(L-R): Ga Legends of Liberation – Sergeant Adjetey, Naa Dede and King Kwabena Bonnie
Accra, Ghana’s national capital, is the homeland of the Ga-Adangbe people. Beyond hosting the capital, the Ga-Adangbes played a vital yet often overlooked role in the struggle for Ghana’s independence.
Historian and lawyer Yaw Anokye Frimpong, in a recent interview on Max TV, highlighted the contributions of some prominent Ga figures to Ghana’s liberation.
He argued that without their efforts, the country might not have gained independence from British colonial rule.
Below are some of the Ga personalities who played significant roles in the independence struggle:
Nii Kwabena Bonnie II
Nii Kwabena Bonnie, the Ga Mantse and a merchant, was a key figure in the independence struggle.
According to Anokye Frimpong, he was the mastermind behind the historic 1948 boycott of European goods in protest of rising prices.
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“Nii Ayi Bonnie realised that because only the youth were leading the UGCC, the movement was unlikely to succeed. So, he mobilised people across the Gold Coast, using his own resources to travel nationwide and call for a boycott of European goods until prices were reduced.
“At the time, the Association of West African Merchants (AWAM), made up of Indians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Europeans, consistently inflated prices, believing Africans would accept them without resistance.
“But Nii Kwabena Bonnie organised the ordinary people, who outnumbered the elite, to resist. It was the most successful mobilisation of the Gold Coast at the time,” he explained.
King Bonnie’s leadership marked the dawn of positive defiance in the Gold Coast.
Sergeant Cornelius Francis Adjetey
Another Ga hero highlighted was Sergeant Adjetey, who played a pivotal role in Ghana’s march to independence.
He led three ex-servicemen, Corporal Patrick Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, who were shot dead while marching to present a petition to Sir Gerald Creasy, the then Governor of the Gold Coast.
“Just months after the boycott, Sergeant Adjetey, a World War II veteran, led another demonstration demanding fair compensation for ex-servicemen. His leadership showed bravery, as being a sergeant in the war was no small achievement,” Anokye Frimpong said.
Their deaths triggered the 1948 Accra riots, which set the stage for Ghana’s independence.
Rebecca Naa Dede Ayeetey
Naa Dede is the woman on the GHp50 coin
The historian also paid tribute to Rebecca Naa Dede Ayeetey, affectionately called “Ashikishan” because of her successful flour business.
Naa Dede was not just a businesswoman but also a financier of Kwame Nkrumah’s nationalist movement.
“A Ga woman sponsored Kwame Nkrumah with her own money. Her name was Dede Ayeetey. Even the buses called ‘Auntie Dede’ were named after her. She said she wanted nothing more than the freedom of her country,” the historian revealed.
These Ga legends, Nii Kwabena Bonnie III, Sergeant Adjetey, and Naa Dede Ayeetey, left an indelible mark on Ghana’s independence struggle.
Their sacrifices and contributions remain a reminder that the story of Ghana’s liberation is incomplete without acknowledging the Ga role in the fight for freedom.
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