The Big Six: Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, Mr. Ako Adjei,
Mr. Edward Akuffo-Addo, Dr. J. B. Danquah, Mr. William Ofori Atta

On February 28, 1948, an unarmed batch of native ex-servicemen marched to Christiansborg Castle to deliver a grievance petition to the governor. The majority of the natives in the British Gold Coast Colony were fed up with the inequality they faced when compared to the Europeans. The soldiers were stopped at the gate by policemen, who were ordered to fire after the soldiers refused to disperse. The native policemen refused to open fire, and the superintendent had to open fire himself. Several soldiers ended up dead, and widespread rioting erupted throughout the capital city.

Nationalist leaders sent a cable to the Secretary of State in London blaming the incident on the Governor for failing to realistically handle the problems facing the country. The Governor, in turn, blamed the Nationalists. As a result, six of the leading nationalist leaders were arrested and detained. These leaders were popularly referred to as "the Big Six". After their freedom, the Big Six led the way for self-governance, independence, and the establishment of the Republic of Ghana.

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Celebrating Ghana's independence from Britain in 1957, Independence Arch lies on the north side of Independence Square (also called Black Star Square). The Arch is a replica of the French Arc de Triomphe, and an eternal flame burns beneath it. The flame was lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of the Big Six, who was also Ghana's first president.

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The Akosombo Dam on the Volta River began as the Volta River Project in 1949 in the British Territory called the Gold Coast. The objective was to provide irrigation for farming lands that were in need of water while creating a lake in an area that was constantly flooded and unusable. Electric power was to be the main product of the dam.

After years of consultations and redesigns, work was finally begun in 1961 and completed in 1964. The dam was an international project with almost all parts of the Ghanian government participating. Major funding was provided by the US under USAID.
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<center><b>Obverse of Ghana 10 Cedis Note of 1978</b>
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