Establishment of full regional selfgovernment for the east and west in 1957 and for the north in 1959. Some of the features of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana are who has the right to vote, what rights are protected by the courts, and the procedures that must be followed by the. Nkrumah saw independent ghana as a spearhead for the liberation of the rest of africa from colonial rule and the establishment of a socialist african unity under his leadership. An act to make provision for, and in connection with, the attainment by the gold coast of fully responsible status within the british commonwealth of nations. Supremacy of the constitution 1 the sovereignty of ghana resides in the people of ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this constitution. The constitution, according to constitution pundits, reflected the lessons learnt from the previous constitutions of ghana such as the 1957, 1960, 1969 and.
The evolution of ghana law since independence william burnett haivey introduction on march 6, 1957, the british gold coast achieved independence in circumstances that apparently offered a bright future for sovereign, independent ghana. On 6 march 1957,1 the gold coast attained independence and. Ghanas independence from britain in 1957 was widely celebrated in the african diaspora. These were the six brave men and leaders of the united gold coast convention u. Formed from the merger of the british colony of the gold coast and the togoland trust territory, ghana in 1957 became the first subsaharan country in colonial africa to gain its independence. The new constitution for ghana must be made by order in council passed before the actual date of independence. The constitution of the republic of the republic of ghana 1992 1.
The earliest europeans to arrive here were the portuguese in the 15 th century. Ghana independence act 1957 1957 chapter 6 5 and 6 eliz 2. The constitution of 1951 resulted from the report of the coussey. The early period of nationalist struggle for political independence created political awareness and desire to assert the right of selfdetermination both for the individual and the state. As the house knows, ghana is to attain independence within the commonwealth on 6th march. Following the 7 march 1957 declaration of independence by ghana from the united kingdom. Gold coast constitution order in council, 1954, shall as from.
The ghanaian constitution of 1992 invests the creation of districts. Most workers have been given the day off tens of thousands have gathered in the capital, accra, to greet the independent countrys first prime minister, dr kwame nkrumah. Ghana became a member of the commonwealth of nations and was led to independence by kwame nkrumah who transformed the country into a republic, with himself as president for life. In 1992, ghana promulgated a new constitution, and returned to. After a constitution was drafted for the second republic, elections were held in. In 1957, the ghana constitution order in council was adopted by the british parliament. The independence constitution, under which ghana retained the westminster. It is therefore the responsibility of her majestys government in the united. Viewed against this background, the remarkable feature of gold coast. Act, 1957, has made provision for cc the attainment by the gold.
The media of ghana, includes television, radio, internet publishing and newspapers. The people of ghana have been celebrating the end of colonial rule and the dawn of their independence. Constitutionmaking and constitutional rule in ghana. What are the features of the constitution of ghana answers. On march 6, 1957, ghana attained sovereign statehood and. Jerry rawlings took power in 1981 and banned political parties. Formerly known as the gold coast, ghana gained independence from britain. On 6 march 1957, the gold coast now known as ghana gained independence from britain. Some pertinent issues in the current dispensation raymond baguio bening abstract the creation of administrative districts and parliamentary constituencies constitute major aspects of the internal organisation of states. Besides setting up a parliamentary system of government, the 1957 constitution provided for the representation of chiefs and tribal authorities in the regional councils, converted the legislative assembly to the national assembly, and entrenched. The independence constitution, officially titled, the ghana constitution order in council, was firmly. Ghana constitution 1960 preliminary note by francis bennion the following is the text of the 1960 ghana constitution, the first constitution of the country after it became an independent republic by virtue of the ghana independence act 1957.
The independence of ghana in law, as in politics, the year 1957 will stand out as a landmark in the history of the commonwealth. Like its neighbours, ghanas postindependence history has been one of political and economic decline. They were and are gallant men who spearheaded the transition of ghana from colonialism to independence on that memorable day the 6th of march, 1957. Kwame nkrumah became the countries new and first prime minister. With this at the backdrop, the chapter examines the trajectories of constitutionmaking and constitutional practice in ghana over the halfcentury since independence, taking into consideration issues like what accounted for the quick succession and varied nature of constitutions in ghana over the last fifty years. The creation of districts and constituencies in ghana. Act 527 constitution of the republic of ghana amendment act, 1996. On their arrival, they found so much gold between the river ankobra and the volta and subsequently named it da mina, meaning the mine.
On this day in 1957, ghana achieved its independence from the british. A highly accessible, easy to use app version of the constitution of ghana the supreme law of the republic of ghana. Promulgation decree of the 1979 constitution of ghana. Browse and navigate ghana constitution in easy, natural real. It defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, powers and duties of the government, structure of the judiciary and legislature, and spells out the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. Constitution of ghana wikisource, the free online library. Ghanas history the gold coast colonial independence. The ghana independence act, 1957, has made provision for cc the attainment by the gold coast of fully responsible status within the british commonwealth. Ghana is considered one of the more stable countries in west africa since its transition to multiparty democracy in 1992. The political struggles that preceded this historic event date back over a hundred years ago. Ghana was the first of the colonies in subsaharan africa to gain its independence. Constitution of the fourth republic of ghana promulgation law, 1992 pndcl 282 as amended by constitution of the republic of ghana amendment act, 1996 act 527. Sources of law the constitution acts of parliament subsidiary legislation.
Despite being rich in mineral resources, and endowed with a good education system and efficient civil service, ghana fell victim to corruption and mismanagement soon after independence in 1957. Although political organizations had existed in the british colony, the united gold coast convention ugcc was the first nationalist movement with the aim of selfgovernment in the shortest possible time. Functions of national development planning commission 60. Since 195i, adroit leaders of a wellorganized political party had operated a responsible. Parliament of ghana a historical background of the. The constitution of ghana is the supreme law of the republic of ghana. As from the appointed day, the british nationality act, 1948, shall have effect a with the substitution in subsection 3 of section one thereof which provides for. Download pdf this decree, which serves as a preamble to the 1979 constitution, details what the functions were of the constituent assembly in 1978, including their power to deliberate upon the constitution for the establishment of a transitional national government for ghana, and to make. Ghana was the first black african country to obtain independence from colonial rule. Independence the politics of the independence movements although political organisations had existed in the british colony, the united gold coast convention ugcc was the first nationalist. In 1957, when the leaders of the former british colony of the gold coast sought an appropriate name for their newly independent statethe first black african nation to gain its independence from colonial rulethey named their new country after ancient ghana.
From 23 may to 26 june 1957, there was a constitutional conference in london arranged mainly to correct the deficiencies of lyttleton constitution of 1954 and which took the following decisions. A new constitution, approved on april 29, 1954, established a cabinet comprising african ministers drawn from an allafrican legislature chosen by direct election. Ghanas constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996. Ghana constitution hc deb 08 february 1957 vol 564 cc7714 771. After the founding of a republic in 1960, the state became identified with a single political party the cpp, with nkrumah, as life president of both, taking ever more power. Ghana succumbed to attacks by its neighbors in the 11th century, but its name and reputation endured. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Ghana before independence on march 6,1957 was called gold coast. Gold coast constitution order in council, 1954, shajj as fron1. The gold coast republic of ghanas history 19451966 under the first prime minister and then president osagyefo dr. Ghana during the colonial period and when it achieved. In the elections that followed, the convention peoples party cpp, led by kwame nkrumah, won the majority of seats in the new legislative assembly. Upon achieving independence from the united kingdom in 1957, the name ghana was chosen for the new nation as a reference to its ancient roots in the empire of ghana. Pdf the rule of law and democracy in ghana since independence. Every visitor is free to take pictures of buildings included the black star gate, but might be not permitted for close up photography of the independence arch, during any event. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km 2 92,099 sq mi, ghana is bordered by the ivory coast in the west, burkina faso in the north, togo in the east, and the gulf of guinea and atlantic ocean in the south. As from the appointed day, the british nationality act, 1948, shall have effect a with the substitution in subsection 3 of section one thereof which provides for persons to be british subjects. It was approved on 28 april 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support. The nlm was uncompromising in its demand for a federal constitution and given the spate of violence that followed the formation of that party, the colonial authorities in 1955, appointed sir frederick bourne to investigate and recommend the feasibility or otherwise of the federal system for independent ghana.