Ghana must stop denigrating Nkrumah’s legacy – Asiedu Nketia

‎By: Godbless Asaana‎
‎National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has criticised the continued denigration of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, despite his recognition across Africa and the world.
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‎He questioned why Ghana continues to undermine the image and legacy of Dr. Nkrumah at a time when he has been honoured as the African of the Century.
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‎Mr. Asiedu Nketia made the remarks at the 2026 NkrumahFest held in Nzema in the Western Region on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
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‎The event brought together chiefs, traditional leaders, Pan-Africanists and other guests, including renowned Pan-Africanist Professor P.L.O. Lumumba.
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‎According to Mr. Asiedu Nketia, the NkrumahFest, instituted by the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, provides an opportunity for Ghana to confront what he described as the shame associated with the treatment of Dr. Nkrumah’s name and legacy.
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‎“First of all I want to thank Honourable Armah Kofi Buah for instituting this NkrumahFest because I see it as an attempt to purge our dear country of the shame we had brought onto ourselves by denigrating the image, name and legacy of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and continue doing so even at a time when the whole world and the rest of Africa have voted to recognize him as the African of the Century.”
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‎He added: “In fact it remains a dent on the image of Ghana. So I see this NkrumahFest as an effort to purge the country of that problem.”
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‎Mr. Asiedu Nketia, who described himself as an “unrepentant Nkrumahist,” also recounted how policies introduced under Dr. Nkrumah influenced his personal life, particularly through the introduction of free and compulsory basic education.
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‎He recalled being taken from the streets of Seikwa by members of the Young Pioneers movement at a time when other children had already gone to school.
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‎“I was picked up on the streets of Seikwa when everybody else had gone to school and I was picked up by the Young Pioneers and in the evening I was sent to my relatives and they were warned that because of the introduction of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education, my parents should choose between sending me to school or facing prosecution.”
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‎Mr. Asiedu Nketia said the experience shaped his appreciation of Dr. Nkrumah’s educational policies and reinforced his commitment to the Nkrumahist tradition.
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