Ghana

===Operation Cold Chop and aftermath===
{{main|History of Ghana (1966–1979)}}
The government of Nkrumah was subsequently overthrown in a coup by the [[Ghana Armed Forces]], codenamed "Operation Cold Chop". This occurred while Nkrumah was abroad with [[Zhou Enlai]] in the People's Republic of China, on a fruitless mission to [[Hanoi]], Vietnam, to help end the [[Vietnam War]]. The coup took place on 24 February 1966, led by Colonel [[Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka]] and Brigadier Akwasi Afrifa. The [[National Liberation Council]] was formed, chaired by Lieutenant General [[Joseph Arthur Ankrah|Joseph A. Ankrah]].<ref name="political & social thought of Kwame Nkrumah">{{cite web |url=http://libyadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/pdf-2011-the-political-and-social-thought-of-kwame-nkrumah.pdf |title=The political and social thought of Kwame Nkrumah |year=2011 |access-date=28 April 2014 |work=Libyadiary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429052034/http://libyadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/pdf-2011-the-political-and-social-thought-of-kwame-nkrumah.pdf |archive-date=29 April 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Imoro |first=Issah |date=24 February 2015 |title="The Other Side Of Operation Cold Chop' |url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/600560/the-other-side-of-operation-cold-chop.html |access-date=26 February 2024 |website=Modern Ghana}}</ref>

A series of alternating military and civilian governments, often affected by economic instabilities,<ref>{{cite book |title=A Country Study: Ghana |last=David |first=Owusu-Ansah |publisher=La Verle Berry |year=1994}}</ref> ruled Ghana from 1966, ending with the ascent to power of [[Flight lieutenant|Flight Lieutenant]] [[Jerry Rawlings|Jerry John Rawlings]] of the [[Provisional National Defence Council]] in 1981.<ref name="Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings (J.J Rawlings)">{{cite news |url=http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/424/ |title=Ghana: Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings (J.J Rawlings) |work=[[Africa Confidential]] |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191244/http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/424/ |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> These changes resulted in the suspension of the [[Constitution of Ghana|constitution]] in 1981 and the banning of [[List of political parties in Ghana|political parties]].<ref name="Rawlings: The legacy">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1050310.stm |title=Rawlings: The legacy |publisher=BBC News |date=1 December 2000 |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828010357/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1050310.stm |archive-date=28 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The economy soon declined, so Rawlings negotiated a structural adjustment plan, changing many old economic policies, and growth recovered during the mid-1980s.<ref name="Rawlings: The legacy"/> A new constitution restoring [[multi-party system]] politics was promulgated in the [[1992 Ghanaian presidential election|presidential election of 1992]], in which Rawlings was elected, and again in the [[1996 Ghanaian general election|general election of 1996]].<ref name="Elections in Ghana">{{cite web |title=Elections in Ghana |url=http://africanelections.tripod.com/gh.html |work=Africanelections.tripod.com |access-date=1 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530060759/http://africanelections.tripod.com/gh.html |archive-date=30 May 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In a [[Konkomba–Nanumba conflict|tribal war]] in [[Northern Region (Ghana)|Northern Ghana]] in 1994, between the [[Konkomba people|Konkomba]] and other ethnic groups, including the [[Nanumba people|Nanumba]], [[Dagomba people|Dagomba]] and [[Gonja people|Gonja]], between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed and 150,000 people were displaced.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be33c.html |title=Refworld {{!}} Ghana: Conflict between the Konkomba and Nanumba tribes and the government response to the conflict (1994 – September 2000) |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |website=Refworld |date=26 September 2000 |access-date=8 January 2022 |archive-date=26 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426203557/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be33c.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Kpetoee.jpg|thumb|Traditional [[Chieftaincy|chiefs]] in 2015]]
After the [[2000 Ghanaian general election|2000 general election]], [[John Kufuor]] of the [[New Patriotic Party]] became president of Ghana on 7 January 2001 and was [[2004 Ghanaian general election|re-elected in 2004]], thus also serving two terms (the term limit) as president of Ghana and marking the first time under the fourth republic that power was transferred from one legitimately elected head of state and head of government to another.<ref name="Elections in Ghana"/>

[[Nana Akufo-Addo]], the ruling party candidate, was defeated in a very close [[2008 Ghanaian general election|2008 general election]] by [[John Atta Mills]] of the [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|National Democratic Congress]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kokutse |first=Francis |title=Opposition leader wins presidency in Ghana |agency=Associated Press |date=3 January 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-01-03-ghana-election_N.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209072058/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-01-03-ghana-election_N.htm |archive-date=9 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, "The 2008 Freedom House Survey: Another Step Forward for Ghana." ''Journal of Democracy'' 20.2 (2009): 138–152 [https://muse.jhu.edu/article/262756/summary excerpt] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818201829/https://muse.jhu.edu/article/262756/summary |date=18 August 2022 }}.</ref> Mills died of natural causes and was succeeded by Vice President [[John Mahama]] on 24 July 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Atta Mills dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/world/africa/john-atta-mills-ghanas-president-dies-68.html |work=The New York Times |date=25 July 2012 |access-date=9 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709161829/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/world/africa/john-atta-mills-ghanas-president-dies-68.html |archive-date=9 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[2012 Ghanaian general election|2012 general election]], Mahama became president in his own right,<ref name="Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sworn in">{{cite news |url=http://english.sina.com/world/p/2013/0107/545991.html |title=Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sworn in |publisher=[[Sina Corp]] |date=7 January 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011622/http://english.sina.com/world/p/2013/0107/545991.html |archive-date=5 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Ghana was described as a "stable democracy".<ref name="OBG2012">{{cite web |title=Ghana - Economy: Keep calm and carry on: A strong and stable democracy has been built over the years |url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/ghana/2012-report/economy/keep-calm-and-carry-on-a-strong-and-stable-democracy-has-been-built-over-the-years |publisher=Oxford Business Group |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423125221/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/ghana/2012-report/economy/keep-calm-and-carry-on-a-strong-and-stable-democracy-has-been-built-over-the-years |archive-date=23 April 2023 |date=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BTI 2016: Ghana Country Report |url=https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2016_GHA.pdf |website=BTI Transformation Index |publisher=[[Bertelsmann Stiftung]] |access-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127192937/https://bti-project.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2016_GHA.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2022 |location=Gütersloh |date=2016}}</ref> As a result of the [[2016 Ghanaian general election|2016 general election]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://yen.com.gh/85240-what-world-media-ghanas-2016-elections.html#85240 |title=What the world media is saying about Ghana's 2016 elections – YEN.COM.GH |date=7 December 2016 |work=yen.com.gh |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161208122522/https://yen.com.gh/85240-what-world-media-ghanas-2016-elections.html#85240 |archive-date=8 December 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Nana Akufo-Addo]] became president on 7 January 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 Presidential Results |url=http://www.thumbsapp.com.gh/ |website=Ghana Electoral Commission |access-date=18 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519211542/http://www.thumbsapp.com.gh/ |archive-date=19 May 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He was re-elected after a tightly contested [[2020 Ghanaian general election|election in 2020]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55236356 |title=Ghana election: Nana Akufo-Addo re-elected as president |work=BBC News |date=9 December 2020 |access-date=21 June 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209194653/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55236356 |url-status=live}}</ref>

To combat deforestation, on 11 June 2021 Ghana inaugurated Green Ghana Day, with the aim of planting five million trees in a concentrated effort to preserve the country's rainforest cover.<ref>{{cite web |title=Planting of Five Million Tres on 11th June, 2021 the Green Ghana in the Bosomtwe Constituency {{!}} Bosomtwe District Assembly |url=http://www.bosomtwe.gov.gh/article/planting-five-million-trees-11th-june2021-green-ghana-bosomtwe-constituency |website=www.bosomtwe.gov.gh |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216230232/http://www.bosomtwe.gov.gh/article/planting-five-million-trees-11th-june2021-green-ghana-bosomtwe-constituency |url-status=live}}</ref>