If you read the life of Nkrumah, it is clear that his vision for a united Africa and the emancipation of the Black race when he became president was not an afterthought. This was an idea he championed long before, dating back to his time as a student in the US. In fact, he even nurtured that idea here in Ghana, when he was a student at Achimota College, before he left for the States.
At Achimota, the famous Kwegyir Aggrey, deputy headmaster exposed him to the ideas of Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. Du Bois when he was a student. This exposure planted the seeds of Black Nationalism in Nkrumah’s mind before he left Ghana.
For instance, the headmaster of Achimota, Rev. Fraser, and the deputy (Aggrey), believed in close cooperation between Black and white people. However, Nkrumah questioned this, saying:
“Ah, you paaa, we Blacks are not even governing ourselves. How do you talk about cooperation? The white man is in charge of everything on our own soil, and you are talking about cooperation. Cooperate on what?”
At the Achimota School, the head was white (Rev Fraser) and the deputy (Aggrey) was black. And Aggrey was talking about “co-operation”.
Nkrumah was like “akoa y3 john”.
Thus, before he even left Ghana, Nkrumah had already built the idea that “the Black man must govern itself.” His focus was on the Black race, not just Ghana.
It is not surprising that he managed to meet Nnamdi Azikiwe even when he was a student at Achimota. According to Wikipedia, Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, commonly referred to as Zik, was the first Black governor-general of Nigeria and the first president of Nigeria during the First Nigerian Republic. He is widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism and one of the major driving forces behind the country’s independence in 1960. Zik had attended Lincoln University and advised Nkrumah to enroll there.
So you see, Nkrumah had Africa in mind and even started to get exposures before he left Ghana.
True true, he went to America and attended the Lincoln University that Zik recommended.
In America, he formed the African Students Association of America and Canada. Some members of the Association believed that each country (colony) in Africa must fight its own fight. Nkrumah disagreed, insisting that they must do this as one united people. After forming the association, Nkrumah played a major role in the Pan-African Congress held in New York in 1944, which urged the United States, at the end of the Second World War, to help ensure Africa became developed and free. Once again, the focus had been on Africa since day one.
After the Pan-African Congress in New York, Nkrumah relocated to the UK to continue his education. Below is a section of the recommendation letter that Cyril Lionel Robert James, a senior Pan-Africanist and historian from Trinidad, wrote to George Padmore, another leading Pan-Africanist from Trinidad who was based in London:
“This young man is coming to you. He is not very bright, but nevertheless do what you can for him because he’s determined to throw Europeans out of Africa.”
As mentioned, Nkrumah’s vision was always about Africa or the Black race, and even the person writing his recommendation letter knew that.
He went to UK and, together with George Padmore, organized the next Pan-African Congress in Manchester. Among those who attended the congress in Manchester was the great W. E. B. Du Bois, who, along with Marcus Garvey, had influenced Nkrumah’s views on Pan-Africanism. Other attendees later took leading roles in leading their nations to independence, including Hastings Banda of Malawi, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and Obafemi Awolowo of Nigeria.
In the UK, after the Pan-African Congress in Manchester, he formed the West African National Secretariat (WANS) as a body to champion West Africa agenda. Other founding members included I. T. A. Wallace-Johnson of Sierra Leone, Bankole Akpata of Benin, Kojo Botsio, and Bankole Awoonor-Renner of Ghana.
As you can see from above, Nkrumah was all over the place fighting to liberate Africa, but some members of #TeamUGCC would want us to believe that Nkrumah was some unknown dude sitting under a tree at London Kings Cross, and Ako Adjei discovered him and said: “Oya, small boy, take your cross and follow me to Ghana and let me give you exposure and make you popular.”
Chairman was already a heavyweight on the continent before he came to Ghana to join UGCC.
Ah, someone that FBI was tracking? Yes, as early as 1945, FBI had their radar on him. And that was before he came to join UGCC.
And even on his way to Ghana, he passed through Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast before arriving in Ghana (Gold Coast). All because of the Pan-African agenda.
So to him, Ghana’s independence was just the beginning.
Do you now understand why he said: “Ghana’s independence is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of Africa?”
Do you now understand why he said:
“We have a duty to prove to the world that Africans can conduct their own affairs with efficiency and tolerance and through the exercise of democracy. We must set an example to all Africa?”.
Do you think it is just by chance that Theodosia Okoh, picked the flag of Ethiopia, inverted the colors and replaced the “lion of Judah” with a Black star?
You know what the black start means? It means Africa(black) freedom.
You see, it is not as we are told to believe, that, Nkrumah started to misuse our money on other countries after he became president.
No, it was a vision he nurtured all the way from Achimota School.
We (or UGCC) knew what he was doing in the US. We knew what he was doing in the UK.
And we brought him to Ghana to assist.
Now, after we got our independence, we say it does not make sense for him to support other countries in Africa.
Ah, how? So he should forget about the other countries that together they were championing same agenda in UK and US?
What will you do if you were with men like Hastings Banda, Jomo Kenyatta, and Obafemi Awolowo in Manchester and New York fighting to liberate Africa, and you win independence for your country?
Will you end it there or will you assist them too to win?
Don’t we see MPs from one constituency going to another constituency to assist them in winning their seat?
Does it mean the MP has finished solving all issues in his constituency?
When I read the life of Lee Kuan Yew and how he changed Singapore, I came to the conclusion that Ghana is where we are because we truncated Nkrumah’s regime.
LKY ruled for 31 years and Nkrumah ruled for 9 years. And that is the difference between Ghana and Singapore.
Isn’t it surprising that what Nkrumah visioned for Africa 100 years ago is now the vision for the African Union, which aims to accomplish it by 2063?
Check the African Union website and see their 2063 agenda for yourself:
https://au.int/en/agenda2063/overview
It reads:
“Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
AGENDA 2063 is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the Pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress, and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
The genesis of Agenda 2063 was the realization by African leaders that there was a need to refocus and reprioritize Africa’s agenda from the struggle against apartheid and the attainment of political independence for the continent, which had been the focus of The Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the African Union; and instead to prioritize inclusive social and economic development, continental and regional integration, democratic governance, and peace and security, among other issues aimed at repositioning Africa to become a dominant player in the global arena.”
Awerehosem!
In effect, what Nkrumah was going about in the US and UK to achieve 80 years ago, we are now saying we want to achieve in the next 40 years.
Ridiculous, isn’t it?
Don’t worry, Nkrumah will die after 2063!