On march 6, 1957, ghana attained sovereign statehood and commenced its. Article 324 to 329 of part xv of the constitution deals with the electoral system in our country. Some of the features of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana are who has the right to vote, what rights are protected by the courts, and the procedures that must be followed by the. Following years of british rule that lasted from the early 19th century. In 1957, the ghana constitution order in council was adopted by the british. Griffiths, a sourcebook of the constitutional law of ghana, volu me 1 faculty of law, university of ghana. Independence, which was won in 1957 in the wake of an identity crisis, was a point of.
He headed the country from independence in 1957 until he was overthrown by a coup in 1966. Ghanas independence from britain in 1957 was widely celebrated in the african diaspora. Kwame nkrumahs overthrow in 1966, which he was deposed by a military coup. It is therefore the responsibility of her majestys government in the united kingdom to advise her majesty as to its form. Sep 18, 2018 the constitution of the republic of the republic of ghana 1992 1. Ghana was the first of the colonies in subsaharan africa to gain its independence. The assembly prepared a draft constitution based on proposals submitted to it by the pndc, as well as previous constitutions of 1957, 1969 and 1979, and the report of the committee of experts. Supremacy of the constitution 1 the sovereignty of ghana resides in the people of ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this constitution. Chapter three citizenship 6 1 every person who, on the coming into force of this constitution, is a citizen of ghana by the law shall continue to be a citizen of ghana.
The merger of gold coast and the togoland trust territory, officially formed ghana in 1957, and it became the first subsaharan country in colonial africa to gain its independence. Every person who, on the coming into force of this constitution, is a citizen of ghana bylaw shall continue to be a citizen of ghana. The most flooded rivers are the white volta and its. Ghana attained independence from colonial british rule on march 6, 1957. Ghana constitution 1960 preliminary note by francis bennion the following is the text of the 1960 ghana constitution, the first constitution of the country after it became an independent republic by virtue of the ghana independence act 1957. The first contact with europeans was by people of the coast, principally the fantes, and so first part of ghana to come into place was what became known as gold. It was approved on 28 april 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support. Kwame nkrumah became the countries new and first prime minister. The constitution, according to constitution pundits, reflected the lessons learnt from the previous constitutions of ghana such as the 1957, 1960, 1969 and 1979, which incorporated some provisions.
Pdf constitutional hybridity and constitutionalism in ghana. Since 195i, adroit leaders of a wellorganized political party had operated a responsible. Ghana during the colonial period and when it achieved independence in 1957. The new constitution for ghana must be made by order in council passed before the actual date of independence. Salient features of the representation of peoples act. Provided that this subsection shall not extend to ghana as part of the law thereof. Federal constitution federal constitution arrangement of articles pa r t i the states, religion and law of the federation article 1. Sources of law the constitution acts of parliament subsidiary legislation existing laws all laws existing prior to 1992 constitution common law of ghana i. A new constitution, approved on april 29, 1954, established a cabinet comprising african ministers drawn from an allafrican legislature chosen by direct election. Dec 03, 2019 postindependence constitutions background, main features, merits and demerits a nigeria independence constitution 1960, republican constitution 1963, the 1979 and 1989 constitutions. The constitution acts of parliament subsidiary legislation existing laws all laws existing prior to 1992 constitution common law of ghana i. The view on the left taken on 12 september 2007 shows river systems throughout the length and breadth of the small country swollen compared to conditions in june right before the rainy season started.
The 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana that came into effect on january 7. Kwame nkrumahs overthrow in 1966, which he was deposed by. It consists of the panafrican colours of red, yellow, and green, in horizontal stripes, with a black fivepointed star in the centre of the gold stripe. As the house knows, ghana is to attain independence within the commonwealth on 6th march. Act 527 constitution of the republic of ghana amendment act, 1996.
Pdf ghana, the country widely acknowledged as the contemporary leader. It was flown until 1959, and then reinstated in 1966. Oct 14, 2019 ghanas independence from britain in 1957 was widely celebrated in the african diaspora. A tropical rain forest belt central and east broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers, extends northward from the coastline.
Browse and navigate ghana constitution in easy, natural real time and advanced. Legislative functions are vested in the national parliament, which consists of a unicameral 200member. Act, 1957, has made provision for cc the attainment by the gold. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. The constitution of ghana is the supreme law of the republic of ghana. Two satellite images encompassing most of ghana reveal extensive flooding. The following is the text of the 1960 ghana constitution, the first constitution.
However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The first prime minster of ghana, kwame nkrumah, was known as the president of the modern ghanaian state, and an anticolonial leader. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The 1954 transitional constitution provided for an assembly of a speaker and 104 members elected on party lines on the basis of universal adult suffrage. Other elements of the mechanics of constitutional amendment outlined in chapter 25. In order to express the criticisms, the nationalists of the herbert macaulay and dr nnamdi azikiwe toured important towns in the country, educating the people on the political issues at stake and collecting donations to send a protest delegation to london. Constitutional evolution in ghana 18001992 the gold coast was made up of 4 main types of overseas settlements known to the british, which was put together into one nation, and has resulted in part of our constitutional problems. In exercise of this power, the parliament has enacted laws like representation of the people act 1950 rpa act 1950, representation of the people act 1951 rpa act 1951.
What are the features of the constitution of ghana answers. No law and no provision of any law made on or after the appointed day by the parliament of ghana shall be void or inoperative on the. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. A highly accessible, easy to use app version of the constitution of ghana the supreme law of the republic of ghana. On july 1, 1960, it became a republic, the first of four civilian republics that were interspersed with periods of military rule. The constitution of the republic of the republic of ghana 1992 1. In 1957, when ghana achieved full political independence the constitution was fashioned after the westminster model. Succession of destabilising coups, ghana is predominantly a oneparty state. Some pertinent issues in the current dispensation raymond baguio bening abstract the creation of administrative districts and parliamentary constituencies constitute major aspects of the internal organisation of states. Salient features of the representation of peoples act clear ias. Africanamericans, including martin luther king jr and malcolm x, visited ghana, and many africans still struggling for their own independence looked on it as a beacon of the future to come. The independence constitution, officially titled, the ghana constitution order in council, was firmly. Ghana s coastline is low and sandy, backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, most of which are navigable only by canoe. Supreme law of the federation pa r t ii fundamental liberties 5.
Africa ghana the world factbook central intelligence. The ghana flag was designed to replace the flag of the united kingdom upon attainment of independence in 1957. Richards constitution was severely criticised by the nationalists, because it was imposed on nigerians without any prior consultation. This is a download from the blds digital library on opendocs. This complete constitution has been generated from excerpts of texts from the repository of the comparative constitutions project, and distributed on. A twojudge supreme court bench on july 10 struck down section 84 of the representation of peoples rp act. It defines the fundamental political principles, establishing the structure, procedures, powers and duties of the government, structure of the judiciary and legislature, and spells out the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. From 1957 1987 the 1957 constitution which gave birth to ghanas independence on the 6th of march 1957 also provided some reforms in the local government system. Ghanas coastline is low and sandy, backed by plains and scrub and intersected by several rivers and streams, most of which are navigable only by canoe. On january 7, 1993, the fourth republic was inaugurated, complete with a new constitution. Promulgation decree of the 1979 constitution of ghana. Legislative functions are vested in the national parliament, which consists of a. Section 84 had provisions for convicted lawmakers to hold on to their seats provided they filed an appeal within three months of their conviction. Sep 02, 2012 ghana during the colonial period and when it achieved independence in 1957.
Ghana s constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996. Gold coast constitution order in council, 1954, shajj as fron1. In the elections that followed, the convention peoples party cpp, led by kwame nkrumah, won the majority of seats in the new legislative assembly. Constitution of ghana wikisource, the free online library. Constitution allows parliament to make provisions in all matters relating to elections to the parliament and state legislatures. Postindependence constitutions background, main features, merits and demerits a nigeria independence constitution 1960, republican constitution 1963, the 1979 and 1989 constitutions. Admission of new territories into the federation 3. The constitution divided the country into five administrative regions. The creation of districts and constituencies in ghana. The constitution 1 1 the sovereignty of ghana resides in the people of ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this constitution. The british government began to take heed of nkrumahs cpp wishes of selfgovernance and began talks of a new constitution that would allow. Ghanas constitution of 1992 with amendments through 1996. Download pdf this decree, which serves as a preamble to the 1979 constitution, details what the functions were of the constituent assembly in 1978, including their power to deliberate upon the constitution for the establishment of a transitional national government for ghana, and to make amendments in said draft.
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