Ghana, until independence from British colonial rule on March 6,
1957, was known as the Gold Coast. The country is named after
one of the ancient Sudanese Empires which flourished between the
4th and 10th centuries. Three years after independence (1960)
Ghana became a Republic with Dr Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the
Convention Peoples Party (CPP) as the first President. Under Dr
Nkrumah, Ghana made rapid and remarkable progress in education,
industrial and infrastructural development and in the provision
of social services. At the same time, the country played a
leading role in international affairs, particularly in the
struggle for the liberation of dependent countries in Africa,
and African unity. The country played an active role in a number
of international organizations including the United Nations and
its specialised agencies, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of
African Unity Now African Union and the Non-Aligned Movement.
However, on February 24, 1966, the Ghana Armed Forces, in
cooperation with the Pol