As a condition to ascension to Ghana’s independence in 1957, the British demanded a hand in drafting the Ghanian constitution. The result was a highly federalized state that offered special privileges to preferred ethnic groups and shielded the bureaucracy from accountability.

The British also made it difficult to change, requiring two-third majority for amendments. Nkrumah and the CPP were angry, but went along with it for expediency, biding their time so they could implement their vision at the right time.

That time came three years later in 1960, when Nkrumah proposed a new constitution that deposed the Queen as head of state, officially ushering in a republic led by a president (Nkrumah saw the importance of strong leadership for post colonial states)

The new constitution was also explicitly Pan African, declaring that Ghanian sovereignty was an evolutionary step towards a Union of African States

Needless to say, the British response was hostile. Nkurmah was dubbed a dictator by the British press. Reflecting on this moment, Nkrumah wryly observes the “irresistible temptation of britishers to say that what is good for Britain is good for Ghana”

The new constitution not only won the approval of two-thirds of parliament, it also won the approval of the vast majority of the people in a national referendum, ushering in Ghana’s true independence.

All excerpts above from Kwame Nkrumah's "Africa Must Unite"