Ghana’s flag—three horizontal bands of red, gold, and green with a black five‑pointed star centred in the gold—was designed by Theodosia Okoh and first raised on 6 March 1957 at independence. Red honours the blood of those who fought for freedom; gold signifies mineral wealth; green represents forests and agriculture; the black star stands for African freedom and unity. A brief 1964–1966 variant replaced the gold with white during the one‑party period; the original was restored after 1966 and remains in law. Protocol prescribes respectful handling, order of precedence, and daily display on state buildings and missions.
Ghana’s national flag distils independence, resources, land, and a pan‑African vocation into a single, legible composition.
Origins and adoption
As the Gold Coast advanced toward self‑government in the 1950s, the need for a modern national emblem became urgent. The Convention People’s Party under Kwame Nkrumah championed symbols that would signal African leadership and unity. Artist Theodosia Salome Okoh designed a horizontal triband of red, gold, and green with a central black star—adopted and first raised on 6 March 1957 when Ghana became the first sub‑Saharan colony to achieve independence in the twentieth century.
Colour and symbol. Red commemorates the blood shed in the struggle for freedom; gold references the country’s mineral wealth; green speaks to fertile forests and agriculture; the centred black star proclaims African emancipation and unity. The palette follows Ethiopia’s pan‑African colours, long associated with independence and resistance to colonialism. The star also lent its name to Accra’s Black Star Gate and to the Black Star Line in maritime branding.
Variant and restoration
In 1964, during a one‑party period, parliament adopted a variant that replaced the gold with white to symbolise unity (red‑white‑green with the black star). After the February 1966 coup, the original Okoh design was restored, reaffirming the link between independence and the pan‑African colours. Since then, the flag’s drawing has remained stable.
Law and protocol
Statutes and administrative circulars govern proportions (commonly 2:3), colour references, the star’s geometry and placement, and proper display. The flag is flown on ministries, courts, schools, and missions abroad; it is raised and lowered ceremoniously, illuminated when flown at night, and half‑masted on order during national mourning. Defacement and unauthorised commercial use are prohibited; worn flags are retired with dignity.
Civic presence. Independence Day (6 March) and Republic Day (1 July) feature national flag‑raising and public parades, with the anthem and pledge reinforcing civic education. The Black Star motif pervades sport, culture, and tourism, binding the banner to a wider national narrative.
External resonance. Ghana’s early independence and pan‑African leadership meant its flag influenced many post‑colonial designs that adopted the red‑gold‑green tricolour. In international fora and the diaspora, the flag remains a shorthand for African self‑determination tethered to Ghana’s specific experience of liberation and constitutional development.
Thus Okoh’s composition—triband and star—has endured because it marries clear graphic form with deep meanings: historical sacrifice, resources and land, unity and freedom, and a continental horizon.