Exactly 62 years ago, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to officially become a Republic.
What this meant was that Ghana was no longer ruled by a monarch, but by a representative of the people; usually through the ballot system of elections.
Before this, on March 6, 1957, Ghana emerged as the first African nation south of the Sahara to become independent from colonial rule.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, whose Convention Peoples Party (CPP) had won a convincing victory in the 1956 general election, became the first Prime Minister and Dr. K.A. Busia emerged as the leader of the opposition.
Three years after this, on exactly July 1, 1960, Ghana became a Republic.
It was on this day that Kwame Nkrumah’s status as the country’s Prime Minister, changed to him becoming its first president.
However, in 1966, Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown by a military coup led by Kotoka, bringing to an end the country’s 1st Republic.
Here is a video of Kwame Nkrumah presiding over the Republic Day celebrations at the Black Star Square and the Independence Square in 1965, just a year before he was booted out of power through a military takeover.
