Ghana | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–1960 | |||||||||
| Motto: "Freedom and Justice" | |||||||||
| Anthem: God Bless Our Homeland Ghana | |||||||||
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| Capital | Accra | ||||||||
| Official languages | English | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentaryconstitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Monarch | |||||||||
• 1957–1960 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1957 | Charles Noble Arden-Clarke | ||||||||
• 1957–1960 | Lord Listowel | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1957–1960 | Kwame Nkrumah | ||||||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
| 6 March 1957 | |||||||||
• Republic | 1 July 1960 | ||||||||
| Currency | BWA pound (1957–1958) Ghanaian pound (1958–1965) | ||||||||
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Ghana was the first African country colonised by European powers to achieve independence under majority rule. During the first three years after independence, from 1957 to 1960, Ghana was aCommonwealth realm[1] with aWestminster system of government andElizabeth II, theBritish monarch, served asQueen of Ghana. Although the country was sometimes referred to as the Dominion of Ghana during this period, it never held the formal status ofDominion within the British Empire.
The country that became the independent state ofGhana was at the date of independence made up of four separate territories with different statuses in British law: theGold Coast Colony (founded in 1821); Ashanti (a"protectorate" from 1896 and a"colony" from 1901);British Togoland (aUN Trust Territory, formerly aLeague of Nations Mandate); and theNorthern Territories (a "protectorate").[2]
Within the legal regime established by theBritish Nationality Act 1948 (entry into force, 1 January 1949), and related legislation, all British colonies were deemed under United Kingdom law to be "within the crown's dominions". This status continued after independence within theCommonwealth, so long as the new state continued to recognise the same person who was the British monarch as its head of state.[3]
From the date of entry into force of theGhana Independence Act 1957 on 6 March 1957 the new state of Ghana became what was in British law termed an "independent Commonwealth country". It remained "within the crown's dominions" until 1 July 1960, when it became theRepublic of Ghana and the Queen ceased to be head of state. The Republic of Ghana remained within the Commonwealth, though no longer "within the crown's dominions".[4]
During the period from 1957 to 1960,Kwame Nkrumah held office asprime minister (andhead of government). The monarch's constitutional roles as head of state were mostly delegated to theGovernor-General of Ghana. The following governors-general held office:
Following the creation of a republic by the1960 Ghanaian constitutional referendum, Nkrumah won thepresidential election and became the firstPresident of Ghana.
Ghana never held the legal status of "Dominion" within the British Empire, a status given to self-governing colonies (given legislative independence by the Statute of Westminster 1931), including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa; as well as India and Pakistan from 15 August 1947, one month after their independence, and Ceylon for a few months of 1948. The status of Dominion ceased to exist in its previous form from 1949, as the former Dominions became "independent Commonwealth countries"; however, the term continued to be used for thirty years, and Nkrumah demanded Dominion status for the Gold Coast in 1951, as one stage in the negotiations for independence.[5]
