Founder’s Day: Nkrumah’s legacy and the Ghana we became
Every year on September 21, Ghana pauses to remember a man whose vision helped bring the country’s independence. We bask in the joy of his achievements and legacy left behind for a country like Ghana. But, the most important question is not simply,” What did Nkrumah do for Ghana?” but “what has Ghana done with what Nkrumah left behind?”
From Ghana’s independence in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah understood that political freedom was only the beginning of the nation-building project. As the country’s first Prime Minister and later President, he envisioned a Ghana that could determine its own economic and political destiny rather than simply inherit the structures of colonial rule. His famous belief that Ghana’s independence would have little meaning unless it was tied to the total liberation of Africa reflected a vision that extended far beyond Ghana’s borders.
For Nkrumah, independence had to be accompanied by development. His government therefore pursued an ambitious programme of infrastructure, industrialisation and economic transformation. Projects such as the Akosombo Dam, the development of Tema Harbour and the Tema Motorway were part of a broader attempt to create the infrastructure necessary for a modern economy. The establishment and expansion of state-owned industries also reflected his belief that Ghana needed to develop its own productive capacity rather than remain dependent on the export of raw materials and the importation of finished goods.
But Nkrumah’s vision was not limited to physical infrastructure. He saw education as one of the most important foundations of national development. His government expanded access to basic education and supported the development of higher education and technical training. The Kumasi College of Technology, established before independence, was transformed into a university in 1961 and named Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The University of Ghana, meanwhile, became an independent university in 1961, with Nkrumah serving as its first Chancellor.
His vision also extended beyond Ghana. Nkrumah believed that the political independence of individual African countries would remain incomplete if the continent continued to be divided and economically dependent. He was therefore a leading figure in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, alongside other African leaders. The organisation was founded around principles of African unity, cooperation, sovereignty and the elimination of colonialism.
However, do Ghana’s current economic challenges suggest that Nkrumah’s warnings about economic dependence remain relevant? While Ghana should be credited for its recent efforts to break free from foreign economic bodies including the IMF and World Bank, past decisions by previous governments have undermined the nation’s effort to truly be independent with stringent conditions that came wrapped up in foreign aid. Ghana has continued to rely on external support without looking to its own resources for development. Social issues such as youth unemployment are still persisting despite the growing education and human capital development. However, it would be immature to suggest that Ghana’s economic setbacks are as a result of abandoning Nkrumah’s ideas. Rather, the question that needs action is whether Ghana needs a retrospection into which of his ideas are still useful to achieve the dream he envisioned for the nation.
Nkrumah’s legacy is complicated. His contribution to independence as the frontliner of the struggle can be acknowledged alongside legitimate criticisms of aspects of his governance. He was accused of stifling opposition parties, creating a one party system that led to the increasing concentration of political power, the Preventive Detention Act, economic difficulties that ultimately led to his overthrow in the 1966 coup. Despite these setbacks, Nkrumah has often become a figure associated with particular political history in Ghana. Remembering him should not only mean turning him into a political possession, It should mean engaging seriously with the ideas, achievements and mistakes of the man that he was. Political parties should reflect, governments institutions should ask whether their policies reflect the principles they associate to him.
Ultimately, on Founder’s Day, the most meaningful tribute to Nkrumah is not another monument, ceremony or quote. It should be the willingness to ask whether Ghana is becoming self-reliant, industrialised and the confident African nation he imagined. Because, a legacy is not truly preserved by remembering its creator; it is preserved by deciding what is worth carrying forward.
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