On this day in 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to gain its independence, declaring itself free from the clutches of the colonizers. Kwame Nkrumah and the other members of the Big Six fought to make March 6, 1957, a historical day for Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.

Showing that they were not just passive onlookers, women were also very instrumental in the fight for the liberation of the country. As independence campaigners needed resources to spread their message, scores of women provided financial and other support services in the struggle for freedom from European colonizers.

A 2007 paper on the Contributions of Women to Ghana’s Independence and Democratic Governance, cited by an article in the Daily Graphic, stated that these women were the main basis of the political success of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), which was formed by Nkrumah to campaign for independence.

Most of these women were traders who formed voluntary groups and became loyal supporters of Nkrumah and his CPP, giving their all to ensure that the independence dream was a reality.

Born on May 27, 1913, Agnes Oforiwa Tagoe-Quarcoopome was a revered market woman who supported Nkrumah and contributed to Ghana’s independence.

In the 1940s, Tagoe-Quarcoopome became one of Ghana’s most important traders and market women who was greatly respected by people from all walks of life. She owned shops in Makola and Okaishie, which were the country’s major trading centres located in the capital, Accra, after entering the buying and selling business between 1921 and 1929 due to financial problems that prevented her from continuing her education despite being a very intelligent student.

Aside from trading, Tagoe-Quarcoopome was a devoted Christian and activist who was firmly in support of the fight for independence and especially very supportive of Nkrumah after he formed the CPP in 1949, a few months after resigning from the UGCC.

Tagoe-Quarcoopome and Nkrumah became friends when he arrived in Ghana to take the position of General Secretary for UGCC. They became very close friends when Nkrumah had to stay with her for a short while when he arrived from the UK.

In 1949, after the establishment of the CPP, it was Tagoe-Quarcoopome who single-handedly gained the market women’s support for Nkrumah, and during his campaign, she got the Makola Market women to finance his activities.

Popularly known for her flour business in Accra, Rebecca Naa Dedei Aryeetey was known as Dedei Ashikishan (flour Queen). A businesswoman, political activist and a feminist, Naa Dedei Aryeetey was believed to be the chief financier of the CPP party and led the party’s women’s activities at her house in Kokomlemle, Accra. She financed Nkrumah to win the Ashiedu Keteke legislative council seat, which made him the first Prime Minister of Ghana.

Before she died in 1960, Naa Dedei Aryeetey was the leader of the Market Mother Association. Her face is on Ghana’s 50 pesewa coin.

Truly, many women entrepreneurs, mostly unnamed in history, played an immense role in funding Ghana’s independence movement and should be celebrated.