The ''Legon Observer'', the journal of the Legon Society for National Affairs (LSNA), was established in July 1966 as a fortnightly publication.Daniel Miles McFarland, ''Historical Dictionary of Ghana'', Scarecrow Press, 1995, p. 116. With a base in the political science faculty of the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. ...

, it established itself as an important critical voice during the military rule of the

National Liberation Council The National Liberation Council (NLC) led the Ghanaian government from 24 February 1966 to 1 October 1969. The body emerged from a ''coup d'état'' against the Nkrumah government carried out jointly by the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Armed For ...

. In the 1969 elections it called for a "third force", between

Komla Agbeli Gbedemah Komla Agbeli Gbedemah (17 June 1913 – 11 July 1998) was a Ghanaian politician and Minister for Finance in Ghana's Nkrumah government between 1954 and 1961. Known popularly as "Afro Gbede", he was an indigene of Anyako in the Volta Region of Gh ...

National Alliance of Liberals The National Alliance of Liberals (NAL) was a political party in Ghana during the Second Republic (1969–1972). The party was formed after the ban on party politics was lifted in May 1969 and was dissolved along with all other political part ...

and

Kofi Abrefa Busia Kofi Abrefa Busia (born 11 July 1913 – 28 August 1978) was a Ghanaian political leader and academic who was Prime Minister of Ghana from 1969 to 1972. As a nationalist leader and prime minister, he helped to restore civilian government to th ...

's Progress Party. Some supported the

All People's Congress The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Ap ...

, led by John Bilson, who later ran for president as a Third Force Party candidate. From 1974 to 1978 the newspaper was effectively banned: General

Acheampong Acheampong is an Ashanti surname, which means destined for greatness. Notable people with the Ashanti surname include: * Benjamin Acheampong (born 1990), Ghanaian footballer * Gemma Acheampong (born 1993), American-Ghanaian track and field athl ...

withheld foreign exchange to block the import of newsprint, and arrested and detained editors. Editors included Yaw Twumasi and

Kwame Arhin Prof. Kwame Arhin, also known as Nana Arhin Brempong, was a historian and politician in Ghana. Arhin built his academic career at the University of Ghana, where he was an editor of the '' Legon Observer'' and had a long-standing association with t ...

. In 2007 a ''New Legon Observer'' was launched, under the acting editorship of Ernest Aryeetey, then Director of Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) and now (''year 2013'')

vice chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

.Caroline Boateng
New Legon Observer Launched
''Daily Graphic'', 3 December 2007

References

Defunct newspapers Publications established in 1966 Newspapers published in Ghana Mass media in Accra 1966 establishments in Ghana {{Ghana-newspaper-stub