Kwame Nkrumah was a Pan-Africanist revolutionary and President of Ghana. He served as prime minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 to 1957. When Ghana achieved independence from British rule he remained prime minister. By 1960 he became president of Ghana. Nkrumah was a strong proponent of African Socialism, Pan-Africanism, and Third World Solidarity. Always a fighter for the oppressed, he continually challenged all forms of social injustice.
During his rule Ghana achieved victories in various fields. Education was made free and provided scholarships to study abroad. Roads and new hospitals were built. Pan-Africanism was actively promoted in his foreign policy. African nations in his view must unite to stop European domination of the continent.His most important accomplishment was the establishment of the Organization for African Unity. Nkrumah was a founding member. The organization's goal was to combat colonialism across Africa and develop mutually beneficial diplomatic relations. Another major objective was to develop each African nation politically and economically.
Seeing as he did not favor the status quo, Nkrumah became a target of Western powers. By 1966 he was deposed by a CIA sponsored coup. Nkrumah was out of the country making visits to China and Vietnam. This was significant, because it demonstrated his solidarity with other colonized and oppressed peoples. He wanted to see an end to the Vietnam War and the complete eradication of Western domination of the world. He was a pioneer in a turbulent period of international change.
Further Reading
Davidson,Basil. Black Star A View of The Life and Times of Kwame Nkrumah . New York: Boydell
and Brewer,1973.
Appiah, Kwame and Gates, Henry. “Kwame Nkrumah”. Africana Encyclopedia.
New York :Perseus Books Group,1999.430-431
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