of the African gold. It lay too far inland for them to reach; but on the Gold Coast they found a region where gold could be obtained, exported along established trade paths from the interior. Their fort at Elmina ("the mine") was the first in a series of forts along the Gold Coast. In due course, however, slaves replaced gold as the most lucrative trade along the coast.

By the 19th century, the Asante empire was seeking mastery of the coast. By this time the British had won control of the coastal trade. Meanwhile, the Fantes too had been uniting and organising, and in 1868 formed themselves into a confederacy under a king-president with a 15,000 strong army, a civil service and a constitution. In 1871 the British arrested the Fante leaders for "treason". In 1874 the British formally established the British Crown Colony of the Gold Coast, "legalising" a colonial policy which had in fact been in force since the signing of the bond between the coastal Chiefs and the British in 1844. The Gold Coast was regarded as the showpiece of Britain's colonies: the richest, the best educated, the first to have an elected majority in the legislature and with the best organised native authorities. The Gold Coast riots in 1948, which marked the start of the people's agitation for independence, were instrumental in changing British policy and drove home the point that colonialism had no future.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, born in 1909 and trained as a teacher at Achimota College in Ghana and then in the United States and Britain became prominent as a leader of West African organisations in London and was invited to return to Ghana as general secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention. In 1949 he broke away to from the Convention People's Party with the slogan Self-Government Now. In February 1951 the party swept to victory in the polls and became the leaders of Government business in the colony's first African government. The Gold Coast had become the first British colony in Africa to achieve self-government. On 6 March 1957 Ghana achieved independence. On 1st July 1960 it became a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its first President. In 1966, the Ghana armed forces and the police overthrew the government of Dr. Nkrumah. A National Liberation Council (NLC), headed by Lt. General Joseph A. Ankrah, was formed to administer the country.

The 2nd Republic of Ghana which was a parliamentary system with a Prime Minister as head of the government and a ceremonial President as a Head of State was between 1969 and 1972. In 1969, Dr. K. A. Busia’s party received a landslide victory but his efforts to liberalise the fiscal policy to attract outside investment and to implement an austerity program to halt the deteriorating economic conditions did not prove successful. In early part of 1972 Dr. Busia’s government was overthrown in a military takeover by a group of soldiers led by Col. I. K. Acheampong whilst the Prime Minister was outside the country.

In 1979, an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was set up under the chairmanship of Flt.Lt. J. J. Rawlings, who allowed general elections to be held. On 24th September 1979, the AFRC handed over power to the civilian administration of Dr. Hilla Limann, leader of the People's National Party. The Limann administration was overthrown on 31st December 1981 in another coup by Mr. Rawlings. In 1990, the National Commission for Democracy (NCD), organised forums in all the 10 regions of the country at which Ghanaians of all walks of life advanced their views as to what form of government they wanted. A final draft constitution was unanimously approved by the people in a referendum in 1992. In the presidential elections, Mr. Rawlings garnered 58.8% of the votes. The Fourth Republic was inaugurated in 1993 with J.J. Rawlings as President.

In the year 2000 elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with Mr John A. Kufuor, won a landslide victory in the second round of voting. In December 2004 general elections, President Kufuor won in the first round and was mandated to rule a second four-year term.

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