Coussey Committee

The Coussey Committee was established on 14 March 1949, after the 1948 Accra riots, to draft a constitution towards self-rule for the country Gold Coast.^[1] The committee was chaired by Sir Henley Coussey and published their report on 7 November 1949.^[2]

History

The committee made provision for greater African representation in Government as there were increasing demands for a representative government by Gold Coasters. The Watson Commission had earlier recommended an extensive Legislative Assembly with more Ghanaians included on 26 April 1948.^[3]

All the leaders of the UGCC were members of the committee except Kwame Nkrumah. He was considered a proponent of the British ideology, as his views of "independence now" were at variance with the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).^[3] His radical views led to his demotion to a treasurer in August 1948.

William Ofori Atta headed a committee convened at Saltpond, later in June 1949, to settle the differences between Kwame Nkrumah and other UGCC members. The Committee on Youth Organization (CYO), the youth wing, insisted Nkrumah not be reconciled with the intelligentsia. At the West Africa arena, he officially rejected the recommendations on 20 November 1949. Nkrumah declared the Coussey constitution as "bogus and fraudulent". A principal body, the Ghana Representative Council (ARC), was formed to initiate an appeal against the report.^[4]

This event led to Nkrumah breaking away from the UGCC. He later announced the formation of the Convention People's Party (CPP) on 12 January 1949^[3] to attain his ideals of "self-government, now, now, now", which became their slogan.^[5] The CPP attacked both the colonial government and the UGCC.^[6]

Significance

• It gave birth to the 1951 constitution.
• First all-African government^[7]

References

1. "History | About Us". www.psc.gov.gh. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
2. "KWAME NKRUMAH: THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE". www.guyanaundersiege.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
3. Ratina, Nana Ofori Kissi (2017-09-20). "Founders Day Controversy: Let's not pretend". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
4. "November 20th, 1949: Nkrumah rejects the Coussey Committee recommendations". Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
5. Arden-Clarke, Charles (1958). "Gold Coast Into Ghana: Some Problems of Transition". International Affairs. 34 (1): 49–56. doi:10.2307/2605866. ISSN 0020-5850.
6. "March 14, 1949: The Sir Henley Coussey Commission begins deliberations". Edward A. Ulzen Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
7. Nelson, Ekow (2017-10-09). "Reasons why the UGCC failed". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-08-03.