Declaration
Independence of Ghana, 1957
The Ghana Independence Act, 1957 established the Gold Coast, together with British Togoland, as the independent dominion of Ghana with effect from 6 March 1957, making it the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial rule.
What happened
The Ghana Independence Act, 1957, 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," received Royal Assent on 7 February 1957.[1] Section 1 provided: "The territories included immediately before the appointed day in the Gold Coast as defined in and for the purposes of the Gold Coast (Constitution) Order in Council, 1954, shall as from that day together form part of Her Majesty's dominions under the name of Ghana," and that "Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Ghana or any part thereof."[1] Section 5(2) defined "the appointed day" as "the sixth day of March, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven."[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
-
1.
Claim: The Ghana Independence Act, 1957, given Royal Assent on 7 February 1957, provided in Section 1 that the territories of the Gold Coast "shall as from that day together form part of Her Majesty's dominions under the name of Ghana," and that "Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Ghana or any part thereof." Section 5(2) defined "the appointed day" as "the sixth day of March, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven."
- Parliament of the United Kingdom, Ghana Independence Act, 1957 (5 & 6 Eliz. 2, c. 6) (7 February 1957) link, Sections 1 and 5. Government perspective or primary official source Source record