In the midst of great momentum for an independence movement in the Gold Coast, the first political party was founded in 1947. The party was led by native luminaries from different spheres of influence including, but not limited to, academics, lawyers, and chiefs.
"Big Six" leaders of the UGCC
The principal financier of the organization was George Alfred "Paa" Grant who was known as the "father" of Gold Coast politics. The founder and operational leader was JB Danquah. The Big Six (leaders of the party and in the movement for independence) came from the UGCC and accelerated the push towards independence over the next decade through a series of boycotts, sit-ins, demonstrations, and publications calling for action.
The UGCC professed self-governance "in the shortest possible time." Kwame Nkrumah eventually broke away from the group and gained popularity while incarcerated by the British. He began professing the need for "self-governance now" and formed his own political movement which became the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).