Was Kwame Nkrumah the Father of Pan-Africanism in Africa?

On 21 September 1909, Kwame Nkrumah, one of pan-Africanism’s founding fathers, was born in Nkroful, Gold Coast - now Ghana.

Nkrumah served as Ghana's first President from 1957 to 1966, when he was deposed in a CIA-engineered coup while away on a trip to China. Unlike sell-outs such as DR Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko or Burkina Faso’s Blaise Compaoré, Nkrumah was firmly devoted to the freedom of Africa from all forms of exploitation, especially imperialism - a vision that, if realised, could have fully emancipated the continent.

Nkrumah is still very influential among pan-Africanists today. A thinker and writer, one of his most famous books is 'Neocolonialism - The Last Stage of Imperialism.' In this book, first published in 1965, Nkrumah notes that, 'the foreign firms who exploit our resources long ago saw the strength to be gained from acting on a pan-African scale. By means of interlocking directorships, cross-shareholdings and other devices, groups of apparently different companies have formed, in fact, one enormous capitalist monopoly. The only effective way to challenge this economic empire and to recover possession of our heritage, is for us also to act on a pan-African basis, through a Union Government.'

Africans continue to draw inspiration from his contribution to pan-African thought. His still-relevant ideas are a testament to his foresight and understanding of the African struggle. We honour his memory by carrying on the struggle he devoted his life to: to free Africa for the benefit of its people.

How has he inspired you?