Editing Ghana (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Ghana}}

===Medieval kingdoms===
{{main|Ashanti Empire|Kingdom of Dagbon|Bono state}}
[[File:Guinea from Milner's Atlas.jpg|thumb|An 1850 map showing the [[Akan people|Akan]] [[Kingdom of Ashanti]] within the [[Guinea (region)|Guinea region]] and surrounding regions in West Africa|left]]

The earliest kingdoms to emerge in Ghana were [[Bono state|Bonoman]] in the south and the [[Kingdom of Dagbon]] in the north, with Bonoman existing in the area during the 11th century.<ref name="NP" /><ref name="col">{{cite web |title=Pre-Colonial Period |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/pre-colonial.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123235900/http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/pre-colonial.php |archive-date=23 November 2010 |access-date=13 December 2010 |publisher=Ghanaweb.com}}</ref> From the 17th century, different Akan states begun to emerge from what is believed to have been the Bonoman area, mainly based on gold trading.<ref>{{cite book|first=Dennis M. |last=Warren|title=The Techiman-Bono of Ghana: An Ethnography of an Akan Society|publisher= Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company|date= 1975}}</ref> These states included Bonoman (Brong-Ahafo region), [[Adansi]] and [[Asante Empire|Asante]] ([[Ashanti Region]]), [[Denkyira]] ([[Central Region (Ghana)|Western North region]]), [[Mankessim Kingdom]] ([[Western Region (Ghana)|Central region]]), [[Akyem]] and [[Akwamu]] [[Eastern Region (Ghana)|(Eastern region)]].<ref name="col" /><ref>Kwasi Konadu, "Quest for the River, Creation of the Path," in ''The Ghana Reader: History, Culture, Politics'', eds. Kwasi Konadu and Clifford C. Campbell (Durham: Duke University Press, 2016), pp. 30–35.</ref> By the 19th century, the territory of the southern part of Ghana was included in the [[Ashanti Empire|Asante Kingdom]].<ref name="col" /> The government of the Ashanti Empire operated first as a loose network and eventually as a centralised kingdom with a specialised bureaucracy centred in the capital city of [[Kumasi]].<ref name="col" /> Prior to Akan contact with Europeans, the Akan people created an economy based on principally gold and [[gold bar]] precious metals, which were traded with other states in Africa.<ref name="col" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/surveys/african/ashanti/history.html |title=A Short History of Ashanti Gold Weights |publisher=Rubens.anu.edu.au |access-date=24 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902030803/http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/surveys/african/ashanti/history.html |archive-date=2 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Ga-Dangme and Ewe migrated westward from south-western Nigeria. The Ewe, formerly known as Dogbo, migrated from Oyo area with their Gbe-speaking kinsmen (Adja, Fon, Phla/Phera and Ogun/Gun) and, in transition, settled at Ketou in Benin Republic, Tado in Togo, and Dogbo Nyigbo in Benin Republic, with Nortsie (a walled town in present-day Togo) as their final dispersal point. Their dispersal from Nortsie was necessitated by the high-handed rule of King Agorkorli (Agɔ Akɔli), who was the reigning monarch of the tribe at that time. The Ewe in Ghana speak three principal dialects: Anlo (along the coast), Tongu (along the Volta river) and Ewedome (in the hill country side). The [[Ga-Adangbe people|Ga-Dangme]] occupy the Greater Accra Region and parts of the Eastern Region, while the Ewe are found in the [[Volta Region]] as well as the neighbouring Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria (around Badagry area).{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

===European contact and colonialism===
{{See also|Slave Coast of West Africa|Dutch Slave Coast}}[[File:Elmina_slave_castle.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] established the [[Portuguese Gold Coast]] with the construction of [[Elmina Castle]] (''Castelo da Mina'') by [[Diogo de Azambuja]] in 1482, making it the oldest [[Portuguese colonial architecture|European building]] in Sub-Saharan Africa.]]
Akan trade with European states began after contact with the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] in the 15th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/ashanti/ashanti.asp?menu_id=6&sub_menu_id=67&gender=&s=a |title=History of the Ashanti People |publisher=Modern Ghana |access-date=9 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731222849/http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/ashanti/ashanti.asp?menu_id=6&sub_menu_id=67&gender=&s=a |archive-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> European contact was by the [[Portuguese people]], who came to the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast region]] in the 15th century to trade. The Portuguese then established the [[Portuguese Gold Coast]] (Costa do Ouro), focused on the availability of gold.<ref name="History"/> The Portuguese built a trading lodge at a coastal settlement called Anomansah (the perpetual drink), which they renamed [[Elmina|São Jorge da Mina]].<ref name="History">{{cite web |url=http://www.tonyxworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=38 |title=History of Ghana |publisher=TonyX |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501201014/http://www.tonyxworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=38 |archive-date=1 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1481, King [[John II of Portugal]] commissioned [[Diogo de Azambuja]] to build the [[Elmina Castle]], which was completed in three years.<ref name="History" /> By 1598, the [[Dutch people|Dutch]] had joined the Portuguese in the gold trade, establishing the [[Dutch Gold Coast]] (''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'' – 'Dutch properties at the Guinea coast') and building forts at [[Fort Komenda]] and Kormantsi.<ref name="Ghana book">{{cite book |last=Levy |first=Patricia |author2=Wong, Winnie |title=Ghana |url=https://archive.org/details/ghana0000levy |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Marshall Cavendish]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/ghana0000levy/page/24 24] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7614-4847-1}}</ref> In 1617, the Dutch captured the Elmina Castle from the Portuguese and [[Axim]] in 1642 ([[Fort Saint Anthony|Fort St Anthony]]).<ref name="Ghana book" />

European traders had joined in gold trading by the 17th century, including the [[Swedes]], establishing the [[Swedish Gold Coast]] (''Svenska Guldkusten''), and [[Denmark–Norway]], establishing the [[Danish Gold Coast]] (''Danske Guldkyst'' or ''Dansk Guinea'').<ref name="History of Ghana">{{cite web |title=History of Ghana |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215170543/http://ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/ |archive-date=15 December 2010 |access-date=10 January 2011 |publisher=ghanaweb.com}}</ref> European traders participated in the [[Atlantic slave trade]] in this area.<ref name="Emmer">{{cite book |last=Emmer |first=Pieter C. |edition=1st |series=Variorum Collected Studies (Book 614) |title=The Dutch in the Atlantic Economy, 1580–1880: Trade, Slavery, and Emancipation (Variorum Collected Studies) |page=17 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon-on-Thames |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-86078-697-9}}</ref> More than 30 forts and castles were built by the merchants. The Germans established the [[Brandenburger Gold Coast]] or Groß Friedrichsburg.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 September 2008 |title=Bush Praises Strong Leadership of Ghanaian President Kufuor |url=http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2008/09/20080915145840dmslahrellek0.5556452.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512220141/http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2008/09/20080915145840dmslahrellek0.5556452.html |archive-date=12 May 2014 |access-date=26 June 2010 |work=iipdigital.usembassy.gov}}</ref> In 1874, Great Britain established control over some parts of the country, assigning these areas the status of the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|British Gold Coast]].<ref name="colestablish">MacLean, Iain (2001), ''Rational Choice and British Politics: An Analysis of Rhetoric and Manipulation from Peel to Blair'', p. 76, {{ISBN|0-19-829529-4}}.</ref> Military engagements occurred between British colonial powers and Akan nation-states. The Kingdom of [[Ashanti Empire|Ashanti]] defeated the British some times in the 100-year-long [[Anglo-Ashanti wars]] and eventually lost with the [[War of the Golden Stool]] in 1900.<ref>{{cite book |author=Puri, Jyoti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tEL4ToU8JSQC&pg=PA76 |title=Encountering Nationalism |publisher=Wiley |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-470-77672-8 |pages=76– |access-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915131854/https://books.google.com/books?id=tEL4ToU8JSQC&pg=PA76 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Chronology of world history">Freeman-Grenville, G. S. P. (1975), ''Chronology of World History: A Calendar of Principal Events from 3000 BC to AD 1973'', Part 1973, [[Rowman & Littlefield]], {{ISBN|0-87471-765-5}}.</ref><ref>[https://www.webcitation.org/5kwpwoVQ8?url=http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580620_3/Ashanti_Kingdom.html Ashanti Kingdom], Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2009, Archived 31 October 2009.</ref>

===Transition to independence===
{{see also|Dominion of Ghana|Ghana Independence Act 1957}}
{{Multiple images
| image1 = Ghana Independence overprint on Gold Coast 1s stamp 1957.jpg
| caption1 = A Gold Coast postage stamp overprinted for Ghanaian independence in 1957
| image2 = Ghana (1957-03-07 A New Nation).ogg|thumbtime=0:55
| caption2 = Celebrations marking Ghana's independence on 6 March 1957
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In 1947, the newly formed [[United Gold Coast Convention]] led by [[The Big Six (Ghana)|"The Big Six"]] called for "self-government within the shortest possible time" following the [[1946 Gold Coast general election|1946 Gold Coast legislative election]].<ref name="History of Ghana"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Gocking, Roger |title=The History of Ghana |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofghana00gock |url-access=registration |year=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-31894-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofghana00gock/page/92 92]– |access-date=27 June 2015}}</ref> [[Kwame Nkrumah]], a Ghanaian nationalist who led Ghana from 1957 to 1966 as the country's first [[Prime Minister of Ghana|prime minister]] and [[President of Ghana|president]], formed the [[Convention People's Party]] in 1949 with the motto "self-government now".<ref name="History of Ghana"/> The party initiated a "positive action" campaign involving non-violent protests, strikes and non-cooperation with the British authorities. Nkrumah was arrested and sentenced to one year imprisonment during this time. In the Gold Coast's [[1951 Gold Coast general election|1951 general election]], he was elected to Parliament and was released from prison.<ref name="History of Ghana"/> He became prime minister in 1952 and began a policy of Africanization.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

At midnight on 6 March 1957, the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and [[British Togoland]] were unified as one single independent dominion within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] under the name Ghana. This was done under the [[Ghana Independence Act 1957]]. The current [[flag of Ghana]], consisting of the colours red, gold, green, and a black star, dates back to this unification.<ref name="Ghana flag and description">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/ghana.htm |title=Ghana flag and description |publisher=worldatlas.com |access-date=24 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224131743/http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/africa/ghana.htm |archive-date=24 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 1 July 1960, following the [[1960 Ghanaian constitutional referendum|Ghanaian constitutional referendum]] and [[1960 Ghanaian presidential election|Ghanaian presidential election]], Nkrumah declared Ghana a republic and assumed the presidency.<ref name="Universal Newsreel"/><ref name="First For Sub-Saharan Africa"/><ref name="Exploring Africa – Decolonization" /><ref name="History of Ghana"/> 6 March is the nation's [[Independence Day (Ghana)|Independence Day]], and 1 July is celebrated as [[Republic Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.africa.com/5-things-know-ghana-independence-day/ |title=5 Things To Know About Ghana's Independence Day |website=Africa.com |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710225301/https://www.africa.com/5-things-know-ghana-independence-day/ |archive-date=10 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/What-is-Republic-Day-in-Ghana-615882 |title=What is Republic Day in Ghana? |last=Oquaye |first=Mike |date=10 January 2018 |website=GhanaWeb |access-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211559/https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/What-is-Republic-Day-in-Ghana-615882 |archive-date=29 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Nkrumah led an [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regime in Ghana, as he repressed political opposition and conducted elections that were not free and fair.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mazrui |first=Ali |author-link=Ali Mazrui|date=1966 |title=Nkrumah: The Leninist Czar |journal=[[Transition (magazine)|Transition]] |issue=26 |pages=9–17 |doi=10.2307/2934320 |jstor=2934320 |issn=0041-1191}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kilson |first=Martin L. |date=1963 |title=Authoritarian and Single-Party Tendencies in African Politics |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/abs/authoritarian-and-singleparty-tendencies-in-african-politics/C06E363B216E1DC2324E77AABDE4FE40 |journal=World Politics |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=262–294 |doi=10.2307/2009376 |jstor=2009376 |s2cid=154624186 |issn=1086-3338 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201210711/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/abs/authoritarian-and-singleparty-tendencies-in-african-politics/C06E363B216E1DC2324E77AABDE4FE40 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bretton |first=Henry L. |date=1958 |title=Current Political Thought and Practice in Ghana* |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/current-political-thought-and-practice-in-ghana/01D51435240B4DD2FFCDF67F554FA682 |journal=American Political Science Review |language=en |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=46–63 |doi=10.2307/1953012 |jstor=1953012 |s2cid=145766298 |issn=1537-5943 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201201816/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/current-political-thought-and-practice-in-ghana/01D51435240B4DD2FFCDF67F554FA682 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah: visionary, authoritarian ruler and national hero |url=https://www.dw.com/en/ghanas-kwame-nkrumah-visionary-authoritarian-ruler-and-national-hero/a-19070359|first=Hilke|last=Fischer |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en-GB |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201182454/https://www.dw.com/en/ghanas-kwame-nkrumah-visionary-authoritarian-ruler-and-national-hero/a-19070359 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1964-05-03 |title=Portrait of Nkrumah as Dictator |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/portrait-of-nkrumah-as-dictator.html |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201205439/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/03/archives/portrait-of-nkrumah-as-dictator.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1964, a [[1964 Ghanaian constitutional referendum|constitutional amendment]] made Ghana a [[one-party state]], with Nkrumah as [[president for life]] of both the nation and its party.<ref>{{Citation |title=VII. The Reluctant Nation |date=1964-12-31 |work=One-Party Government in the Ivory Coast |pages=219–249 |place=Princeton |publisher=Princeton University Press |doi=10.1515/9781400876563-012 |isbn=978-1-4008-7656-3 }}</ref> Nkrumah was the first African head of state to promote the concept of [[Pan-Africanism]], which he had been introduced to during his studies at [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]], Pennsylvania in the United States, at the time when [[Marcus Garvey]] was known for his "Back to Africa Movement".<ref name="History of Ghana" /> He merged the teachings of Garvey, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and the naturalised Ghanaian scholar [[W. E. B. Du Bois]] into the formation of 1960s Ghana.<ref name="History of Ghana" /> Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as he became known, played an instrumental part in the founding of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], and in establishing the [[Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute]] to teach his ideologies of [[communism]] and [[socialism]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Atta-Boakye|first=Ken |title=Of Nkrumah's Political Ideologies: Communism, Socialism, Nkrumaism |work=GhanaWeb |url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=110817 |publisher=Ghana Web |date=20 September 2006 |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725015602/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=110817 |archive-date=25 July 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> His life achievements were recognised by Ghanaians during his centenary birthday celebration, and the day was instituted as a [[Public holidays in Ghana|public holiday in Ghana]] ([[Founders' Day (Ghana)|Founders' Day]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Founders' day to be placed on Ghana's Holiday Calendar|url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/419363/1/founders-day-to-be-placed-on-ghanas-holiday-calend.html |publisher=Modern Ghana |date=22 September 2012 |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925093111/http://www.modernghana.com/news/419363/1/founders-day-to-be-placed-on-ghanas-holiday-calend.html |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Operation Cold Chop and aftermath===
{{main|History of Ghana (1966–1979)}}
The government of Nkrumah was subsequently overthrown in a coup by the [[Ghana Armed Forces]], codenamed "Operation Cold Chop". This occurred while Nkrumah was abroad with [[Zhou Enlai]] in the People's Republic of China, on a mission to [[Hanoi]], Vietnam, to help end the [[Vietnam War]]. The coup took place on 24 February 1966, led by Colonel [[Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka]] and Brigadier Akwasi Afrifa. The [[National Liberation Council]] was formed, chaired by Lieutenant General [[Joseph Arthur Ankrah|Joseph A. Ankrah]].<ref name="political & social thought of Kwame Nkrumah">{{cite web |url=http://libyadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/pdf-2011-the-political-and-social-thought-of-kwame-nkrumah.pdf |title=The political and social thought of Kwame Nkrumah |first=Ama|last=Biney|author-link=Ama Biney|year=2011 |access-date=28 April 2014 |work=Libyadiary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429052034/http://libyadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/pdf-2011-the-political-and-social-thought-of-kwame-nkrumah.pdf |archive-date=29 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Imoro |first=Issah |date=24 February 2015 |title=The Other Side Of Operation Cold Chop' |url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/600560/the-other-side-of-operation-cold-chop.html |access-date=26 February 2024 |website=Modern Ghana |archive-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708061634/https://www.modernghana.com/news/600560/the-other-side-of-operation-cold-chop.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A series of alternating military and civilian governments, often affected by economic instabilities,<ref>{{cite book |title=A Country Study: Ghana |last=David |first=Owusu-Ansah |publisher=La Verle Berry |year=1994}}</ref> ruled Ghana from 1966, ending with the ascent to power of [[Flight lieutenant|Flight Lieutenant]] [[Jerry Rawlings|Jerry John Rawlings]] of the [[Provisional National Defence Council]] in 1981.<ref name="Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings (J.J Rawlings)">{{cite news |url=http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/424/ |title=Ghana: Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings (J.J Rawlings) |work=[[Africa Confidential]] |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191244/http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/424/ |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> These changes resulted in the suspension of the [[Constitution of Ghana|constitution]] in 1981 and the banning of [[List of political parties in Ghana|political parties]].<ref name="Rawlings: The legacy">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1050310.stm |title=Rawlings: The legacy |publisher=BBC News |date=1 December 2000 |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828010357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1050310.stm |archive-date=28 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The economy soon declined, so Rawlings negotiated a structural adjustment plan, changing many old economic policies, and growth recovered during the mid-1980s.<ref name="Rawlings: The legacy"/> A new constitution restoring [[multi-party system]] politics was promulgated in the [[1992 Ghanaian presidential election|presidential election of 1992]], in which Rawlings was elected, and again in the [[1996 Ghanaian general election|general election of 1996]].<ref name="Elections in Ghana">{{cite web |title=Elections in Ghana |url=http://africanelections.tripod.com/gh.html |work=Africanelections.tripod.com |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530060759/http://africanelections.tripod.com/gh.html |archive-date=30 May 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In a [[Konkomba–Nanumba conflict|tribal war]] in [[Northern Region (Ghana)|Northern Ghana]] in 1994, between the [[Konkomba people|Konkomba]] and other ethnic groups, including the [[Nanumba people|Nanumba]], [[Dagomba people|Dagomba]] and [[Gonja people|Gonja]], between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed and 150,000 people were displaced.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be33c.html |title=Refworld {{!}} Ghana: Conflict between the Konkomba and Nanumba tribes and the government response to the conflict (1994 – September 2000) |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |website=Refworld |date=26 September 2000 |access-date=8 January 2022 |archive-date=26 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426203557/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be33c.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Kpetoee.jpg|thumb|Traditional [[Chieftaincy|chiefs]] in 2015]]
After the [[2000 Ghanaian general election|2000 general election]], [[John Kufuor]] of the [[New Patriotic Party]] became president of Ghana on 7 January 2001 and was [[2004 Ghanaian general election|re-elected in 2004]], thus also serving two terms (the term limit) as president of Ghana and marking the first time under the fourth republic that power was transferred from one legitimately elected head of state and head of government to another.<ref name="Elections in Ghana"/>

[[Nana Akufo-Addo]], the ruling party candidate, was defeated in a very close [[2008 Ghanaian general election|2008 general election]] by [[John Atta Mills]] of the [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|National Democratic Congress]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kokutse |first=Francis |title=Opposition leader wins presidency in Ghana |agency=Associated Press |date=3 January 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-01-03-ghana-election_N.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209072058/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-01-03-ghana-election_N.htm |archive-date=9 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Gyimah-Boadi, Emmanuel, "The 2008 Freedom House Survey: Another Step Forward for Ghana." ''Journal of Democracy'' 20.2 (2009): 138–152 [https://muse.jhu.edu/article/262756/summary excerpt]. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818201829/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/262756/summary |date=18 August 2022 }}.</ref> Mills died of natural causes and was succeeded by Vice President [[John Mahama]] on 24 July 2012.<ref>{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Nossiter |title=John Atta Mills, President of Ghana, Dies at 68 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/world/africa/john-atta-mills-ghanas-president-dies-68.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 July 2012 |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709161829/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/world/africa/john-atta-mills-ghanas-president-dies-68.html |archive-date=9 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[2012 Ghanaian general election|2012 general election]], Mahama became president in his own right,<ref name="Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sworn in">{{cite news |url=http://english.sina.com/world/p/2013/0107/545991.html |title=Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sworn in |publisher=[[Sina Corp]] |date=7 January 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011622/http://english.sina.com/world/p/2013/0107/545991.html |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Ghana was described as a "stable democracy".<ref name="OBG2012">{{cite web |title=Ghana – Economy: Keep calm and carry on: A strong and stable democracy has been built over the years |url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/ghana/2012-report/economy/keep-calm-and-carry-on-a-strong-and-stable-democracy-has-been-built-over-the-years |publisher=Oxford Business Group |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423125221/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/ghana/2012-report/economy/keep-calm-and-carry-on-a-strong-and-stable-democracy-has-been-built-over-the-years |archive-date=23 April 2023 |date=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BTI 2016: Ghana Country Report |url=https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2016_GHA.pdf |website=BTI Transformation Index |publisher=[[Bertelsmann Stiftung]] |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127192937/https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2016_GHA.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2022 |location=Gütersloh |date=2016}}</ref> As a result of the [[2016 Ghanaian general election|2016 general election]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yen.com.gh/85240-what-world-media-ghanas-2016-elections.html#85240 |title=What the world media is saying about Ghana's 2016 elections – YEN.COM.GH|first=M. |last=Quarshie |date=7 December 2016 |work=yen.com.gh |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208122522/https://yen.com.gh/85240-what-world-media-ghanas-2016-elections.html#85240 |archive-date=8 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nana Akufo-Addo]] became president on 7 January 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 Presidential Results |url=http://www.thumbsapp.com.gh/ |website=Ghana Electoral Commission |access-date=18 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519211542/http://www.thumbsapp.com.gh/ |archive-date=19 May 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He was re-elected after a tightly contested [[2020 Ghanaian general election|election in 2020]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55236356 |title=Ghana election: Nana Akufo-Addo re-elected as president |work=BBC News |date=9 December 2020 |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209194653/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55236356 |url-status=live}}</ref>

To combat deforestation, on 11 June 2021 Ghana inaugurated Green Ghana Day, with the aim of planting five million trees in a concentrated effort to preserve the country's rainforest cover.<ref>{{cite web |title=Planting of Five Million Tres on 11th June, 2021 the Green Ghana in the Bosomtwe Constituency {{!}} Bosomtwe District Assembly |url=http://www.bosomtwe.gov.gh/article/planting-five-million-trees-11th-june2021-green-ghana-bosomtwe-constituency |website=www.bosomtwe.gov.gh |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216230232/http://www.bosomtwe.gov.gh/article/planting-five-million-trees-11th-june2021-green-ghana-bosomtwe-constituency |url-status=live}}</ref>