Ghana opens talks to reclaim Nkrumah’s home in Guinea

Ghana has opened formal negotiations to take possession of the house where Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah lived and worked during his final years in Guinea, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the move follows instructions from President John Dramani Mahama and it is intended to secure the former president’s residence from the family of Guinea’s first leader, Ahmed Sékou Touré.

In a statement posted on facebook, Mr Ablakwa said the government plans to renovate and preserve the property as part of efforts to protect Dr Nkrumah’s legacy and develop the house into a heritage site for visitors interested in tracing his life from Ghana to Guinea.

He said the decision has formally been conveyed to the Sékou Touré family.

This was done when a Ghanaian delegation led by the Vice President, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, visited the family after the investiture of Guinea’s President, Mamady Doumbouya.

Mr Ablakwa said the delegation toured Dr Nkrumah’s residence, which he described as abandoned, and held discussions with three generations of the Sékou Touré family. The talks were led by the late Guinean leader’s eldest son. He said the family received the delegation warmly.

The minister said his ministry has begun discussions on the terms under which Ghana would take possession of the property and has started engaging preservation experts to guide the process.

He added that the government would keep the public informed as the talks progress, stating that openness and accountability would guide the initiative.

Dr Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup in 1966 while on a peace mission abroad. He spent his final years in Guinea, where he served as Co-President until he died in 1972.