Nii Kwabena Bonnie III (1888 – 1968), also known as Kwamla Theodore Taylor, was a Ghanaian (Ga) traditional ruler in

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 ...

, a British colony in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

, in 1947. He was a chief of Osu Alata Mantse and Oyokohene of

Techiman Techiman is a city and is the capital of Techiman Municipal and Bono East Region of Ghana. Techiman is a leading market town in South Ghana. Techiman is one of the two major cities and settlements of Bono East region. Techiman is home to W ...

Life and career

In 1947, he formed an Anti-Inflation Campaign in Accra in response to the inflated prices by the European imported goods to Ghana. He directed his letter to the

United Africa Company The United Africa Company (UAC) was a British company which principally traded in West Africa during the 20th century. The United Africa Company was formed in 1929 as a result of the merger of The Niger Company, which had been effectively owne ...

. In waiting for the response he toured the country to explain the plan for a boycott throughout the cities. The chiefs who supported or pledged to join the boycott were in

Sekondi Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city and an indu ...

, Manya Krobo, Cape Coast, Suhum, Akim Oda,

Tarkwa Tarkwa is a town and is the capital of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district, a district in the Western Region southwest of South Ghana. Tarkwa has a 2013 settlement population of 34,941 people. Economy Mining Tarkwa is noted as a centre of gold ...

, and Axim. He became the first Gold Coaster to earn an invitation from the British Royal Couple to tour Buckingham Palace in February 1925.He also hosted Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II, the Asantehene, and 500 entourage at the Royal Castle and its precincts in Accra for the inauguration of the 1946 Constitution, an invitation from the Colonial Governor.

The boycott

Gold Coast was a British colony in West Africa in 1947. On 26 January 1948 the boycott began as planned. The slogan for the boycott was: "We cannot buy; your prices are too high. If you don’t cut down your prices then close down your stores; and take away your goods to your own country."

Agreement

An agreement was reached as foreign firms reduced their overall profit form 75 to 50 percent on 20 February 1948. The result of the negotiations prompted the government to announce on radio to end the boycott on 28 February. The negotiating was between Anti-Inflation Campaign Committee and Chamber of Commerce. The boycotters were disappointed when prices were not reduced as they anticipated;taking the 75 to 50 percent as a price reduction but rather overall profit margins. This in reality resulted in negligible change of cost of living. Ex-servicemen on the last day of the boycott marched from Accra to the British governor, but were stopped by the police to present the petition to the governor. This led to a riot, positioning Kwame Nkrumah to demonstrate for Independence as 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) leader. An outcome of the boycott was dismissal of some students from government schools who participated in the boycott. The UGCC executive/steering committee initiated the establishment of alternative high school for the students dismissed as supporters of Nii Kwabena Bonnie of European merchants and traders. The results led to the founding of Ghana National College, which was later adopted by Kwame Nkrumah.

References

{{authority control Accra Riots, 1948 Riots and civil disorder in Ghana Accra Riots, 1948 History of Accra 20th century in Accra Ghanaian royalty