The former running-mate of the New Patriotic Party in the 2024 general election, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has eulogised Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, describing him as a boundless gift to Ghana and Africa who is still relevant today decades after his demise.
At this year’s Nkrumah Fest at Nkroful, the birthplace of the first President of Ghana, Mr Opoku Prempeh said Dr Nkrumah was a generational thinker who fought for Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world.
The appearance and speech by Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh were warmly received by many, following the controversy sparked by his remarks about Dr Kwame Nkrumah on a political platform in July 2024.
At his unveiling as the running mate of then-NPP presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Opoku Prempeh said that no president since independence had developed Ghana more than President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, including Dr Nkrumah. His remarks triggered widespread criticism at the time.
His legacy
Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to the country and Africa, he said, should not be reduced to the level of partisan political differences, and that the time had come for all Ghanaians to rise above partisan politics and uphold the legacy of the country’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
“For me, it is with a profound sense of humility, deep respect and patriotic pride that I stand before the gathering at Nkroful to be part of history,” he said.
He said it was a privilege to be part of the festival commemorating the 117th birthday anniversary of Dr Nkrumah, adding that the occasion provided an opportunity to reconnect with the history and legacy of the country’s first President.
“Today, we recall a history that communes with the spirit of the country’s first President and celebrate his monumental footprints, which continue to span generations,” he said.
The gift from Nzema Land
Nkroful, which is part of the Nzema Manle (Nzemaland), he said, gave Ghana a son and the rest of Africa a liberation icon and key architect of the nation-building agenda who left a monumental legacy that transcended generations and deserved recognition beyond partisan political differences.
The monumental legacy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah undoubtedly transcends generations: “We may disagree and will continue to disagree on the mechanics of governance and economic policies, and that is the nature of democracy and politics”.
Dr Opoku Prempeh said Ghanaians must recognise and hold in high esteem Dr Nkrumah’s significant role in placing Ghana and Africa firmly on the global stage.
“Nkrumah’s vision was expansive, visionary and fiercely Pan-African. Therefore, celebrating him in this magnificent defensive manner in his home district is a duty incumbent upon all of us regardless,” Dr Prempeh said.
Nkrumah’s family
He urged Ghanaians to place national unity and patriotism above political divisions when reflecting on Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to the country to guide the future.
The true patriotism, as championed by Nkrumah, he said: “demands that we rise above partisan narrowness to honour those who laid the bedrock upon which our present democracy and national identity rests.”
He also called for renewed commitment to selfless service, patriotism, national unity and national development in preserving Dr Nkrumah’s ideals as the nation and the rest of Africa gather to reflect on his 117th milestone of Dr Nkrumah.
The daughter of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ms Samia Nkrumah, acknowledged the sacrifices her father made for Ghana and Africa and expressed regret over the family’s long absence from the country’s public commemoration of his legacy.
She said the family had stayed away because they were deeply affected by the experiences surrounding their father’s political downfall and its aftermath – explaining that the family were traumatised, terrified and confused after witnessing the suffering their father endured, and appealed for understanding over their absence.
The renewed desire
Ms Samia Nkrumah, who was once a Member of Ghana’s Parliament, however, said the family had returned with a renewed desire to contribute to the country’s progress, development and unity.
“Our dear father gave his life for Ghana and Africa, and for that he paid a great price,” she said.
Samia Nkrumah said the family’s return was intended to help contribute positively to the country and to support efforts toward Ghana’s unity and development.
The National Chairman of NDC
For his part, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said there was no need to continue the debate to match Dr Kwame Nkrumah with other nationalists who contributed to the country’s independence struggle.
“Dr Nkrumah deserves sole recognition as the founder of the country owing to his role in bringing together separate territories to form the country”, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said.
He said Nkrumah deserved to hold that single title as the founder of modern-day Ghana.
That theGold Coast, Ashanti Kingdom, Northern Territories and Trans-Volta Togoland existed as separate entities before Nkrumah’s emergence and intervention.
Mr Nketiah said there was no doubt that Dr Nkrumah played the lead role in bringing the territories together to form this country.
Other speakers at the Nkrumafest therefore asked Ghanaians, particularly the younger generation, to move beyond merely commemorating Nkrumah and engage with his ideas on African unity, self-determination, development, dignity and shared prosperity.
The NkrumahFest
NkrumahFest has become part of Ghana's annual heritage and cultural festival ostensibly to celebrate the life, legacy, and Pan-African ideals of the country’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The celebration, which started last Friday, saw a procession towards Ekwei to unveil a roundabout with the statue of Nkrumah, the first president.
The ceremony was attended by the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Kobina Nketsia V and the Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Mr Kwasi Pratt, political leaders across the divide and celebrants from various parts of the country and the world.
Armah Buah’s vision
The celebrations, which are mostly week-long, come with activities at the national level, and the grand celebration is held at Nkroful in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, which is the ancestral birthplace of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The NkrumahFest Project, started by the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, was instituted to reconnect younger generations and the global African diaspora with Nkrumah's vision of African unity, self-determination, freedom, and economic sovereignty.
The Nkrumah Fest features global and well-known African voices, a cultural durbar and heritage pilgrimages to historical sites in Nkroful, public lectures, educational forums, musical concerts and art exhibitions.
