The
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
flag of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
consists of a horizontal triband of Red, Gold, and Green. It was designed in replacement of the
British Gold Coast
The Gold Coast was a British Crown colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1821 until its independence in 1957 as Ghana. The term Gold Coast is also often used to describe all of the four separate jurisdictions that were under the ad ...
's
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or Defacement (flag), defaced with a Heraldic badge, ...
.
The flag was adopted upon the independence of the
Dominion of Ghana
Ghana was the first African country colonised by European powers to achieve independence under majority rule. During the first three years after independence, from 1957 to 1960, a Westminster system of government was in place and the British mo ...
on March 6, 1957. It was designed the same year by
Theodosia Okoh
Theodosia Salome Okoh (born 13 June 1922 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian teacher and artist known for designing Ghana's national flag in 1957. She exhibited her artwork internationally. She also played a leading role in the development of h ...
, a renowned Ghanaian artist.
The flag was flown until 1964 and it was then reinstated in 1966. The flag of Ghana consists of the
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
n
Pan-African colours
Pan-African colours is a term that may refer to two different sets of colours:
* Green, yellow and red, the colours of the flag of Ethiopia, have come to represent the pan-Africanist ideology due to the country's history of having avoided being ...
of red, yellow, and green in horizontal stripes with
a black five-pointed star in the centre of the gold stripe. The Ghanaian flag was the second
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n flag after the
flag of the Ethiopian Empire to feature these colours, although the colours are inverted. The flag's design influenced that of the
flag of Guinea-Bissau
The national flag of Guinea-Bissau was adopted in 1973 when independence from Portugal was proclaimed.
Gallery
File:Flag of Portuguese Guinea (proposal).svg, Proposed flag for the Portuguese Guinea (1965)
File:Flag of PAIGC.svg, Flag of PAIGC
...
(1973).
Design
The Ghanaian flag was designed as a tricolour following in a sequence of red, gold and green. The colours are a representation of the country's struggle for independence and a symbol of its rich resources within the geographical location of the country among other African countries. The three colours used are quite memorable with a star of the sky designed in a black colour within the centre, taking the centre coverage of the gold colour.
The red colour of the national flag of Ghana was used to represent the blood of forefathers who led the struggle of independence and shared their blood through death. The country's struggle for independence from the United Kingdom took the life of prominent Ghanaian leaders at the time. The names of the big six were Edward Akufo Addo, Dr. Ako Adjei, William Ofori Atta, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Obetsebi Lamptey, and later Osagyefor Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The big six formed the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) an
anti-colonialist
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence m ...
political party formed to gain Ghanaian independence from
British colonial rule
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...
. Red also stands for love which might have influenced our forefathers who led the struggles for Ghana's independence for the love of the nation.
The gold colour takes the centre line of the three colours attraction and it represents the mineral resources mostly found in the Ashanti region of Ghana, helping to harness the wealth of the country. The gold is one of Ghana's mineral resources found mostly in Obuasi in Ashanti Region and Tarkwa in the Western Region. The enrichment of the gold resources of Ghana led to the initial name the Gold Coast which was later changed to Ghana of the struggle and success of the attainment of independence in 1957.
Ghana's other mineral resources are diamond, bauxite, and manganese.
The green symbolises Ghana's rich forests and natural wealth which provide the nation with oil, food, and cash crops such as cocoa, timber, sheabutter, and all kinds of food products for the country. The green colour till today is used as a symbol of the green vegetations of crop produce in Ghana. Ghana is noted for its cash crop of cocoa which was first brought to Ghana by Tetteh Quarshie from Fernando Po. Most of Ghana's cash crops are exported to overseas countries in exchange for physical cash which is used for the country's development of roads, schools, water, sanitation and industries for employment.
The black star of the Ghanaian national flag is a symbol used to represent the emancipation of Africa and unity against colonialism. The black star was adopted from the flag of the
Black Star Line
The Black Star Line (1919−1922) was a shipping line incorporated by Marcus Garvey, the organizer of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and other members of the UNIA. The shipping line was created to facilitate the transportation ...
, a shipping line incorporated by
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
which operated from 1919 to 1922. and became also known as the
Black Star of Africa
The Black Star of Africa is a black five-pointed star (★) symbolizing Africa in general and Ghana in particular. The Black Star Line, founded in 1919 by Marcus Garvey as part of the Back-to-Africa movement, modelled its name on that of the White ...
. It is where the
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international football, doing it since 1957. The team consists of twenty players including the technical team. The team is nicknamed the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in ...
derive their nickname, the "Black Stars".
Ghana's struggle for independence before the national flag
Ghana was one of the countries counted among the West African regions under colonial government rule from the 15th to 19th centuries on the Gold Coast. The history of Ghana can therefore be traced back to the 15th century when Europeans arrived in the region. The Portuguese navigators sailed their way down the West African coast and to the shores of the Gold Coast in 1471, where they build a castle for themselves at the Elmina in 1482. The Europeans brought a gold cargo to the shores of the Gold Coast where they traded in gold with the Akwamus and Denkyiras who controlled an extensive part of the coast and the forest belt in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the dominance of the
Ashanti Empire
The Asante Empire (Asante Twi: ), today commonly called the Ashanti Empire, was an Akan state that lasted between 1701 to 1901, in what is now modern-day Ghana. It expanded from the Ashanti Region to include most of Ghana as well as parts of Iv ...
of Kumasi took over the gold trade with the British, Dutch and Danes who were the main European traders at the Tano and Volta rivers. The most valuable commodity for exports at the time changed from gold to slavery. Slaves were traded for muskets besides other western commodities. The
Ashantes by then were locally empowered to take control with the
Asantehene
The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an ''Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and t ...
enthroned on a golden stool as a tradition of the
Ashantes. Between 1804 and 1814, the British, Dutch and Danes subsequently outlawed the slave trade, which proved to be a major blow to the Ashanti economy. The situation became warfare in 1820 and in 1824 and 1870, they were subsequently defeated by British forces who shortly thereafter occupied the region of Kumasi in 1874. The British gradually emerged on the coastal regions as the main European power.
The colonial period started from 1902 to 1957. The
Ashante Kingdom in 1902 was declared a British crown colony and became the protectorate of the northern territory of the Gold Coast. The colonial government ruled the colony without the involvement of the African populace in the political process. After World War II, the Gold Coast colony became prominent among the Sub-Saharan African countries. It was when Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had returned to the Gold Coast in 1947 after twelve years of political study in the US and Great Britain. The return to the Gold Coast was an invitation for Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to lead the
United Gold Coast Convention
The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was a political party founded in 1947 whose aim was to bring about Ghanaian independence from their British colonial masters after the Second World War. The United Gold Coast Convention appointed its leade ...
(UGCC) as the General Secretary with the aim to lead the campaign for self government. The UGCC at the time had won the right of the African majority in the British legislative colony. With the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah, a widespread riot began in February 1948.
Within the same year, the founding leaders of the UGCC arrested the Secretary General Dr. Kwame Nkrumah for an alert of thoughts against Nkrumah's leadership plans. The incident brought a split of the UGCC leadership with Kwame Nkrumah having to found his own
Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Conven ...
(CPP) in June 1949 for the aim of self-governance for the African people, dubbed "Self-government now". A non-violent campaign of protest and strikes were organised by Kwame Nkrumah in 1950 in achievement of his goal. But riot led to the second arrest of Kwame Nkrumah. The colony's general election brought a big win to the Convention People's Party in the absence of Kwame Nkrumah, leading to the release of Kwame Nkrumah from prison to join in governance of the country. Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah then became the
Prime Minister of the Gold Coast
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
in 1952.
In a vote of the 1956 direct vote of all the electorate members, the
British Togoland
British Togoland, officially the Mandate Territory of Togoland and later officially the Trust Territory of Togoland, was a territory in West Africa, under the administration of the United Kingdom, which subsequently entered into union with Ghana ...
voted to join the Gold Coast in the campaign for preparations towards independence. The Togo and Gold Coast territories attained independence from colonial rule in 1957 under the supreme willpower of Kwame Nkrumah. The name for the country Ghana was then adopted.
The years of independence of the Gold Coast started in 1957 with the new name of the country of Ghana emerged.
Independence was granted and announced by the then Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who led the struggle for independence.
With Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the first
President of Ghana
The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential elec ...
, Ghana became a
Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 July 1960.
Theodosia Okoh (The national flag's designer)
Theodosia Salome Abena Kumea Okoh was a renowned Ghanaian artist who has contested and showcased her artistic internationally. She joined the
Ghana Hockey Association
The Ghana Hockey Association is the governing body of field hockey in Ghana. It is affiliated to IHF International Hockey Federation and AHF African Hockey Federation. The headquarters of the association is in Accra, Ghana. The main hockey venue ...
(GHA) and worked in the role of a chairperson. She was also a patron of the
Sports Writer's Association of Ghana
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
(SWAG).
Purpose and use of the Ghanaian national flag
The purpose of the Ghanaian national flag was to have a symbol of jubilations during the post-independence era. There were many flags ensemble for Ghana's use. Notably is the Ghanaian national flag described which has been use for many purposes as in national and international celebrations, such as the Independence Day celebration, commemoration of Ghana's big six and past leaders of the nations. The flag is raised up flying in the sky to grace glorious occasions while it is usually lowered to fly half way to show some kind of misfortune that may have hit on the country.
National ensign
Under terms of section 183 of Ghana's Merchant Shipping Act of 1963, the
civil ensign
A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag. ...
is a
red flag with the national flag in a black-
fimbriated
In heraldry and vexillology, fimbriation is the placement of small stripes of contrasting colour around common charges or ordinaries, usually in order for them to stand out from the background, but often simply due to the designer's subjective ...
canton. In 2003, a new merchant shipping act was enacted, however, and this simply provides that "the National Flag of Ghana" is the proper national colours for Ghanaian ships. No mention is made of other flags or other possible flags.
The
naval ensign
A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign.
It can also be known as a war ensign. A large ver ...
is a red
St. George's Cross on
white flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.
Contemporary use
The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...
, with the national flag in canton.
Air force ensign and civil air ensign
File:Air Force Ensign of Ghana.svg, The ensign of the Ghana Air Force
File:Civil Air Ensign of Ghana.svg, The Ghanaian civil air ensign
The
Ghana Air Force
The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), which are controlled ...
has its own ensign that incorporates the flag of Ghana. Civil aviation in Ghana is represented by the national civil air ensign. It is a standard light-blue field with the Ghanaian flag in the canton. It is charged in the fly with either a red, yellow and green roundel (in the case of the military ensign) or black five-pointed star (in the case of the civil ensign). Both have been used since Independence in 1957, and the subsequent founding of the Ghana Air Force in 1959.
History
File:Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957).svg, Flag of the Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
, the forerunner to Ghana. Used until 1957.
File:Flag of the Union of African States (1958-1961).svg, First flag of the Union of African States
The Union of African States (french: Union des États africains), sometimes called the Ghana–Guinea–Mali Union, was a short-lived and loose regional organization formed in 1958 linking the West African nations of Ghana and Guinea as the Un ...
with Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
, used between 1958 and 1961.
File:Flag of the Union of African States (1961-1962).svg, Second flag of the Union of African States, used between 1961 and 1963 (after Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
joined).
File:Flag of Ghana (1964-1966).svg, Ghana national flag (1964–66).
File:Presidential Standard of Ghana.svg, Flag of the Presidency of Ghana since 1966. Presidential Standard of Ghana; replicate of the national flag of Ghana with a gold rim.
The Ghanaian government flag, adopted in 1957, was flown until 1962. Similarly, when the country formed the
Union of African States
The Union of African States (french: Union des États africains), sometimes called the Ghana–Guinea–Mali Union, was a short-lived and loose regional organization formed in 1958 linking the West African nations of Ghana and Guinea as the Un ...
, the flag of the Union was modeled on
Bolivia's flag, but with two black stars, representing the nations. In May 1959, a third star was added.
Following the
January 1964 constitutional referendum, Ghana adopted a variant of the 1957 tricolour with white in the place of yellow, after the colours of
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...
's ruling and then-sole legal party
Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Conven ...
, making it similar to the
flag of Hungary
The national flag of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország zászlaja) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green (red-white-green). In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since 23 May 1957. The flag's form originates from nati ...
. The original 1957 flag was reinstated in February 1966 following Nkrumah's overthrow in
the February 1966 ''coup d'état''.
When the flag was changed in 1964, popular public demand upon the remembrance of Ghana's rich history agitated for the nation to revert to its use of the original Ghanaian national flag with the red, gold and green colour. The original Ghana national flag which was used in 1957 upon Ghana's independence was reinstated for use in 1966. Ghana was then one of the first countries to adopt the Pan African colours originally used in the Ethiopian flag.
References
External links
*
Armed Forces of Ghana ColoursGhana Flag Coloring Page for kids
{{National flags
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
National symbols of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...