A brief overview of the meaning, history, and key facts about the national flag of Ghana.
Flag of Ghana
The national flag of Ghana consists of three horizontal stripes colored red, gold, and green with a black five-pointed star centered in the gold stripe. Red represents the blood shed during the fight for independence from British rule, gold symbolizes Ghana’s mineral wealth, and green represents the country’s forests and natural wealth. The black star at the center of the flag is a symbol of African freedom.
Printable Ghana Flag (PNG Download)
Interesting facts about Ghana’s flag
1. Ghana’s national flag was designed by Theodosia Okoh and adopted in 1957, the day the country gained independence from Britain.
2. The flag features the pan-African colors of red, gold, and green, which became widely used by African countries after independence.
3. The black star was inspired by the Black Star Line, a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey in the early twentieth century.
4. Ghana’s national football team is known as the “Black Stars,” a nickname derived from the symbol on the national flag.
5. The design of Ghana’s flag influenced the national flag of Guinea-Bissau, which also uses the pan-African colors and a black star.
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Evolution of Ghana’s flag
Flag of the Gold Coast (colonial period –1957)
Before independence, the British colony of the Gold Coast used a colonial flag based on the British Blue Ensign with a local badge representing the territory.
National flag of Ghana (1957–1964)
The first national flag of independent Ghana featured the same design used today: three horizontal stripes of red, gold, and green with a black five-pointed star in the center.
National flag of Ghana (1964–1966)
The national flag was briefly modified by replacing the gold stripe with white. The rest of the design, including the black star, remained the same.
History of Ghana’s flag
Independence and the creation of the national flag
Ghana became independent from British rule on 6 March 1957, becoming one of the first sub-Saharan African countries in the twentieth century to gain independence.
A new national flag was introduced at independence. The design was created by Theodosia Salome Okoh, who combined the pan-African colors of red, gold, and green with a black star at the center.
Flag changes during the 1960s
In 1964, Ghana briefly introduced a modified national flag in which the gold stripe was replaced with white.
This change lasted only a short time. After the overthrow of President Kwame Nkrumah in 1966, the original red, gold, and green flag with the black star was reinstated.
Continued use
Since 1966, Ghana has continued to use the original design introduced at independence. The flag remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Ghana and of pan-African identity.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.