See a rare footage of Colonel Acheampong being honoured by chiefs in Kumasi after 1972 coup

Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong is one of the most memorable military leaders Ghana has had.

Colonel Acheampong ousted the government of Dr. Kofi Busia, who was then the prime minister of Ghana, and Edward Akufo-Addo, the ceremonial president.

He removed the Busia regime because of the hardship Ghanaians were seeing due to the poor performance of the economy.

One of the policies Acheampong implemented during his era, which is remembered till date, is his ‘Operation Feed Yourself’ policy which many politicians have made reference to and have been trying to emulate.

Acheampong believed that the country was overly dependent on foreign aid under Busia. He believed that Ghana had enough resources to be able to at least produce what it eats. He implemented the police from February 1972 to 1978 when he was removed through another coup.

Ghana Facts and History, a social media handle on X (formerly known as Twitter), has shared a video of Colonel Acheampong being celebrated and honoured by chiefs across the country at a durbar in Kumasi in 1972.

Present at the celebration were the then Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II; the overload of Dagbon Kingdom, Ya Na Naa Mahami; and the Tekpor Osei of Avatime, among others.

There were cultural displays by all the tribal groups present at the event, after which the military leader was presented with several awards.

Watch a video of the event below:

Footage of Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong being honoured in the city of Kumasi at a special Durbar organised by the Ghanaian House of Chiefs, Aug 1972. Colonel Acheampong seized power from Dr. Kofi Busia in a coup d'etat in January of that same year, 1972. pic.twitter.com/TJ59dSH8w2

— GHANA FACTS & HISTORY (@GhanaianMuseum) September 6, 2023