Contents
Kwame Nkrumah
Leading Ghana to independence and championing Pan-African unity.
Independent Ghana · African unity
- Born
- 21 September 1909
- Birthplace
- Nkroful, present-day Ghana
- Died
- 27 April 1972
More people
Nelson MandelaHelping end apartheid and becoming South Africa’s first Black president.
Winston ChurchillBeing a racist bigot and responsible for the orders that led to the Bengal famine of 1943, in which an estimated three million people died.
Franklin D. RooseveltLeading the United States through the Great Depression and most of the Second World War.Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana’s first prime minister and president, and a major figure in African decolonisation.
Early life
Teaching beginnings
Trained as a teacher before studying abroad.
Overseas education
Studied in the United States and organised politically in Britain.
Career
- 1947–1949
Return and organising
Returned to the Gold Coast and founded the Convention People’s Party.
- 1957
Independence
Led the government as Ghana became independent.
- 1960–1966
Presidency
Promoted industrial development and African unity before a military coup removed him.
Contributions
Independent Ghana
Helped end British colonial rule in the Gold Coast.
African unity
Helped establish the Organisation of African Unity.
Neo-Colonialism
Published his analysis of power after formal independence.
Political legacy
Authoritarian rule
His government detained opponents and established a one-party state.
Exile
Lived in Guinea after the 1966 coup.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: The National Archives UK - Flickr account. OGL v1.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
