National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has demanded an end to attempts to dilute the historical status of Dr Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana’s independence struggle. Speaking at the launch of NkrumahFest 2026 at Nkroful in Ellembelle on Saturday 19 September, he said Nkrumah deserves sole recognition as founder of modern Ghana because he united four separate territories to form the nation.
According to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, before Nkrumah emerged there was nothing called Ghana. The Gold Coast Colony, the Ashanti Kingdom, the Northern Territories and Trans Volta Togoland existed as distinct political entities. He argued that struggles of earlier nationalists were concentrated in the Gold Coast and did not cover Ashanti and the north, while Nkrumah’s leadership merged all territories into one sovereign state.
The NDC Chairman described Nkrumah as the one and only Osagyefo whose vision secured independence on 6 March 1957 and laid foundation for Pan African unity. He praised Ellembelle MP Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah for instituting NkrumahFest to preserve the first President’s works. He said if the world and Africa have honoured Nkrumah as Man of the Millennium and African of the Century, Ghana should not denigrate his legacy.
The founder versus founders debate is regulated by Ghana’s Public Holidays Act. The law recognizes 4 August as Founders Day for collective contributions and 21 September as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day. The evergreen explainer for students is that CSSPS placement and WASSCE history questions test both dates, while Free SHS policy itself traces roots to Nkrumah’s 1961 Education Act that introduced free compulsory basic education and the Young Pioneers movement which recruited pupils. Understanding this timeline helps search traffic because every August schools revise independence history.
Political observers say the statement sharpens NDC ideology ahead of 2028. Asiedu Nketiah, who credits Nkrumah’s free education for his own schooling at Seikwa, says he remains an unrepentant Nkrumahist. He framed NkrumahFest as an attempt to purge national shame caused by attempts to rewrite history. The festival, under theme Nkrumah at 117 Celebrating His Enduring Legacy, is expected to draw chiefs, students and Pan African scholars to Nkroful.
Ghana’s first President led the Convention Peoples Party to electoral victory, built the Akosombo Dam, Tema Motorway and numerous factories, and hosted the 1958 All African Peoples Conference in Accra. His continental vision shaped the Organization of African Unity now African Union. Supporters argue no other nationalist matched that scale of state formation and international influence.
Source: #Howedey.com
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Author: Korkor Anumu
