The journey to Ghanaian independence is often narrated through the lens of mass protest, charismatic leadership, and ideological confrontation. While these elements were undeniably critical, a parallel, and equally decisive, process was unfolding within the formal, institutional channels of the colonial state. Between 1948 and 1951, the Gold Coast was the site of an extraordinary constitutional experiment, driven by two successive British-appointed commissions: the Watson Commission of Inquiry and the Coussey Committee. These bodies, one a reactive investigation and the other a proactive planning committee, were intended by the British government to manage dissent and engineer a controlled, gradual transition…

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