[1] The Act received royal assent on 7 February 1957 and Ghana came into being on 6 March 1957[2] Independence within the British Commonwealth could not be attained by a dependent territory like the Gold Coast without legislation passed at Westminster.

[2] The grant of independence to the Gold Coast was achieved by two separate legislative operations, namely, the passing of the Act and the making of the Ghana (Constitution) Order in Council 1957.

With respect to British Togoland, a referendum was held to determine the consent of its people to being united with the rest of what would become Ghana.

[citation needed][4] The independence legislation began to take shape following the return of the Convention People's Party to power at the Gold Coast general election of 1954.

[2] The Gold Coast government expressed its hope of achieving independence within the lifetime of the new assembly.