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| 1951 |
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| In June 1949, Nkrumah had split with the United Gold Coast Convention to form the Convention People's Party. Adopting the slogan “Self-Government Now,” the Convention People's Party (CPP) threatened to take “positive action” unless the British took concrete steps to give the Gold Coast autonomy. The colonial authorities jailed Nkrumah and other CPP leaders in 1950. The following year, an election was held as part of the government's reform proposals. After the CPP won an overwhelming victory, Nkrumah was released from prison to become leader of government business. | 1 |
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| 1950s |
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| Sekou Touré, a former postal clerk with little formal schooling, became head of the Parti Démocratique de Guinée in the early 1950s. His work on behalf of striking workers made him especially popular among urban trade unionists. In regional elections in the mid-1950s, Touré's emphasis on Marxism, Islam, and anticolonialism gained him a national following. In 1958, he was the only leader in French West Africa to push for immediate independence when others chose to continue their association with France. Elected as the first president of independent Guinea in 1958 (See 1958, Sept. 28), Touré embarked on a program of radical socioeconomic change. He early on distanced himself from France and sought ties with Eastern European countries. | 2 |
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| 1951 |
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| Sierra Leone People's Party gained overwhelming victory in the National Council elections in Sierra Leone. | 3 |
| The British-sponsored Yundum Egg Scheme in the Gambia collapsed despite the investment of £900,000. As part of the Colonial Development Corp.'s economic development program, the scheme was meant to transform the Gambia into a major exporter of eggs and dressed chickens. Its failure demonstrated the high costs of ill-suited development plans. | 4 |
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| 1953 |
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| Serious ethnic riots in Kano. Northerners attacked Yoruba and Igbo. Alhajji Muhammad Sanusi succeeded as emir of Kano and introduced a program of land reform and other improvements. | 5 |
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| 1954 |
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| A new constitution was established for Nigeria, organizing the country as a federation. British Northern Cameroon and Southern Cameroon separated. General elections were held in the Gambia. | 6 |
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| 1955–58 |
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| Nicholas Grunitzky served as premier of Togo. | 7 |
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| 1956 |
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| Discovery of Nigeria's offshore oil reserves at Oloibiri. Production began in 1958. Control over oil revenues exacerbated Nigeria's rocky route to independence. | 8 |
| Queen Elizabeth II visited Nigeria. | 9 |
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| 1957 |
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| Independence of Ghana. The CPP achieved another victory in the 1956 elections, which immediately preceded independence negotiations. In 1957, Nkrumah became the first prime minister of independent Ghana. Ghana thus became the first West African colony to achieve independence in the decolonization era. | 10 |
| The College of Technology opened in Kumasi. | 11 |
| In elections throughout French West Africa, the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain won an overwhelming majority in French Sudan, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. | 12 |
| Alhajji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became first federal prime minister of Nigeria. | 13 |
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| Sept |
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| The Fifth French Republic offered a referendum, giving its African territories the option of continuing their association with France under self-government or becoming totally independent. France's recognition that its colonies might want independence signaled an entirely new attitude. French president Charles de Gaulle made it clear that if a colony chose to become independent, it would face a complete cutoff of French aid. Those colonies opting for self-government would gain control over their domestic affairs, whereas France would control economic, defense, and foreign policies. Of the 12 territories voting in the referendum on self-government versus independence, only Guinea opted for immediate independence. The 11 colonies voting for self-government joined the French Community; their leaders favored independence in principle, but feared the effects of a cutoff of French aid. During 1959–60, these African leaders successfully pressed for complete independence. France, preoccupied with a costly war in Algeria (See Sept. 16), relented in the face of African pressure but continued to maintain its influence in the region. | 14 |
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