NKRUMAH TO TODAY'S GHANA

Kwame Nkrumah
We may have celebrated our nation’s First Prime Minister over the decades, albeit on sometimes very controversial terms. It is true that countless monuments of national importance have been named after the nation’s First President – the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the Nkrumah Mausoleum , and the KNUST

We bear witness to the glorification of his name beyond our borders and do take pride in that. The nation commemorates the memory of the ‘Messiah’ Nkrumah every year. However, despite all these and more adornments showered on Osagyefo, a begging question remains – that after Fifty-Five (55) years of his government’s overthrow, Is Nkrumah relevant to today’s Ghana ?

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Kwame Nkrumah can be best described as an enigma on the spirit of the nation and the consciousness of its people. Ever since honoring the invitation of the UGCC to join in the independence struggle, his name has fostered deep into the very fabric of our country’s existence and foundation. Nkrumah grew large in the eyes of his admirers and even larger in the face of his enemies.

Today’s discussion centers on three principles of Kwame Nkrumah, namely; democracy, industrialization, and pan-Africanism. These areas encapsulates transcending governments since 1957 but have had varying degrees of adoption and relevance to the growth of our country. I lay their foundation at the feet of Nkrumah and do attempt to evaluate his relevance to today’s Ghana – albeit criminally narrow.

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Kwame Nkrumah founded the Conventions People’s Party ( CPP ) in 1949 after his breakup with the UGCC. His party, with support from the common masses within the population, went ahead to win the 1951 and 1954 and 1956 elections – the latest ushering in political independence from colonial government.

Recounting that these elections took place within a multi-party dimension, the CPP government led by Nkrumah will later push for a successful referendum campaign in 1964, hence establishing Ghana as a one-party state and the leader himself, a President . In as much as there is controversy as to whether the nominal word ‘dictator’ can be ascribed to Nkrumah, it remains that the banning of all political opposition and the results of the 1964 referendum, reflects largely, Kwame Nkrumah’s democratic ideals.

In the mid twentieth century, a newly liberated African country, embarked on a rigorous industrial revolution and campaign. Kwame Nkrumah ushered Ghana into a new era of industrialization. Through a campaign that focused on a state-sponsored manufacturing of industries, Nkrumah believed that industrialization was the right path to modernization and development. His government invested heavily in infrastructure and industrial projects.

Notable examples include the Akosombo Dam, Tema Harbour, and factories such as the Kumasi shoe factory, Zuarungu Meat Processing Factory, Wenchi Tomato factory etc as well as state corporations including the STC and the Central Bank of Ghana. In hindsight, exploits of Nkrumah’s industrialization drive have been acclaimed visionary and a seeming fostering regret for its termination after his overthrow in 1966.

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Kwame Nkrumah’s proclamation that “the Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent” is arguably his most popular and most prominent in describing his pan-African views and desire. The new President from Ghana had always championed the unification of African countries – a realization he believed was the only counter establishment to western domination.

Nkrumah also believed in the preservation of the African culture and identity. By way of policy , the CPP government sponsored liberation movements in other states such as ANC in South Africa, the ZANU in Zimbabwe, and the MPLA in Angola. Nkrumah also remains one of the foremost founding members of the Organization of African Union, recently renamed the African Union. The man himself is widely immortalized in many African countries for his contributions to the African personality. He was voted the ‘Man of the Millennium’ by BBC listeners in Africa in December, 1999.

Fast forward to the 21st century, in what is currently the Fourth Republic of Ghana, and Fifty-five years since Ghana’s First President was kept away from his homeland, does it suffice to contemplate whether or not Nkrumah’s Ghana is different from today’s and to what extent does the continuous memorialization of the man means to the national story.

In these particular aspects under discussion, have there been any improvements or has our country taken the reverse gear ? Obviously, the Fourth Republican constitution is multi-party democracy, but is industrialization sustainable as the step for national development and to what extent does this play in our current dispensation? Is the AfCFTA a realization of Nkrumah’s African integration ? Why does Ghana celebrate Kwame Nkrumah, and how much of his ideals remain significant to our national cohesion and growth.