In 1482 Portuguese settlers arrived and began trading in gold, ivory and timber with various Akan states/kingdoms.
During the 1500s the obnoxious slave trade gained prominence. Enslavement overtook gold as the main export in the region.
The 1600s saw Dutch, English, Danish and Swedish settlers arriving in the territory and the abhorent slave trade became highly organised.
In 1642 the Portuguese relinquished their territory to the Dutch and left the Gold Coast.
British dominance began in 1807 and, subsequently, the ban on the slave trade from the Gold Coast became effective.
In 1874 the Gold Coast was officially proclaimed a British crown colony.
In 1957 Ghana became the first “black” African colony to declare independence.
1968-1992 was a period of successive of military rule interspersed with a couple of brief periods of civilian democratic rule. Ghana was therefore predominantly a one-party state.
In 1992 a new constitution was adopted and a multi-party system of democratic governance was instituted. This marked the dawn of the 4th Republic which has been in place for the past 29 years.
In 2010 offshore oil production began, fuelling Africa's fastest-growing economy in Ghana.
Ghana's burgeoning potential of resources (both human and natural), democratic political system and dynamic economy, makes it undoubtedly one of Africa's leading lights.