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| 9. Ghana |
| 1957, March 6 |
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| Ghana gained independence from Britain under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah. | 1 |
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| 1960, July 1 |
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| Ghana became a republic within the British Commonwealth. Nkrumah and his Convention People's Party moved further to the left, embracing the Soviet Union, Cuba, and China. | 2 |
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| 1964 |
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| Nkrumah's growing authoritarianism resulted in the formation of a one-party state in Ghana. The country's dependence on cocoa exports created an unstable economy. | 3 |
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| 1966, Feb. 23 |
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| While out of the country, Nkrumah was overthrown by a right-wing coup. Lt. Gen. Joseph Ankrah headed the new government under the banner of the National Liberation Council. | 4 |
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| 1969, Sept |
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| The military transferred power to a civilian government led by Kofi Busia. Busia's government failed to stem economic crises, and it too became increasingly authoritarian. | 5 |
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| 1972, Jan |
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| The military retook power, this time under Lt. Col. I. Kuta Acheampong. His National Redemption Council embarked on an economic austerity program but failed to turn the country around. Corruption and inflation worsened. | 6 |
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| 1978, July 5 |
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| Gen. Frederick Akuffo replaced Acheampong at the head of Ghana's government. Despite Akuffo's statements to the contrary, the country failed to move toward civilian rule. | 7 |
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| 1979, June 4 |
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| Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings and his supporters seized power in Ghana. Many of the country's previous leaders were put on trial and executed. The Rawlings regime soon held elections that set the stage for the temporary return to civilian rule. | 8 |
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| 1981, Dec. 31 |
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| Rawlings returned to power in a second coup. After flirting with the Eastern bloc, the Rawlings government tilted toward the West. New austerity measures strengthened the Ghanaian economy somewhat. | 9 |
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| 1987 |
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| Rawlings and his Provisional National Defense Council encouraged electoral registration and made plans for local elections, signaling a move toward civilian rule. | 10 |
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| 1998, March 23 |
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| In the capital of Accra, U.S. president Bill Clinton gave a speech to more than 250,000 people as he began a 12-day African tour of six nations: Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana, and Senegal. Pres. Clinton pledged $67 million in aid to purchase two natural gas power plants for Ghana. | 11 |
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