‎Nkrumah’s dream of united Africa remains unfinished – P.L.O Lumumba

By: Godbless Asaana‎
‎Kenyan lawyer, academic and Pan-Africanist, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, has called for a renewed commitment to Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of a united, self-reliant and economically integrated Africa.
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‎Prof. Lumumba was speaking at the 2026 NkrumahFest held at Nkroful in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region under the theme, “Nkrumah @ 117: Celebrating His Enduring Legacy — Africa Must Unite or Perish.”
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‎Delivering the keynote address, he said Dr. Nkrumah transformed Ghana’s independence from a national achievement into a broader Pan-African project by linking the country’s freedom to the liberation of the entire continent.
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‎He recalled Nkrumah’s declaration at Ghana’s independence in 1957 that the country’s freedom would have little meaning if the rest of Africa remained under colonial rule.
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‎“On the 6th day of March 1957, the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah said that Ghana was free, but the independence of Ghana meant nothing if the rest of Africa was not free.”
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‎Prof. Lumumba said Nkrumah subsequently turned Ghana into a centre for African liberation movements, attracting leaders and activists from across the continent and the African diaspora.
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‎He cited personalities including Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Jomo Kenyatta, Nelson Mandela, Sam Nujoma, Agostinho Neto and Amílcar Cabral, as well as prominent figures of the African diaspora such as W.E.B. Du Bois, George Padmore and Martin Luther King Jr.
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‎“Ghana became a place of pilgrimage for all who were fighting for independence and the dignity of the people of Africa,” he said.
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‎Prof. Lumumba also pointed to Nkrumah’s role in the formation of continental institutions, particularly the 1963 Addis Ababa conference that led to the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
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‎He said Nkrumah’s concerns about a fragmented continent remain relevant, noting that Africans continue to be separated by national borders, passports, visa restrictions and different communication systems.
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‎“Today, we are still 54 countries with 54 passports. We still need visas to travel to countries within the continent of Africa.”
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‎He urged present-day African leaders and citizens to treat Nkrumah’s vision as a continuing responsibility rather than merely a historical legacy.
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‎“We are here to remind ourselves that work isn’t complete. We are here to remind ourselves that our governance systems must be reformed. We are here to remind ourselves that the continent of Africa will only be respected if we are united.”
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