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Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana’s first president, and former president John Dramani Mahama hailed him, calling him “the founder of our great nation.”
He admitted that there were other people who aspired to see an independent Ghana free from persecution and colonial authority, but Nkrumah led and eclipsed them all.
On Saturday, August 24, he gave a speech at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 Manifesto launch in Winneba, Central Region.
“We gather with hope as one people, united in victory, and as one nation, Ghana, with a common interwoven invincible destiny. Today, we also gather to reignite and reaffirm the dreams of our forebears, led by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of our great nation,” he said.
The audience cheered and let out joyful horn blowing in response to Mahama’s statement.
The event appeared to be a reaction to remarks made recently by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who asserts that Ghana has several founders and renames the August 4 official holiday as Founders’ Day rather than Founders Day in honor of Kwame Nkrumah alone.
“The struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” Akufo-Addo stated in an August 3 address. In the national broadcast, he acknowledged Nkrumah as “undoubtedly a major actor,” and an individual of “charismatic visionary leadership” whose work took place during the final lap of Ghana’s journey to independence.
“While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable and unassailable, it is important to acknowledge, for our self-respect, that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” he added.
The British West African National Congress was sponsored by Joseph Casely Hayford and Thomas Hutton-Mills, among others, and President Akufo-Addo stated that organizations like the Aborigines Rights Protection Society and the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) “played vital parts in bringing us to freedom and independence.”
In Ghana, September 21 is Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, while August 4 is dedicated to honoring all of the country’s founders.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
