Watch Nkrumah's launch of GTV in 1965

On Saturday, July 31, 1965, Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, officially launched Ghana Television (GTV) the official broadcast TV of Ghana and the first TV station.

The black-and-white footage, which resurfaced online shows large crowds of attendees applauding as Dr Nkrumah arrived at the premises for the launch, with big cameras seen being operated around the venue as officials and guests gathered for the historic event.

The launch was broadcast live, with hundreds of Ghanaians across the country seen gathered around television sets to witness the moment.

Ghana Television, went on air at 4:00pm that day, marking Ghana's entry into the television era and making the country one of the earliest in Africa to establish a national broadcaster.

At the inauguration, Nkrumah stressed that the new medium should serve "education in the broadest and purest sense", envisioning it as a tool for national development and social transformation.

Sixty years on, GTV, now under the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, remains one of the country's leading television stations, with its original location still standing today as a marker of that historic broadcast.

The resurfaced video has since sparked reflection among social media users on Ghana's early development ambitions under Nkrumah.

Watch the video below:

The ceremonial opening of Ghana’s National Television (GTV) by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on Saturday, July 31, 1965 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/UZEvRsLZs7

— 𝐀𝐒𝐊 (@askghmedia) September 19, 2026