Four Leaders Undeniably the Most Consequential Foundations Who Guided the Country through Its Most Defining Transitions

General
As part of building a true Modern Ghana or a Better Ghana, it is very important to acknowledge and celebrate the most consequential, outstanding and thoughtful leaders of this Country, originally the Gold Coast Colony, as a measure to encourage national leaders at all levels especially political leaders, to emulate their positive conducts, values and impact during their reign.

Celebrating exemplary leaders, creates a ripple effect, inspiring others to adopt the traits that led to their success in guiding the Country through Its most defining transition. Hence, this publication will cover some historical overview/perspectives.

Historical Background of Gold Coast (Ghana)

The presence of the British, as the Colonial Masters of the Country, then as the Gold Coast colony started in 1621 mainly in the coastal area. With time, their administration was expanded to include the Ashanti Kingdom. This was after the several wars with the Asantes in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars against the British, with the final suppressing of the rebellion of the Asantes in 1901.

So, with the defeat of the Ashanti Kingdom that is on the conclusion of the war of the Golden Stool (Yaa Asantewaa) War in 1900 the Ashanti Kingdom came under the full administration of the Governor of the early Gold Coast Colony. This was effected on 01 January 1902, before then, Donald Steward was appointed as the Resident administrator in Kumasi, with the Ashanti Kingdom under the hegemony of the Asantehene.

The defeated King of the Ashanti Kingdom, at that time of the Golden Stool (Yaa Asantewaa) War was Asantehene Prempeh Agyemang 1, so, he and Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the Queen Mother of Ejisu, were exiled to the Seychelles Islands in 1901.

According to erudite Scholars of History like Susan Drucker-Brown, a British anthropologist, Capt Rattray, a British anthropologist, Michael Schlottner, a German anthropologist, and two Ghanaian Historians, Mr AA Iliasu and Professor Albert Awedoba, though the Northern Sector was declared as a Protectorate (Territory) of the British Colonial Masters on 26 Septembers 1901, it was brought under the British Rule of the Gold Coast Colony in 1902.

The reputable Historians, recorded that before the British came to the North in 1896, the Northen Province was reportedly under the authority of the King (Nayeri) of the Mamprugu Kingdom, with his palace originally at Gambaga before moving it to Nalerigu.

So based on the concept of indirect rule, this state of the centralized authority of the Nayeri of the Mamprugu Kingdom was maintained but the Governor appointed his Representative, then Lieutenant Colonel A.H. Morris with the post of Chief Commissioner for the Administration of the Northern Province.

The Rep of the Governor was stationed at Gambaga, which was the initial location of the Headquarters of the Northern Protectorate, it was made to be closed to the area of the Palace of the Nayeri, since he was then as the centralized traditional leader for the Province. Note the Northen Peoples’ Party (NPP) was formed in 1954, as suggested by the then Nayeri at his palace, at Nalerigu (moved from Gambaga).This was during the reign of Nayeri Naa Abdulai Sheriga, the 21^st Nayeri or the then King of the Mamprugu Kingdom thus gave or gives an incontrovertible fact, on the centralized authority of the Nayeri over the Northern Province, before and during the Colonial days.

After the defeat of the Germans in the First World War, Togoland was partitioned into British Togoland and French Togoland. So on 09^th May 1956, the majority of the people of British Togoland voted in a referendum to merge with the soon to be independent nation of the Gold Coast, rather than remain as a British Trust Territory. This how the nation Ghana was formed from the Gold Coast.

Thus, the British really established the ultimate Gold Coast Colony gradually, firstly, by the amalgamation of the Coastal Colonies with the Ashantis Kingdom and the Northern Territory both in 1902. Secondly, with the merging of the British Togoland (former Volta Region in Modern Ghana) to the Gold Coast in May 1956 as Volta Region and consequently, they established an ultimate unified Gold Coast Colony which metamorphosed to Modern Ghana in 1957.

The ultimate unified Gold Coast Colony, gained independence on 06^th March 1957 and assumed the new name Ghana under the Leadership of Prime Minister Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The Head of State of Ghana from 1957 to 30 June 1960 was still he British Monarch, then was Queen Elisabeth 11,

Ghana finally broke from the stiff umbilical cord from the British Crown on attainment of a Republic Democratic State on 01 July 1960 and assumed the membership of the British Commonwealth of Nations. So, Ghana was under the Leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as the first Ghanaian Head of State, the first President of Ghana, the first Head of Government, and the firs Head of the Executive, consequently the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ghana.

The first Constitution of the Regime of the British Administration in the Country, was the 1850 Constitution, which established the first Legislative Council, in the initial Gold Coast Colony, to advice the Governor on creating laws. It also has a provision of an Executive Council for Executive Functions and Judicial Assessor was the foundational Judiciary body to deal with crime cases, since crime is an offence against the State. The Judicial Assessor was abolished in 1876 following the Supreme Court Ordinance of 1876 to provide a formal court system.

Thus, the Gold Coast Colony, less the area as British Togoland, initially had been in transition between 1850 and 1902, was under the administration of British Governors under a constitution. But History tells that the Clifford Constitution of 1916, under Governor Sir Charles Clifford, was the first official Constitution of the Gold Coast. It was the one after the amalgamation of the Ashanti and Northern Provinces with the coastal province. So, official Constitutional rule of the Gold Coast less British Togoland was under the Clifford Constitution of 1916, in the regime of Governor Sir Charles Clifford.

The Clifford Constitution was replaced by the 1925 Guggisburg Constitution in the regime of Governor Brigadier General Gordon Guggisburg. The Guggisburg Constitution was also replaced by the Alan Burns Constitution of 1946, and the Alan Burns Constitution was also replaced by the Coussey Constitution of 1951 This was so due to the report by the Coussey’s Committee for the road map towards self-government, the Coussey’s Committee report was as the results of the major riot in 1948 by the Ex-servicemen around the Osu Castle Accra.

The 1951 Constitution was also replaced with the 1954 Constitution, known in history as Nkrumah’s Constitution, this happened when he was elected as the first Prime Minister, that was a major election conducted during the reign of Governor Sir Charles Noble Arden Clarke.

Effective 1954, Prime Minister Dr Kwame Nkrumah engineered for the rapid attainment of Independence of the Gold Coast Colony then less the British Togoland. The referendum of May 1956 caused the merging of the British Togoland with the Gold Coast Colony still under the Constitution of 1954. So the people of the ultimate unified Gold Coast, hereafter, as the Gold Coast under the Leadership of Prime Minister Dr Kwame Nkrumah fought for the Independence of the Gold Coast.

So, Prime Minister Nkrumah caused the Gold Coast to gain Independence in 1957 under the name Ghana. Consequently, on gaining Independence, the 1954 Constitution of the Gold Coast was replaced with the 1957 Constitution of Independent Ghana.

Ghana became a Republic on 01 July 1960 under the 1960 Constitution, which saw Dr Nkrumah, as the first President of Ghana. President Nkrumah and the 1960 Constitution were overthrown on 24 February 1966 by the Military and the Police under the regime named as the National Liberation Council (NLC) under Lieutenant General JA Ankrah, as Chairman and later on, he was replaced in April 1969 by Lieutenant General AA Afrifa, as the Chairman of the NLC.

Ghana returned to Constitutional Rule again by the 1969 Constitution, which saw Prime Minister Dr Busia as Head of Government and former Chief Justice Edward Akuffo Addo as titular Head of State or ceremonial President. The Dr Busia’s regime was truncated by the Military junta of the National Redemption Council (NRC) which metamorphosed into the Supreme Military Council (SMC 1) and later on as SMC2 in 1978 under General Akuffo.

The Regime of General Akuffo was overthrown by the Military junta under the name AFRC, with Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings, as Chairman of the AFRC, which ushered in the 1979 Constitution and handed over to President Dr Liman, who won the 1979 Presidential election.

A Military junta, overthrew the 1979 Constitution under the name the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) with Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings as Chairman of the PNDC. Based on the 1992 Constitution, the PNDC ushered in a Constitutional Rule, under the Fourth Republic on 06 January 1993, with Presidential Candidate Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings, who won the 1992 Presidential Election, as the First President in the Fourth Republic.

So, Ghana assumed a stable democratic State, under a Fourth Republic, anchored by the 1992 Constitution, effective 7 January 1993. The Fourth Republic, as anchored by the 1992 Constitution saw Flt Lt JJ Rawlings as President from 1993 to 2000, Mr JA Kofour as President from 2001 to 2008, Professor JA Mills as President from 2009 to 2012, Mr JD Mahama as substantive President from 2012 to 2016, Mr Nana Addo as President from 2017 to 2024 and Mr JD Mahama again for a second tenure in office as President of Ghana from 2025 to 2028.

The Most Consequential Leaders for the Defining Transitions

So, from historical records, Four leaders who were undeniably the most consequential foundational figures who guided the country through its most defining transitions, are Brigadier General Fredrick Gordon Guggisburg, as the Governor of the Gold Coast and the following three Heads of State of Modern Ghana namely, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. General IK Acheampong and Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings.

They were/are the undeniable the most consequential leaders, since historically, their administration caused a lot of positive impacts during the foundational transition in the period of the colonial administration of the Gold Coast and during the post-independence era with various democratic administrations under various Constitutions which were interposed by military turbulence regimes, and with time the Country transitioned to a final democratic stability of the 4^th Republic.

Thus on matters on community consensus and legacies, their decisions dictated the daily realities of modern Ghana making them to be evaluated primarily for their transformative development of the country’s Agricultural base, physical infrastructures/economy nationalism and Political arrangements. While widely revered their regimes also featured were controversial measures and authoritarian tendencies by some of them. Especially in the regimes of Dr Nkrumah and the regime of Flt Lt Rawlings especially during his regimes of the AFRC and PNDC. So, there is a broad national and academic consensus that these two former Heads of the State, left the deepest sorrowful marks on the Nation’s political history.

But their foundational roles in the County’s defining transitions, speak a lot of their very good works in the Political, Social and the Economic history of the Country, on the following matters: (a). Massive developments. (b). engineering the way for achieving independence, (c). In national developments, on achieving independence. (d). Governance especially maintaining a unitary government but forging for District Decentralization of governance systems and (e). Cementing democratic governance. Some of the details of the mentioned four most consequential leaders are documented below.

Brigadier General Guggisburg
Brigadier General Fredrick Gordon Guggisburg, laid the Country’s foundational infrastructure with massive roads, a Harbour, Schools, and a major Hospital, Communication facilities, a plan for hydroelectric Power. He also caused the transformation and the diversification of the Agricultural Sector, especially the development of the cocoa industry. His ambitious development plans and constitutional reforms propelled the Goal Coast into massive economic and social growth and also brought about the first elective reps to the Legislative Council in the Political arena.

Fredrick Gordon Guggisburg, after graduating from a Military Academy in UK and rose to the rank of Army Captain, was first assigned to the Ashanti Province and stationed in Kumasi in 1902, as a Surveyor. He was later on sent to Nigeria for same survey duties. He later on returned to the Gold Coast and occupied the post of the Director of Survey Department of the Gold Coast with the task among others, to produce a Map of the Gold Coast especially Mining Concessions and Timber Concessions.

After participation in the First World War, during which he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, he was posted in 1919 to the Gold Coast as the Governor and ruled up to 1927. It was in his regime that his friend discovered Bauxite in 1920.

Governor Guggisburg, regarded as the most undeniable consequential and most outstanding Governor, of the Gold Coast since he transformed the Country now Ghana through a visionary 10 year development plan that modernized the economy with massive infrastructural development and the transformation and modernization/diversifications of the Agricultural base of the Gold Coast.

Coffee, Oil Palm and Rubber were the notable cash crops before Cocoa was introduced in 1876 by Tetteh Quarshie in the eastern part of the Gold Coast, at Akwapim Manpong. So by 1891, Gold Coast exported 80lbs (pounds) of cocoa which is about 36 kilograms of cocoa which fetched not more than 4 British pounds Sterling. But due to the innovative works by Governor Guggisburg in the 1920s, cocoa exports passed 200,000 tons.

The good works of his regime saw Cocoa becoming a major export earner since the exported 200,000 tons of cocoa fetched almost 5 million ( 4.7) Million Pounds Sterling and thus made cocoa to become a major part of the economy of Gold Coast and still in modern Ghana for source of revenue, foreign exchange, employment and development. Most of the infrastructures like the Takoradi Harbour, Korlebu Hospital, Achimota College, major roads, some railway lines, etc by Guggisburg were done with the cocoa revenue.

Governor Guggisburg interested in seeing massive development of the Gold Coast, came out with the 10 years Development Plan. The Plan included a Hydroelectric Power Dam in the Eastern Region at a gorge of River Volta, at Ajena for cheap electric power to power a planned Bauxite Smelter to smelt bauxite into Alumina ingots in the Gold Coast.

It should be noted that President Nkrumah adopted Governor Guggisburg’s 10 year Development plan, and so he wanted to maintain the construction of Hydroelectric Power Station at Ajena, with also with a bauxite smelter in the Eastern Region. But the Americans financiers/Contractors changed the narrative and planned and constructed the Dam at Akosombo, with VALCO as a special purpose vehicle for funding and as Alumina Refinery at Tema.

Gordon Guggisburg, regarded as the most influential or most famous governor made him to be nick named as the Sunshine Governor for his physical institutional foundation for modern Ghana with his infrastructural development based on his 10 years development plan that brought about massive infrastructures, thus his Development Plan was regarded as the most ambitious ever proposed in Africa up to his time and after his time up to 1957.

It is interesting to note that Guggisburg economic template persisted up to date, thus making him the greatest Governor of the Gold Coast and may be with a critical thinking mindset, one may conclude, hat Guggisburg remained the greatest leader of the Country due to the lesser resources, lesser technology, lesser experts etc at his time as against what exist now in the World, hence in modern Ghana.

For the improvements of transportation, he made very remarkable achievements, with the construction of roads massively. A total of 3,338 miles (5,340.8 km) of new roads were constructed by him. He introduced the coal tarring of roads in the Country, and 260 miles (416km) roads were tarred in his regime.

Under very difficult conditions, but due to his background as a Surveyor and Officer of the British Field Engineer Regiment, he built the Takoradi Harbour to facilitate export of timber, Cocoa, manganese etc and for import of goods. He extended the central rail way line from Huni valley to Kade.

Likewise the eastern rail way corridor from Akyem Tafo to Kumasi and the Awaso to Dunkwa railway line were constructed for, Cocoa, timber, bauxite, personnel etc transportations. Though Bauxite was discovered in his regime, however, the mining of Bauxite in Awaso started in 1940.

Despite the state of engineering services, equipment and the terrain during those days, his regime increased the rail line from 269 to 375 miles (600km) making it a very remarkable in the history of Ghana. These great achievements were possible due to his background as a Military Officer of the British Field Engineer Regiment, so imbued with high senses of good imagination, judgment, hence disciplined person and with very good foresight.

As a military officer, he saw the importance of communication, so, he introduced communication lines, postal services and telegraphs. To see to the access to healthcare for Africans, he constructed the Korle Hospital, within 23 months to complete in 1923 and he also built clinics. He saw to the provision of good water supply for the people and he also saw the good drainage system to reduce the risks associated with flooding.

He saw to the improvement of towns with public buildings and human development through his sixteen principles of education, so, he actively championed for the creation of schools including trade schools, like TEVT, that offered comprehensive technical and vocational education. This led to the establishment of the first well-structured technical and trade institutions in the Country, aiming at to equip the local citizenry with hands-on skills and shaped into future leaders and technocrats. The current level of unemployment is due to the failure of some of the leaders in the Fourth Republic to see to very good TEVT and Polytechnic educations to provide hands-on skills, thus making Guggisburg to still stand tall.

As stated General Guggisburg acknowledged that Education is the keystone for progress and character training should be included in the program, since most of the schools did not offer character training. So Guggisburg ensured the inclusion of character training especially in the primary and secondary levels with the view to promote virtues like honesty, patriotism, respectfulness, punctuality, reliability, temperance, thrift, self-control, obedience, accountability cleanliness etc to help the individuals and societies flourish. President Nkrumah’s idea of Ghana Young pioneer was based on the Guggisburg’s idea of character training for children.

General Guggisburg’s educational policy saw the filling part of the technical positions in the Gold Coast with Africans as soon they could be trained. So, he cofounded the Achimota College, alongside Dr James Emman Kwagir Aggrey and Alexander Frazer, with the thinking of it as the foundation for a University of Ghana, since he recognized the need to train local leaders, teachers, and professionals.

Based on the good idea of laying the foundation for University of Ghana, the Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisburg memorial lectures was established by the independence Ghana, by the Government under President Dr Kwame Nkrumah, at University of Ghana to honor the men whose vision made the University possible.

On the Political arena, Guggisburg laid structural foundation for greater local participation with his Constitution which at a first time, introduced elective African representatives to the Legislative Council. This was possible due to the replacement of the 1916 Constitution of Governor Clifford with the Guggisburg Constitution on 8 April 1925. This created a Provincial Council of Paramount Chiefs of all the then provincial authority, with the exception of the Northern Territory, which was under the Nayeri.

The Guggisburg Constitution required the election of six chiefs as unofficial members of the Legislative Council, which majority members were British and the Council was meant as an advisory body. The idea of only paramount Chiefs were elected as Reps of Africans in the Legislative Council, though seemingly made the state of affairs to meet the sentiments of Africans for elective Reps to the Council, it did not meet the aspiration of the Intelligentsias, since this Constitution, limited nomination to the Council to only chiefs that created a wedge between the Chiefs and the educated subjects.

It should be noted that before 1925, Gold Coast had a Legislative Council with only appointed members, this caused a political agitations in 1921 for elective Reps to Council by a National Congress of British West Africa. The Congress was led by Joseph E Casely Hayford, an appointed member of the African members of the Gold Coast’s Legislative Council.

The National Congress as led by Joseph E Casely Hayford, demanded for wide reforms and innovations for British West Africa including a consideration of the principle of elected representation. Some members of the group were sent to London to present and press for their demands but they were not received on the grounds that they represented the interest of a small group. Based on the agitations of the National Congress, the regime of Guggisburg saw to the implementation of the principle of elected representation, which was the first time in the Gold Coast.

Dr Kwame Nkrumah
Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was very instrumental in the engineering for the Independence of the Gold Coast and the massive development of Ghana, thus saw him as the First Prime Minister of the Gold Coast between 1954 and 05^th March 1957, as Prime Minister of Ghana from 07 March 1957 to 01 July 1960, and as Second Head of State after Queen Elizabeth 11, so the First President of Republic of Ghana from 01 July 1960 to 24 February 1966.

President Nkrumah is regarded Ghana’s most celebrated historic Leader who acted in good faith and worked for a Better Ghana by massive expansion of educational and healthcare infrastructures. Nkrumah spearheaded massive industrialization and infrastructure projects including VRA/Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam. He built the Tema Port and the Tema Township.

Dr Nkrumah deliberately built a lot of industries to improve on the economy as part of import substitution policy and to generate more jobs. He built a lot of schools from Primary to the Tertiary level and saw to the free universal education policy.

President Nkrumah saw to a unified Ghana under Unitary system of government, not a Federal system of Government with ethnic groupings as wanted by some of his then compatriots So, but for him, the Northern, Brong Ahafo, and Volta Regions would have been left barren or not much developed.

He sought ad fought for the total liberation of Africa from Colonialism and imperialism, regarded as a new type of Colonialism and worked with other Heads of States and established the OAU, now AU, and worked to ensure a new type of Citizens of Africa, with high sense of integrity, patriotism, disciplined, reliability etc with humble qualifies He thus placed Ghana very high globally.

So, globally, he made Ghanaians proud, since whenever you travelled outside Ghana, some people may ask you whether you are from Nkrumah’s Ghana. The Chinese and Malaysia adopted his policy of the State running commercial enterprises, based on that they are on the verge of dominating the global Technology and manufacturing sector.

General Acheampong
General IK Acheampong as Head of State from 13 January 1972 to July 1978 was/is one of the most consequential, most thoughtful and impactful leader, since he helped to reshape the country numerous infrastructures and social standing with his nationalism or Ghanaization concept of Ghanaians in the commanding heights of the economy and self-reliance in food security . His economy policies, saw to the reorganization and the salvaging some of the long-term policies, industries etc of President Kwame Nkrumah.

So, his tenure defined an era of economic nationalism or transition with OPERATIONS FEED YOURSELF and FEED YOUR INDUSTRIES, hence caused the promotion of lot of local industries. Thus General Acheampong forged the path toward self-reliance. He caused the nationalization of AGIP, which then was an Italian Oil Refinery Company to Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), brought about the revitalization of State Gold Mine Corporation (SGMC) hence as State own Mining Company.

He purchased majority shares of 70 percent shares in the then AGC, Obuasi, Gold Mine, and thus almost nationalized it. He saw to the establishment of National Service Scheme with the idea of an element of Military training and he established the Ghana Armed Forces Farms for the Military to work to be self-reliance

The regime of General Acheampong, saw to the establishment of Rural Banks in 1976 to ensure banking facilities at close to farmers or rural folks for a rapid development of Ghana and to ensure Ghanaian took control of the commanding heights of the economy. His regime is the only one in the history of Ghana that did not opt for external loans and bail out from the IMF etc.

General Acheampong is still highly regarded for his transformation and modernization of the Agricultural Sector, nationwide with his OPERATIONS FEED YOUSELF, FEED YOUR INDUSTRIES led to massive Agricultural infrastructures especially, with the establishment of Agric Mechanization Centers/Farmers Service Company (FASCOM) and numerous Irrigations dams in the History of Ghana.

As stated, he built numerous irrigations dams like Tono irrigation dam which came under Irrigation Company of Upper Region ( ICOUR), for the managing of both the Tono and VEA Irrigation Dams. The Bontanga irrigation dam and other dams in the then Northern Region, thus opened up some parts of the North for large scale farming throughout the year. The Pwalugu multi-purpose dam in the North, was envisioned by him, as a major tool for flood control, irrigation and source of cheap electric power.

Some of the other irrigation dams are the Akumadan, Tonoso, Ashaiman, Mankessim, Amate, Dedeso, Kpando, Okyereko, Oyarifa, Dawenhya Irrigation, several dams in Afram Plains for his agricultural Self-reliance policy. So, General Acheampong really laid the foundational groundwork for Ghana’s large Scale food security with massive irrigation infrastructures.

His Op feed yourself was really, the boldest step to make Ghana food-sufficient, and improve the economy fundamentals of Ghana with import substitution. Some of the other numerous infrastructure projects, were the commencement of the construction of the Kpong Hydroelectric Project, building of Catering Houses in all of the then 10 Regions with resident dance bands.

He saw to the establishment of Regional Development Corporations with Headquarters in the capital of all of the then 10 Regions. He carried out urban street lighting, built sport stadia in some of the main Districts to encourage sporting activities. He saw Ghana transitioned or switched from left side of the road driving of vehicles to right side driving. He saw to national identity with introduction of the National pledge, instilled proper behaviour in the citizens, this made him to be disliked by some of the affected people.

Besides the promotion of economic nationalism with the promotion of Ghanaization, he was very instrumental in seeing the need for promoting Economic Integration and Regional Cooperation within the West Africa sub region and this led to the formation of ECOWAS on 28 May 1975 in Lome.

He also saw to the well-being of the citizens (people matter with his mantra of one Nation, One People with a Common Destiny), so as part of his welfare policies, he established SSNIT in November 1972 with NRC decree 127 to replace the hitherto Provident fund of Nkrumah’s Social Security System of 1965 (Act 279) for the better welfare of workers.

He established the Bank for Housing and Construction in 1974 to finance housing construction and develop building materials, through the provision of mortgage financing, assist in real estate development and execute joint venture construction projects. Thus he came out with numerous Housing projects, like the SSNIT Estates in all the then Regional Capitals like the Damsoman Estate in Accra, regarded as the largest housing estate in West Africa, Dan Estate in Kumasi. He also saw to the provision of low cost houses for the Citizens especially Workers. To ensure social cohesion and national cohesion and less rancour and acrimony as associated with political party politics or partisan politics in the political arena, he brought up the idea of Union Government.

Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings
Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings was the Head of State of Ghana in the eras of the PNDC from 31 December 1981 to 06 January 1993, and from 07 January 1993 to 06 January 2001 that is the era of the first and Second Regimes of the NDC. Based on the provision of Clause 3 of Article 66 of the 1992 Constitution, with a President’s terms as only two terms of 4 years each, so he handed over to Presidential Candidate JA Kofour, who won the 2000 Presidential Election.

Flight Lieutenant Rawlings who dominated the political landscape for 2 decades, navigated the nation out of economic crisis, with critical economy recovery program and structural adjustment program that towards the stabilization of the economy, with the support of Foreign Direct Investment in the Mining Sector

In the social and political arenas, Flight Lieutenant Rawlings spearheaded massive rural electrification and is regarded as the Democratic Architect for the restoration of political stability in Ghana. This is because he guided Ghana’s transition to multiparty democracy in 1992, with the political doctrine of Probity Transparency and Accountability into Ghana’s lexicon which is also a dogma of the 1992 Constitution.

Notwithstanding the fact that it was due to public agitation, with the support of the International Community/UN for the democracy system of government that eventually brought about or contributed to the change, history has it that, Flight Lieutenant Rawlings led the transition to constitutional democracy with the 1992 Constitution, which cemented democratic governance system in the Fourth Republic.