Stories and facts

On November 20, 1949, Kwame Nkrumah decisively rejected the Coussey Committee’s recommendations, marking a key turning point in the Gold Coast’s push for independence.

Earlier that year, the arrest of the “Big Six” had enabled the British authorities to seize important UGCC documents, including minutes of the party’s working committee.

These records revealed that Nkrumah had been given considerable freedom to direct the organization’s activities. A document called The Circle, taken from Nkrumah’s papers, also intensified British concerns that he held radical political ambitions.

The Coussey Committee had been established to explore constitutional reforms in response to growing demands for African participation in governance.

Its report, released on November 7, 1949, recommended increased African representation but avoided calling for full self-rule. While moderates accepted it as progress, Nkrumah viewed the report as inadequate and disappointing.

To voice his opposition, Nkrumah organized a major rally at the West End Arena in Accra on November 20. There, he formally rejected the report and announced the formation of the Ghana Representative Council to lead resistance against its recommendations.

He urged the creation of a constituent assembly to draft a constitution that would grant immediate self-government.

Nkrumah then renewed his national campaign, calling on citizens to unite and intensify the struggle for freedom. His message, “We prefer self-government in danger to servitude in tranquillity,” echoed across the country, and the chant “Self-government now” gained momentum.

To increase pressure on the colonial government, plans were set for a nationwide Positive Action strike beginning January 1, 1950, signaling a more assertive phase of the independence movement.

Explore significant events that have shaped Ghana’s past.