Nkrumah- Gold coast (Ghana)

Background:
Born on September 21, 1901, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah became the first Ghanaian president. He
was born a Roman Catholic and spent about nine years at the Roman Catholic Elementary School. In 1930, he
graduated from Achimota College and thereafter began his career as a teacher at the Roman Catholic junior
schools in Elmina and Axim and at a seminary. Nkrumah had an increasingly heartfelt desire for politics and
decided to pursue an education in that area of study in the United States in 1935. He graduated from the Lincoln
University in Pennsylvania in 1939 with a Master of Science in education and Master of Arts in Philosophy.
Under his belt of achievement were also a B.A. and Bachelor of Sacred Theology as well as two extra courses
in Sociology and Nationalism. He particularly paid attention to Karl Marx and Marcus Garvey during his years
of study. And later became known as the “nondenominational Christian and a Marxist socialist.” He became the
President of the African Student’s Organization of the United States and Canada and then left the United States
in 1945 and migrated to England where he organized the fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester in that same
year. He then founded the West African National Secretariat to work for the decolonization of Africa and also
served as Vice-President of the West African Students' Union (WASU). He was recognized and awarded
honorary doctorates by several universities. In 1947, Nkrumah was invited back to Ghana to hold a position as
the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) general secretary. As general secretary, he addressed meetings
throughout the Gold Coast and began to create a mass base for the new movement. When extensive riots
occurred in February 1948, the British briefly arrested Nkrumah and other leaders of the UGCC believing that
they were behind the riots. Following his release, he split from his position and created a mass-based party
known as the Conventions Peoples’ Party in June 1949. Nationwide, he proclaimed that the Gold Coast needed
an immediate self-government. On January 8, 1950, Nkrumah initiated a campaign of “positive action,”
involving nonviolent protests, strikes, and noncooperation with the British colonial authorities. Nkrumah would
soon be known as the nationalist leader who led the Gold Coast drive for independence from Great Britain.

From Prison to Prime minister

Nkrumah was the “chief architect” of the 20th century African revolutionary struggle. After he was
released from a one year sentence, the first Gold Coast election was held on February 8, 1951. Nkrumah stood
in the presence of thousands of supporters proclaiming loudly, “Ghana will be free forever!” He was the first
president of Ghana and was the leader of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) which was the first party to rule
after Ghana’s independence. The party won the hearts of many and soon started making improvements to better
the country. As Nkrumah fame rose to higher heights, new roads, schools and health facilities were built and
many Africans were granted employment due to the Africanization policy. The party sought to embrace all
classes of blacks; whether you were a fisherman, a farmer or rich/poor, the CPP emancipated the nation from
Britain’s physical and mental enslavement. Unfortunately Nkrumah began to lose sight of reality after placing
excessive interest in “black African unity”. Soon many of his development plans began to fail which
consequently crippled the flourishing country with debt. For example, in 1959 Nkrumah’s Second Government
plan was abandoned shortly after in 1961 due to a major shortage of funds. Nkrumah in desperately trying to
regain his country’s stability turned to communist societies for help.
Nkrumah was determined to stop at nothing. He gave Ghana a “face” by placing the political: red
yellow, black and green on the flag of Ghana. It was adopted in 1957 and designed by Theodosia Okoh. Red
represents the symbol of the nation’s fight for freedom, the gold was symbolic of the nation’s mineral wealth
and the green symbolizes the nation’s natural wealth. The black is a symbol of which represents emancipation
and is used as a star in the center of the flag.

Nkrumaism and the Decolonization of Ghana

Nkrumaism had similar beliefs to many other African ideologies at the time; however the main focus of
of Nkrumaism was the decolonization of Africa. There are three main principles that Nkrumaism was hinged
upon; Self-determination, Social Justice and Pan Africanism.
 Nkrumah’s doctrine of Self determination encourages the young black African to disregard the
Euporean culture and channel his/her energy toward the betterment of their nation. He urges one to release
him/herself from the mental inferiority and take control of the nations resources.
In addition, Nkrumah’s second pillar of Social Justice held the belief that it was the moral duty of the
State to advocate for equity and and equal rewards and shares for all Ghanaians. It mattered not whether you
were young or old, rich or poor, religious or superstitious—equality was a constitutional right to everyone.
To add further, Nkrumah was also known for his deep commitment to Pan-Africanism. Marcus Garvey
and George Padmore were a few journalists who had greatly influenced him. Pan-Africanism is “a world-wide
movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous and disporan ethnic
groups or sub-Saharan African descent.” It is entrenched in the belief that unity is essential to political, social
and economic growth and it aims to “unify and uplift” people of sub-Saharan descent.