Since independence, Ghana has seen charismatic leaders, military coups, and peaceful democratic elections. The last 70 years have been marked by both successes and failures, write Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Jeffrey Haynes and Samuel Kofi Darkwa.

On 6 March 2025, Ghana marked sixty-eight years of independence with modest celebrations as part of newly-elected President John Mahama’s priority to reduce public spending given the country’s serious economic challenges. The economics of celebration notwithstanding, Ghanaians deserve to look back with pride at nearly seven decades of statehood as the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain freedom from colonial rule in 1957 under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah.

Reflection on Ghana’s nearly seven decades of nationhood focuses attention on two important points. The first is Ghana’s extraordinary socio-economic development in the first years of its independence under President Kwame Nkrumah. Second, the abrupt disruption of the country’s development trajectory after Nkrumah’s government was ousted from power in a military coup on 24 February 1966. The subsequent missed opportunities by political leaders to advance Nkrumah’s vision of building a strong society under the banner of freedom and justice are also a vital part of the story. Since 1957, systemic disruptions, including political instability in the form of frequent military coups, economic and political mismanagement, and corruption have obstructed Ghana’s development agenda.

The question of the last 68 years is: How far has the dream of Nkrumah and other nationalist heroes been delivered in Ghana? Unfortunately, as things stand, the dream became something of a nightmare because of the disruptive impact of unelected military regimes.  

Nkrumah envisioned a Ghana where political freedom and independence would translate into economic freedom and civil liberties. This was encapsulated in his famous statement, “Seek ye first the political kingdom, and all else shall be added unto you.”

Following Nkrumah’s overthrow, Ghana experienced 15 years of alternating unelected military and democratically elected civilian governments. In December 1981, a left-wing populist, Flt.-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, took power for the second time, following a brief period in 1979. On both occasions, Rawlings led a military coup and espoused populism rather than liberal democracy believing it the best political way forward.

Populism made inroads into the politics of sub-Saharan Africa in the 1960s, but Rawlings was not the first to make a stir in Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah was a left-wing populist like Rawlings who stressed the need for broad popular mobilisation in pursuit of equity and autonomy in order for Ghana to be truly free and independent. Unlike Rawlings, Nkrumah highlighted the need for a form of African socialism, with his party, the Convention Peoples Party, leading the recovery from the deprivations of British colonialism. Rawlings’ military-based left-wing populism, like the earlier populism of Nkrumah, is best understood in the interlinked contexts of decolonisation, Ghana’s problematic postcolonial history, and the Cold War.

Ghana’s Democratic Voyage

Nkrumah’s dream became a nightmare after the 1966 coup and several subsequent coups. Rawlings unexpectedly steered Ghana back in a democratic direction with a return to elected civilian government and constitutional rule in 1992. 

Ghana’s Fourth Republic, the longest in its history spanning over three decades, emphasises the country’s steadfast adhesion to democratic ideals. Since 1992, Ghana has held nine peaceful elections, with only minor to moderate violence, as well as four peaceful transfers of power between rival political parties even when election results were very close. The Fourth Republic is also characterised by a vibrant media landscape, an active civil society, and a relatively independent judiciary. All vital components of a functioning democracy. Nevertheless, challenges such as corruption, youth unemployment, economic and gender equality persist.     

Approaching seventy years of statehood offers a unique opportunity to assess Ghana’s progress. The historical journey outlined above underscores the importance of learning from the past, correcting mistakes, and building upon past successes. This is where President Mahama’s recent emphasis on reflection, review, and reset of Ghana is of particular importance. Many Ghanaians are yearning to see Ghana’s political freedom and success within the Fourth Republic translate into economic prosperity. The time to address youth unemployment, economic and gender equality is now, and the chance to rectify things must not be missed.

Nearly seven decades of statehood is a remarkable achievement in the life of a nation. But it also represents an important moment to reflect on the past and the way forward. There is no question that Nkrumah was a larger-than-life leader with extraordinary ideas and vision for the development of Ghana and Africa. But his vision, especially on the unity of Africa against neocolonialism, is yet to be realised. Ghana’s more than three decades of sustained democratic rule amidst the re-emergence of coups in West Africa and elsewhere on the African continent and the rise of authoritarian regimes offers Ghana a great opportunity to lead on the democratic way forward. To take this leadership role, as Nkrumah did with nationalist movements in the 1960s, Ghana needs to put “its house in order” by addressing concerns such as corruption, mismanagement, soaring public debt, and other existing systemic vulnerabilities.