This Day in History: July 1, 1960
Additional Date: July 1, 1960
Ghana became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence on 6 March 1957. On 1 July 1960, Ghana was declared a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its first President. Though it was declared a republic, the country remained part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. A year later South Africa, under the leadership of H. F. Verwoerd, opted to become a republic. This move, unlike in Ghana, was met with a great deal of concern by the black majority and political organisations. Ghana’s transition to republic was rather uneventful.