William Burnett Harvey

The Evolution of Ghana Law Since Independence

On March 6, I957, the British Gold Coast achieved independence in circumstances that apparently offered a bright future for sovereign, independent Ghana. Since I95I, adroit leaders of a well-organized political party had operated a responsible parliamentary government under British tutelage and reservations of power that was in fact never exercised. A growing body of African civil servants was supplemented at critical points by expatriate officers whose continued work in Ghana was assured by attractive economic arrangements. The national economy was prosperous, there was no encumbering debt, and the young government could plan national development fortified by large foreign exchange reserves. Independence was celebrated under a warm aura of goodwill toward the former colonial masters who in turn regarded the infant state as the vindication of decades of colonial administration in sub-Saharan Africa.