SUMMARY
Following independence in 1960, Ghana soon began to suffer from an economic crisis and political turmoil. Numerous armed coups and coup attempts have taken place, on three occasions reaching the level of an armed conflict: in 1966, 1981, and 1983. In the 1981 coup, power was assumed by forces led by Jerry John Rawlings, who came to dominate much of the country’s modern history.
IN DEPTH
A series of violent coups: 1966, 1981, and 1983
Kwame Nkrumah became Ghana’s President in 1960, a few years after independence, and under his rule, the country soon became a one-party state. Popular discontent with Nkrumah’s personalized rule and mishandling of the economy grew in subsequent years. Thus, when a military coup was launched in February 1966, it was greeted with widespread popular support. On 24 February, while President Nkrumah was on a state visit in China, Army units seized strategic installations in the capital, Accra. They issued a statement saying that Nkrumah’s government had been deposed. The army soldiers also clashed with members of the presidential guard, resulting in deaths amounting to a minor armed conflict. The resistance was quickly defeated, and the coup leaders set up the NLC (National Liberation Council) under the leadership of Major-General Joseph Arthur Ankrah. The new government quickly received recognition from states around the world. The NLC announced that it would initiate the drafting of a new constitution and, as soon as possible, transfer power to a democratically elected government. This transition took place three years later, in 1969.
However, political turmoil soon resumed as economic crisis persisted, and corruption grew. The 1970s saw continuing instability, several coup attempts, and a return to military rule. In 1979, AFRC (Armed Forces Revolutionary Council) led by Jerry John Rawlings briefly assumed power, shortly after that handing over power to an elected government. This government, led by President Hula Limann, however, also proved unable to reverse Ghana’s economic and political problems. On 31 December 1981, dissident soldiers led by Rawlings staged another coup, featuring armed clashes that amounted to a minor armed conflict. The loyalist forces were quickly defeated, and the coup leaders announced the establishment of a Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), headed by Rawlings. The stated objective of the PNDC was to enable participation by previously oppressed opposition groups, draft a “people’s constitution” and pave the way for a return to a free and fair democracy. It also adopted measures to end the economic crisis. The coup and the establishment of the PNDC were generally greeted with popular support.
Although Rawlings’ PNDC enjoyed widespread popular support, some opposed its restructuring of Ghanaian politics and economy and went into exile to establish resistance groups. The PNDC was faced with numerous coup attempts during subsequent years. One of these, in June 1983, reached the level of an armed conflict. Dissident forces loyal to officers Ekow Dennis and Edward Adjei-Ampofo seized the radio station in Accra and broadcast a message denouncing the government. However, the coup attempt was quickly quelled by the government forces. Although multiparty democracy was restored in the early 1990s, Jerry John Rawlings continued to dominate Ghanaian politics and served as President until 2001.
