Slave Trade in Ghana. Ghana’s Independence from Colonial Rule

Slave Trade
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Slave Trade in Ghana and its Impacts
Ghana’s Independence from Colonial Rule
Like majority of other African countries, Ghana was placed under the colonial rule to further the interests of the colonizers. A wave of independence movements by African countries, however, reversed the trend brings to the African nations. Ghana was colonized by Britain and gained its independence on March 6, 1957 (Boddy-Evans, 2018). The Portuguese initiated the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the mid-15th century fueled by the increased demand for slaves needed to provide free labor in plantations. The mid-nineteenth century abolishment of slavery necessitated the colonization and scramble for Africa in the last two decades of the nineteenth century (Boddy-Evans, 2018). The aftermath of slavery and colonialism resulted in extreme devastation in the colonized countries.
Effects of depopulation and fractured familial relationships 
It is estimated that approximately 12.5 million Africans were displaced between the seventeenth and nineteenth century in the course of the transatlantic slave trade. Roughly 10.6 million slaves survived during the dreaded passage across the Atlantic (Pruitt, 2016). Slavery in Ghana resulted in broken family structures. Massive depopulation, thanks to slavery, robbed the country of their most active men and women resulting in subsequent underdevelopment of the country (Ross, 2007). Able-bodied Ghana’s populace was forcefully removed from their native land creating enormous economic meltdown as well as eroding the country’s rich culture. The damaging economic impact of the transatlantic slave trade can also be liked to the disruption of the potential industrial revolution in the country. Ross (2007) notes that the industrial revolution could not have happened without a thriving agricultural sector that would only have been necessitated by availability of labor. The toll on the country’s economic performance and underdevelopment today can be linked to the devastating impact of slavery.
Slavery also increased mistrust between different communities in Ghana. Consequently, the country was marred with conflicts fueled by ethnic warfare and heightened fear between them. These conditions were ideal for slavery since the British had discovered that when the communities were at peace, only a few slaves were available (Ross, 2007). To meet the high demand of slaves, the British introduced guns and gun powder to the warring communities in Ghana thus intensifying attacks and counter-attacks that create a conducive environment for slavery to thrive. With increased slavery, Ghana lost its most productive population. Consequently, the country’s ability to protect itself was significantly reduced, similar to other Africa countries. These conditions were ideal for colonization which made the colonizer's entry easy and seamless (Ross, 2007). The aggressiveness and mistrust between communities also made entry of the British as a colonizer easy due to the country’s poor security status. The effects of slavery and the British suppressive colonial rule is still evident today with Ross (2007) noting the importance of teaching Africans thi...