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Ghana
Ghana Independence- The Gold Coast was a British Colony.
- An American-educated leader Kwame Nkrumah, who was inspired by Pan-Africanism and the writings of Mohandas Gandhi, organized a political party. Nkrumah used strikes and boycotts to battle the British.
-In 1957, the British granted the Gold Coast independence, and Nkrumah became its Prime Minister. He renamed the country Ghana, a name that linked the new nation to its past. -
Cameroon
Cameroon Independence-
- A former German colony was divided between France and the United Kingdom in 1918, when World War I.
- The Republic of Cameroon, as it is called now, celebrates its National Day or Republic Day on the 20th May.
-The following year, the southern part of the country, under British control, merged with the north. On May 5, 1960, Ahmadou Ahidjo was elected as the country’s first president. -
Togo
-A former German colony subsequently under French and British mandates following World War I. The part of the country administered by the French had a status of “associated territory” in the French Union established in 1946. The country became an autonomous republic (within the French Union) by referendum in 1956. In February 1958, victory for the the Togolese Unity Committee, a nationalist movement, in legislative elections opened the way to independence. -
Madagascar
- Thanks to France's early claim on Madagascar the French were able to have easy acces to it.
- A French overseas territory as of 1946, this island was proclaimed an autonomous state within the French Community in 1958.
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Somalia
A former Italian colony, Somalia merged on the day it became independent with the former British protectorate of Somaliland in 1960 to form the Somali Republic.
- Somaliland had itself gained its full independence five days earlier. The objective was to reconstitute the “Greater Somalia” of the pre-colonial era, which had included Kenya, and Ethiopia, which was at that time under French control -
Democratic Republic of the Congo
-In January 1959, under the leadership of Patrice Lumumba, riots broke out in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in what was then known as the Belgian Congo. Belgian authorities called the main Congolese leaders to Brussels and decided to withdraw from the country, fearing a war of independence similar to the one that was ravaging Algeria at the time. Belgian Congo thus became the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and would later temporarily be called Zaire un -
Benin
Benin Independence- Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century.
-The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. -
Niger
NIGER – August 3. A referendum in 1958 propelled Diori Hamana to power. The republic is proclaimed on December 18, 1958, but independence is solemnly declared on August 3, 1960. Hamani, the country’s first president, is overthrown by a coup d’état in 1974 -
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso- This country got independent from French rule in 1960. Before that, the territory was merged with and separated from other French territories in West Africa.
- Until the end of 19th century, the empire-building Mossi dominated the history of Burkina Faso.
In 1896, the French claimed the area but Mossi resistance was there till 1901, when the French captured the capital, Ouagadougou.The preent borders still remain. -
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast Independence
– August 7. A referendum in 1958 resulted in the Ivory Coast becoming a stable republic. In June of 1960, the pro-French Félix Houphouët-Boigny proclaimed the country’s independence, but kept close ties between Abidjan and Paris. The Ivory Coast became one of the most prosperous West African nations -
Chad
CHAD – August 11. Two years after becoming a republic, Chad achieved independence on August 11, 1960. The prime minister at the time, François Tombalbaye.
- Francois Tombalbaye, the country's president, proved to be an autocratic leader. Almost immediately he banned all political parties - paving the way for nearly 40 years of civil war. -
Central African Republic
-The country recieved its right of self government in 1958
- Later, percisely in 1960, the Central African Republic gained its independence from France.
- Being one of the most underdeveloped countries, the Republic has had trouble with economical stability. -
Republic of the Congo
- Ninety nine percent of the Congolese people voted to join the French Community in a 1958 referendum, making the country an autonomous republic. The following year, violence broke out in Brazzaville, triggering a French military intervention. On August 15, 1960, Congo gained independence, with Fulbert Youlou as president until 1963
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Gabon
- Criticised by several opposition parties for being anti-independence, Prime Minister Léon M’Ba was nevertheless resigned to proclaim it on August 17. He would have preferred that Gabon become a French department, but had to back down when General de Gaulle refused.
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Senegal
– August 20, September 22. The independent republics of Senegal and Mali were born from the ashes of the short-lived Federation of Mali – established on January 17, 1959 – made up of Senegal and former French Sudan.
- Senegal gain its independence from France after breaking away from the Mali Federation, which was formed by merging Senegal and the French Soudan in 1959. -
Nigeria
- Divided into a federation of three regions – North, East, and West – by the Constitution in 1954, Nigeria, with its population of 34 million, was already considered the giant of the African continent.
- In 1960 Great Britain granted Nigeria independence. The following year, the northern part of British Cameroons, a United Nations trust territory, voted to become part of Nigeria. The nation became a republic in 1963.
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Mauritania
1946 - Becomes a French overseas territory.
1957 - Nouakchott established as the capital.
Independence
1958 - Mauritania becomes self-governing.
1960 28 November - Mauritania becomes independent.
1960 - Mauritania makes territorial claims to neighbouring Spanish Sahara.
1973 - Mauritania joins the Arab League.
1976 - Mauritania and Morocco divide up Spanish Sahara, now known as Western Sahara, after Spain pulls out. -
Kenya
-The British had owned Kenya until late 1963.
-The fight for independence began with the Mau Mau Rebellion. Mau Mau members carried out violent attacks aainst colonial leaders ans white settlers.
- Although the Mau Mau lost, later, the British worked with african leaders and white settlement leaders to begin to make the country's transition in to an independent one.
