Kwame Nkrumah

Kwame Nkrumah (September 21, 1909- April 27 1972) was a Ghanaian nationalist leader, who during the 1940’s and 1950’s led Ghana to independence from the British. He became the first African Prime Minister in the Commonwealth (1951) and Ghana’s first President after decolonization (1957), and carried with him his vision for a new Africa.

After World War II, Britain began to decline in its power and influence, while simultaneously, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was gaining influence and becoming a world superpower. This change of balance within the world would influence the political environment of Ghana greatly, and inspire Nkrumah and the nationalist movement for Ghanaian independence and his vision of a new, united, and powerful Africa. The British colonists often took advantage of the Ghanaian people; as Britain became more democratic, the same rights were not given to the Ghanaian people. In 1945, the British stole foreign exchange from cocoa farmers in order to strengthen the British Pound. However by doing so, Ghanaians were unable to invest in what they felt was necessary, and distorted investment priorities. British colonialism and its stronghold on the people of Ghana inspired Nkrumah and the nationalist movement. In addition to this, the Russian Revolution and the USSR also influenced Nkrumah and his views, as not only was the USSR nationally diverse, but was a “relatively backwards country” transformed into a “giant industrial power” (Tunteng 234). Nkrumah and the nationalist movement in Ghana was a result of the political climate during the start of the Cold War era, and the ideas and changes made under Nkrumah would influence the future of Ghana and Africa.

Nkrumah sought to improve the lives of Ghanaians, which he did by expanding and improving infrastructure across the state. This was a necessary action by Nkrumah, as much of the infrastructure in Ghana, especially the poor regions to the north, was extremely lacking. By making improvements to education, health care, transport, and energy, Nkrumah “started to create the economic infrastructure that Ghana needed if it were to become an efficient exporter of primary goods” (Ray 13). The changes of infrastructure were apparent within the nation, especially improvements to health care, which increased the life expectancy “from 40 years in 1960 to 55.2 in 1984” (Ray 4).  As beneficial as these changes were to Ghanaian society, the origins of these changes held dangerous consequences.

Much of Ghana’s development under Nkrumah was due to a need to “catch up” with the West, as Ghana had, like other colonial nations, been “deprived” of the “resources to pursue Western Style economic development” (Mishra 74). Nkrumah’s actions were a result of his mimetic desire to obtain the wealth and prosperity for Ghana like those in the west, such as the United States. However, British interference and colonialism had drained Ghana of many of its resources, making it difficult for Ghana to integrate into the world market. The economy of Ghana was unable to keep up with the costs of all the improvement to infrastructure, and Nkrumah sought loans from Western nations in order to try and remedy their economic problems. Mimetic desire led in part to Nkrumah’s fall, but despite this he continued to inspire and many Ghanaians and Africans.

Nkrumah introduced many young Ghanaians to socialist ideology, which would influence later revolutions such as the December 31^st Revolution in 1981. This same socialist ideology would spread throughout Africa, influencing other colonies to seek independence for themselves. Nkrumah’s ideologies manifest through the belief which has been coined Nkrumaism: “Every vestige of colonialism must be wiped away from every corner of Africa. That is the policy for Africa” (James 162). Furthermore, Nkrumah wanted the people of Ghana to undergo “a political and mental revolution at the same time,” changing not only the political institutions of Ghana, but also changing the minds and ideologies of the Ghanaian people (Tunteng 233). Nkrumah’s lasting impact on Ghana through the way that “he created the political symbols and political psychology of patriotism and sovereignty in Ghana against which all others are still measured, and which to the left are still the touchstone of truth” (Ray 13). Nkrumah changed African ideology and spearheaded the African independence movement.

Lor Richardson

Works Cited

James, C. L. R. Nkrumah and the Ghana Revolution. Allison & Busby, 1982.

Mishra, Pankaj. Age of Anger: a history of the present. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017.

Ray, Donald. Ghana: Politics, Economics, and Society. Francis Pinter, 1986.

Tunteng, P. “Kwame Nkrumah and the African Revolution.” Civilisations, vol. 23/24, no. 3/4, 1973/1974, pp. 233-247., doi: 130.113.69.47.

Other Relevant Readings

Davidson, Basil. Black Star: a view of the life and times of Kwame Nkrumah. Westview Press, 1989.

Howe, Russell Warren. “Did Nkrumah Favour Pan-Africanism?” Transition, no. 27, 1966, pp. 13–15., doi:10.2307/2934195.

Gupta, Anirudh. “Kwame Nkrumah: A Reassessment.” International Study, vol. 12, no. 2, January 1973, pp. 207-221. doi:10.1177/002088177301200203.

Smertin, Yuri. Kwame Nkrumah. International Publishers, 1987.