Ghana’s Relations with The Commonwealth of Nations Under the Fourth Republic

Abstract

One major global impact after the end of the Cold War is the emergence of International Organizations and reconfiguration of their policies. One such organization is the Commonwealth of Nations. Even though the Commonwealth of Nations predates the Cold War, it has been very vital in the promotion of world peace, security, human right, democracy, and prosperity for all member states in modern-day politics. The Commonwealth of Nations’ role in securing a stable political and progressive economic world for member countries cannot be easily ignored. Ghana’s relations with the Commonwealth of Nations date back to 1957 when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his CPP gained independence from British colonial rule. Since then, Ghana has maintained close links with its former colonial master Britain till today. Unsurprisingly, many African leaders and scholars have expressed mixed feelings and reactions to the formation of the Commonwealth of Nations. Not far from the truth, these radical African leaders such as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah viewed the Commonwealth as a deliberate attempt for the continuation of British colonial exploitation of her former colonies. Though Nkrumah knew that the Commonwealth of Nations is a relic of colonial legacy, he was more than willing to join the Commonwealth after independence owing to the circumstances during that epoch. Therefore, the study sought to interrogate the factors that have been the source of incentives for Ghana’s membership in the Commonwealth of Nations since 1957. Moreover, the study sought to also interrogate the implications of the Commonwealth of Nations on Ghana’s foreign policy; investigate the role of the Commonwealth of Nations under Ghana’s Fourth Republic; assess the benefits Ghana has derived from the Commonwealth of Nations before and during the Fourth Republic, and to examine the challenges and prospects of Ghana’s relations with the Commonwealth of Nations under the Fourth Republic. Due to the nature of the study, the purposive sampling method was adopted in the selection of respondents. Primary data were collected from academics and diplomats via semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that political and economic factors were the major incentives for Ghana’s Commonwealth membership in 1957. Moreover, the study discovered that the Commonwealth of Nations amplifies Ghana’s voice in the international community. Again, the study revealed that aside from Zimbabwe, Ghana is the second country that benefits more from the Commonwealth of Nations. Finally, climate change, overlapping of membership, diseases, migration, the decline in democratic values, extremism, and poverty are the challenges confronting Ghana’s relations with the Commonwealth of Nations under the Fourth Republic. There are large trade and investment prospects for Ghana in the Commonwealth of Nations as a result of common language and history. It is recommended in the study that; Ghana needs to harness the opportunities within the Commonwealth of Nations and draw homegrown policies out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to overcome the country’s socio-economic challenges to benefit its citizens.