The Secret History Behind Ghana's Flag

Ghana's flag was designed by a woman, and it started a tradition across Africa.

After independence, an open competition was held to design the flag. The design chosen by President Kwame Nkrumah was the one by Theodosia Okoh, a 34-year-old teacher and artist. The flag was adopted on March 6, 1957.

It is a horizontal triband of red, gold and green, the Pan-African colors taken from Ethiopia's flag, with a black star in the center. Red stands for the blood of those who fought for independence, gold for the country's mineral wealth, green for its forests and natural resources, and the black star for African freedom and unity. Ghana was the first African state to adopt a gold, red and green flag at independence.

The date printed on every Ghana design in our catalog, March 6, 1957, is Independence Day.

One star, three colors, and a model for a continent.

See the Ghana — Gold Coast Tee → · Browse the West Africa collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.