History History

The Ghanaian coast was populated by men practicing fishing from the beginning of the Bronze Age. Two to three centuries later, the inland area was probably colonized by men from the Niger basin.

Beginning of the empire of Ghana at the same time as that of the kingdoms of West Africa. The word "ghana" refers to the king, but is also used to refer generally to everything related to the king, the capital and the kingdom.

Al-Yaqubi, Arab historian and geographer, considers Ghana as one of the best organized states in the region: wealth (gold) and skilled warriors. These resources coupled with military mastery determined the kingdom's relations with Arab and Mediterranean countries for centuries.

Arrival of the Portuguese in the Gulf of Guinea. In 1471, they settled on the coast of what would become Ghana. This territory was later named Gold Coast.

The Portuguese established a first trading post in the place of the current town of Elmina. The fortress São Jorge da Mina is still visible. In 1503, they built a castle in Axim. From these forts, they exported gold and ivory and Ghana became the first source of the precious metal in Europe. The Portuguese kept the monopoly of the gold trade for almost 150 years, before turning to a much more lucrative trade around 1650: slaves.

Throughout the ^17th century, forts multiplied along the coast to facilitate the gold trade and the slave trade. To keep control over the various coastal ethnic groups, the Portuguese built a military base called El Mina. This economic success attracted a lot of covetousness, so much so that the Dutch disembarked and took over the Portuguese fortresses between 1631 and 1641. These newcomers shared the coastline with the British and other European traders. Thus, between 1650 and 1652, the Swedes built the Carolusburg fort on the Cape Coast. In 1665, the English seized it! European rivalries to control access to the Gulf of Guinea raged in the region. At the same time, inland, powerful kingdoms led by the Ashanti were established: they demanded tribute from their neighbors, paid in the form of human labor.

It was under the reign of Osei Toutou, enthroned king in 1695, that the Ashanti kingdom began to flourish. A century later, it was under the chieftainship of Osei Bunsu that the kingdom reached its peak. It then declined slowly after 1775.

After a moment of brilliance, notably with the capture of Accra and Christianborg in 1680, the Akwamu ethnic group was in decline.

French attack on Cape Coast.

The advent of the ^19th century marked the decline of European trade.

Since the beginning of the ^eighteenth century, the Ashanti had their own kingdom and were well aware of the importance of having influence over other peoples in order to protect their borders. So much so that they decided to exert control over the Fulani and Fanti tribes settled on the coast. But they soon faced the British, who were reluctant to give up their forts. In 1827 the battle of Akatamanso took place, which the Ashanti lost. This defeat resulted in a treaty that undermined their ambitions.

The relations between France and Ghana have always been very limited. Few Frenchmen have distinguished themselves in these lands. But a young adventurer knew how to provoke destiny to know an atypical course and leave forever his name engraved in Ashanti territory. Born in 1844, to parents who were farmers in the Ain region, Marie-Joseph Bonnat had a strong desire to escape from his home country. After a first unsuccessful attempt, his dream came true when he boarded a ship in Bordeaux and set sail for Guinea. The end of the voyage was not a happy one, with some of the crew feeling ill. But, with two companions, he decided to unload some of the goods on the ship at the mouth of the Volta River. The bartering then begins between the natives that they meet, him and his two associates of fortune. Right away, he had only one objective: to explore the Volta in the hope of finding markets and being able to live from this activity, or rather to survive. Quickly, the business takes off. The products he offered found takers, and he even began to export cotton to England. But the adventure came to an end. He was captured by the Ashanti in 1869, when he was only 24 years old. He was sent to Kumasi. After 18 months in prison, he finally met the king after many requests. His fascination with the Ashanti began when he saw the gold spread out before his eyes. His talents as an orator and negotiator enabled him to obtain some of his freedom and even to recover a piece of land that he could cultivate as he pleased. Always seduced by the way of life of this people, he studied their customs. In personal letters found in 1979, he recounts his dismay at their desire to accumulate wealth and possess. He depicts the structure of their political organization. He also emphasizes their great moral strength in battle and relates the motto: "kum apem a aepem beba" (editor's note: if you kill 1,000, 1,000 will come back). He also explains democracy as it is conceived by the Ashanti. The chief has limited powers and must rely on a council to make major decisions. If he does not, he is quickly accused of despotism and loses his rank. The day of his deliverance arrived quite quickly. And he owed it to the English. In 1874, the Crown attacked Kumasi to regain control of southern Ghana. Marie-Joseph Bonnat is taken prisoner by the British forces, before being hired in the army as a... nurse. He finally returned to France a few weeks later. But he had Africa at heart and above all the desire to do business there. His first encounter with the region whetted his appetite and he was convinced that he could make a fortune there. He returned to the Gold Coast, taking advantage of his privileged relationship with the new king of the Ashanti, who appointed him "intimate adviser", as Bonnat's own texts explain. He was so well regarded that he even obtained for six years the total monopoly and the right of navigation on the Volta River, as well as the right to own for 20 years the sites necessary for the construction of his establishments, in exchange for a few taxes. He was appointed governor of the Volta province. After several ups and downs, his business did not take off due to the reluctance of some local chiefs and the British government, which was concerned about the eventual success of his projects. Faced with these failures, he had to return to France. From one small job to another to pay off the debts that had accumulated, he met the inventor of a machine for extracting gold. In his mind, the link between the machine and the Ashanti's wealth is quickly established. Here he is again on his way to Ghana. He carried out a small inspection campaign on the Ankobra River, which quickly produced good results. His company had up to a thousand employees. He was rich. He decided to return to France to get married. It is during his fourth trip that his beautiful story ends, at 37 years old. The causes of his death are not clearly defined, even if violent fevers seem to be the main cause. Today, a statue representing him can even be seen in Tarkwa.

The British, through the Foreign Jurisdiction Act, took over the Gold Coast and made it one of their colonies.

A new treaty was signed: the Ashanti were forced to abandon their claims to the southern territories.

The British grouped the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Lagos into a single colonial empire. A few years later, in 1872, they bought back the Dutch possessions.

Two years after the British arrested the Fanti leaders, tensions with the Ashanti increased. A real war broke out (the Sagrenti War), which ended with the burning of the Ashanti capital, Kumasi, the following year, in 1874. British power took hold: in 1877, they moved their headquarters from Cape Coast to Accra.

The French and English colonists drew the outline of the Ivory Coast, Upper Volta and the "northern territories" in Paris.

While most of the territory was placed under direct administrative control (the borders of Ghana were drawn that year), the Ashanti territory and part of the north of the country preserved a certain autonomy. Modern Ghana was then in its infancy. The traditions of the Ashanti and Fanti survived well during British rule.

As early as 1925, the very first signs of independence were felt. Elections were held for the first time in Ghana to elect a legislative council made up of local chiefs: the paramount chiefs of the western, central and western regions.

England came out of the war very weakened and the colonial system was out of breath. In 1947, India obtained its independence. For the Ghanaian intelligentsia, the sign was clear. That same year, 1947, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was appointed Secretary General of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).

Nkrumah left the UGCC to found his own party, the Convention People's Party (CPP). Two years later, in 1951, the CPP won the elections. Nkrumah was actively involved in the pan-African movement. Born in England and on the other side of the Atlantic, Pan-Africanism gradually gained the consciousness of African elites.

The Gold Coast became Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), known as Osagyefo (the Redeemer) became Governor General and Prime Minister.

Official proclamation of the Republic of Ghana: Nkrumah becomes president. The first years of governance of the young Ghanaian nation were very quiet. The opposition was virtually absent (or at least quickly ousted by the president) from the national political scene. It is within the ruling party, the CPP, that the first criticisms are emerging in the person of Tawia Adamafio, who is responsible for presidential affairs. The latter is gathering more and more militants around him.

Kwame Nkrumah narrowly escaped a car bombing. Tawia Adamafio and two other CPP leaders were charged and sentenced to death. Their sentence was eventually commuted to 20 years in prison.

Kwame Nkrumah, weakened by this attack, feared for his life. He then had a referendum to ban any political party other than his own. Another law was passed, establishing that only one candidate could run for president. Kwame Nkrumah was easily re-elected in 1965 as head of state.

Construction of the Akosombo dam begins.

While Nkrumah was on a diplomatic trip to Asia, the opposition, frustrated at having no representation in the political arena, plotted a successful coup. Joseph Ankrah became president. Nkrumah would never return to Ghana. The first page of the political era under independence was turned, and many problems remained. Few Ghanaians believe in the legitimacy and usefulness of a national leader. Most prefer to trust local chieftainships.

A coup against General Ankrah failed.

The 1969 elections appeared to be the most competitive since 1951. The Progressive Party (PP) led by Kofi Busia was pitted against the National Liberal Alliance (NAL) of Komla A. Gbedemah. In the end, the PP won the election, taking 74 per cent of the seats in parliament. The parliament (which leads the PP) is seeking to reform as quickly as possible: the two main measures taken by Kofi Busia are a law limiting foreign investment in small businesses and the expulsion from the country of thousands of non-Ghanaians.

Edward Akufo-Addo (b. 1906) was appointed president (previously, the presidency was held by a three-person panel).

27 months after the elections, a new bloody coup d'état led by General Acheampong (head of the National Redemption Party - NRC) pushed the new president out. The obvious reasons for this putsch? Impatience in the face of economic difficulties and the non-respect of the workers' right to strike. This event signs the death warrant of the young Ghanaian democracy. A military dictatorship was established and the large foreign companies were nationalized. The first oil shock will harm the development of the country. In 1975, the NRC became the Supreme Military Council (SMC) and the tone became tougher: independent newspapers were banned and spreading rumours became a crime. Anti-SMC militancy tends to gain too much momentum, especially in academic circles, and some universities see their doors closed.

At their evocation, there are names which are accompanied by a bad image. Acheampong's is one of them. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, born in 1931 in Kumasi, found himself at the helm of Ghana from January 1972 to July 1978, after plotting a coup against Kofi Busia, who had democratically won the elections a few months earlier. A teacher by training and then a military man, he always sought to strengthen the power of the military in government. Under Acheampong, Ghana underwent many changes that are still visible in today's society, such as the switch from the imperial to the metric system of measurement, and driving on the right instead of the left. He was ousted from power by General Fred Akuffo on July 5, 1978, and was arrested and imprisoned in a prison in the Ashanti region. He was later shot by a firing squad.

Death of Nkrumah and national funeral in Ghana.

The measures put in place by the new regime did not change anything and the people became impatient: inflation was close to 300% and basic necessities (rice and water) were increasingly difficult to obtain, sometimes even impossible to find. It was then that Lieutenant General Frederick Akuffo staged a coup.

In January 1979, a new constitution was even drafted to defend multiparty politics. But on May 16 of that year, a few months before it was institutionalized, a group of non-commissioned officers and soldiers in the army led by Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings staged a new coup d'état, which failed. The main perpetrators were arrested.

A new putsch by the survivors of the previous coup d'état, this one victorious. J. Rawlings was released.

Power was returned to civilians and to Dr. Hilla Limann, leader of the National People's Party, who had just won the elections. He proclaimed the Third Republic.

As the economic situation deteriorated, Limann was overthrown and Jerry Rawlings and his team took over, determined to implement far-reaching reforms. Once again, political parties other than his own were banned. 10,000 teachers went into exile the following year.

Rawlings owes the salvation of the country to the unconditional aid of the international community, the World Bank and the IMF.

A year after a failed coup, Rawlings was the victim of assassination attempts.

With a better economic record than his predecessors, Rawlings was elected president in 1992 (in the first round with 58.3 per cent of the vote) and re-elected four years later (57.2 per cent). Political instability then seemed to have fled Ghana forever.

In 1997, although the country's growth rate remained high, the other indicators (inflation rate, debt and budget deficit) were still worrying. It was not until John Kufuor came to power on 7 January 2000 that the economic situation improved overall. But the standard of living of Ghanaians has not really improved.

Kufuor ran for re-election and again won a majority of the votes. With a high growth rate, he undertook numerous reforms, particularly in the field of education.

Ghana joins the Francophonie.

John Atta Mills, from the opposition National Democratic Congress, won the election against the incumbent party without a hitch.

John Atta-Mills was born into a wealthy family, graduated from the University of Accra with a law degree, and obtained his doctorate in Oriental and African Studies in London. He was a professor of law at the University of Accra before landing in the inner circle of power in 1997 as vice president of Jerry Rawlings until 2001. He became the candidate of his political party, the NDC (National Democratic Congress). It is only in 2009 that he managed to win the presidential elections. He died on July 24, 2012 (born on July 21, 1944, at this date Ghana is called the Gold Coast). His native village, Tarkwa, north of Takoradi, is known for its gold mines. The man was known for his uprightness in state accounts and his political honesty. The whole country mourned him. He is still remembered as the president who solidified democracy in Ghana, the one who received U.S. President Barack Obama in July 2009, who considered Ghana to be the country with the most exemplary democratic history in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ghana reaches the quarterfinals of the World Cup in South Africa.

Death of John Atta Mills, 68 years old, in the course of his duties as President of Ghana. John Dramani Mahama succeeded him, elected in December 2012. During his tenure, the president faced a lot of criticism, mostly related to the slowdown of the economy.

President Mahama is taking over as head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose presidency is moving from Yamoussoukro to Accra.

Facing incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party won the presidential election with 53.85% of the vote. He officially took office on January 7, 2017.

The country mourns the death of Kofi Annan, one of its most famous compatriots. The following year, Ghana decided to form an economic association with its neighbor Côte d'Ivoire in order to obtain fair prices in the sale of cocoa, as both countries are major producers.

President Nana Akufo-Addo takes over the presidency of ECOWAS.

Ghana, just after Zambia, is the second African country since the beginning of the Covid-19 era to default on its debt.