Decolonization of Africa

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The National Independence Monument in Lome, Togo features a large concrete structure with abstract cutouts and a central statue holding a star, surrounded by landscaped greenery.

Map of Africa highlighting the countries that made up historical British West Africa-Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria-in orange, with the rest of the continent and surrounding regions shown in gray for context. A small inset map in the lower left shows the location within the African continent.

Nigeria in 1960

Map of Africa highlighting the historical territory of French West Africa in orange, covering present-day Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger in the western part of the continent. Surrounding countries and bodies of water are shown in gray and blue for geographic context.

Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Léopold Sédar Senghor

Ahmed Sekou Toure, president of Guinea, sits at a desk with microphones, wearing a traditional cap and white clothing, with a large portrait of himself in the background.

Decolonization of Africa: Media

Images

The National Independence Monument in Lome, Togo features a large concrete structure with abstract cutouts and a central statue holding a star, surrounded by landscaped greenery.

Independence Monument

A view of the Independence Monument, which commemorates Togo gaining independence...

© mtcurado—iStock/Getty Images

Idris I

Idris I

Libyan King Idris I (center) walking with officials, 1967.

Central Press/Pictorial Parade

Saad Zaghloul

Saad Zaghloul

Egyptian nationalist leader Saad Zaghloul.

© Universal History Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Kwame Nkrumah

Ghanaian nationalist leader Kwame Nkrumah, shown here with Ghana's flag, led the...

Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston; © Anton Medvedev/Dreamstime.com; © Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Map of Africa highlighting the countries that made up historical British West Africa-Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria-in orange, with the rest of the continent and surrounding regions shown in gray for context. A small inset map in the lower left shows the location within the African continent.

British West Africa

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nigeria in 1960

Nigeria in 1960

Nigeria's administrative boundaries in 1960.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Africa highlighting the historical territory of French West Africa in orange, covering present-day Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger in the western part of the continent. Surrounding countries and bodies of water are shown in gray and blue for geographic context.

French West Africa

Historical territory, French West Africa, 1958.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Félix Houphouët-Boigny

Ivorian leader Félix Houphouët-Boigny served as the first president of Côte d'Ivoire...

Courtesy of the Cote d'Ivoire Information Service

Léopold Sédar Senghor

Léopold Sédar Senghor

Senegalese leader Léopold Sédar Senghor, who was Senegal's first president, shown...

© Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Ahmed Sekou Toure, president of Guinea, sits at a desk with microphones, wearing a traditional cap and white clothing, with a large portrait of himself in the background.

Sékou Touré

Guinean leader Sékou Touré was the first president of the Republic of Guinea (1958–84).

© J. Cuinieres—Roger Viollet/Getty Images

Map of Africa highlighting in orange the countries that made up French Equatorial Africa: Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. The map shows their location in central Africa with surrounding countries and bodies of water for context.

French Equatorial Africa

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of the Belgian Congo from 1908 to 1960, showing major rivers, lakes, cities, and surrounding territories in central Africa. The Congo River and its tributaries are prominently marked, with neighboring regions such as French Equatorial Africa, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, and Tanganyika Territory labeled. An inset highlights the location of Belgian Congo within the African continent.

Belgian Congo

Historical map of the Belgian Congo (1908–60).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of eastern Africa around 1914, showing the region divided among British, German, French, and Italian colonial powers. Different territories are color-coded by colonial ruler, with key locations such as British East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), German East Africa (including present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi), Italian Somaliland, and French Somaliland labeled. Major lakes, rivers, and cities are also marked.

Imperial partitions of eastern Africa, 1881–1925

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Julius Nyerere smiling and wearing a light-colored coat, standing outdoors with a blurred figure and car in the background.

Julius Nyerere

Tanganyikan leader Julius Nyerere, pictured here in 1960.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Jomo Kenyatta

Jomo Kenyatta

African statesman and nationalist Jomo Kenyatta was the first prime minister (1963–64)...

John Moss/Black Star

Hastings Kamuzu Banda in a suit and tie, shown in a black and white portrait looking to the left.

First president of Malawi

Hastings Kamuzu Banda, pictured here in 1960, six years before Malawi became a republic...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Portrait of Agostinho Neto, President of Angola, wearing dark glasses, a suit, and a patterned tie, 1978.

Agostinho Neto

Angolan liberation leader Agostinho Neto, pictured here in 1978, served as Angola's...

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

“Founding Father of the Namibian Nation”

“Founding Father of the Namibian Nation”

Sam Nujoma, pictured here in 2017, led the South West Africa People's Organization...

AP/Shutterstock.com

Interactives

African Independence Dates

African Independence Dates

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

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