Provisional National Defence Council

The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was the name of the Ghanaian government after the People's National Party's elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. This was on December 31, 1981. It remained in power until January 7, 1993. In a statement explaining the coup d'état, Rawlings explained that a "holy war" was necessary due to the PNP's failure to provide effective leadership and by the collapse of the national economy and state services. The PNDC was a military dictatorship that induced civilians to participate in governance. The majority of Council members were civilians. The PNDC policies reflected a revolutionary government yet pragmatic in its approach. The economic objectives of the PNDC were to halt the economic decay, stabilise the economy and consequently stimulate economic growth. Politically, its goal was to establish structures that would effectively allow the people to express their political will. Most significantly, the PNDC, carrying with it the spirit of the June 4, 1979 Uprising, brought to the table a change in the people’s attitude from a ‘government will provide’ position to being proactive in nation-building.