Ghana's History Belongs to All Ghanaians

Ghana's independence was not the work of one person, family or party. Its history runs from the chiefs, merchants and lawyers of the 19th century to the soldiers, market women and youth of the 1940s.

The UGCC was formed on 4 August 1947, exactly 50 years to the day after John Mensah Sarbah's Aborigines' Rights Protection Society. Chiefs such as Osu Alata Mantse Nii Kwabena Bonnie III also helped by their actions, and the government of the day said many contributors' names are unknown. Ex-servicemen who were shot at Christiansborg Crossroads in February 1948 and the 1900 Asante resistance under Yaa Asantewaa also form part of the story.

The Dispute Over "Founder" or "Founders"

This is a live debate with two sincere camps, and a fair article should show both.

The Collective View

In 2019, Parliament set 4 August as Founders' Day to honour collective efforts and 21 September as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day. President Akufo-Addo said in 2024 that he rejected the notion that Ghana was founded by one man. Former Speaker Prof. Oquaye called Nkrumah one of the founding fathers but never the founder.

The Nkrumah View

The CPP maintains that Nkrumah founded modern Ghana and that no government can erase this history. Supporters argue that he took the UGCC's message to villages and made it a household name. Mahama has argued that Nkrumah should be celebrated, not denigrated.

Many historians would say both can be true: the 1947 UGCC began the organised push, and Nkrumah's mass party delivered independence in 1957. The Daily Graphic has urged a bipartisan approach to the debate. Its editorial argues that the debate should remind us of collective action and the importance of leadership.

A Secular State Means History Without Sectarian Favouritism

The same principle applies to religion. Ghana is constitutionally secular but not atheistic, and the Constitution prohibits making any religious organisation a state religion (Article 56). Article 21 guarantees the freedom to practise any religion, or none.

Article 35(5) directs the State to promote integration and prohibit discrimination on grounds including place of origin, ethnicity and religion. In a 2019 case, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that Ghana is a secular state with no official religion.

For history, this means national honours, holidays, currency and textbooks should recognise Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional faiths alike, and should not credit anyone because of their family, ethnic group, region or faith.

Credit Where It Is Due

A fair approach to national memory would:

Judge by Contribution

Honour people for what they did, with evidence, and not by lineage or party.

Widen the Lens

Include chiefs, women, ex-servicemen, traders, teachers and unnamed young activists.

Teach Contested History Openly

Let students read both the Danquah and Nkrumah traditions.

Keep National Symbols Above Party

Make decisions on holidays and currency through consensus, so they do not change with each government.

Acknowledge Flaws

Every figure, including Nkrumah and the UGCC leaders, had successes and failures that deserve honest treatment.

Conclusion

Ghana's founders include many people, and its state belongs equally to all its citizens, whatever their faith. The best tribute is to tell the full story and give credit where it is deserved.

Some will answer that a single organising genius mattered more than anyone else and that "collective founders" can dilute that fact. That argument deserves a fair hearing too.