A member of the NDC Communications Team, Prince Agoha, has described Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as the founder of Ghana, arguing that the country’s first President laid the foundation for a modern Ghana through projects and institutions that continue to serve the country more than six decades later.
According to Mr Agoha, while several nationalist leaders played significant roles in Ghana’s independence struggle, it was Dr. Nkrumah who ultimately stood at the forefront of the declaration of independence on March 6, 1957.
“Despite the fact that we had great men who began the independence struggle, it was only one man who on that day declared Ghana to be free and free forever. So, without dispute, I call him the founder.”
Speaking on the AmClub, he said the description is not merely his personal interpretation, insisting that Ghana’s historical record recognises Dr. Nkrumah as the country’s founder.
“Not just me. The history of Ghana recognizes him as the founder of this country.”
A vision cut short
Reflecting on a visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Mr Agoha recalled an explanation given by a tour guide about the design of the mausoleum where Dr. Nkrumah’s remains are laid.
He said the structure symbolises a tree that was cut short — an interpretation he linked to the interruption of Dr. Nkrumah’s leadership and the development trajectory he had envisioned for Ghana.
For Mr Agoha, the symbolism remains relevant because several major projects initiated under Dr. Nkrumah continue to shape Ghana today.
“We can still see projects in this country today that I find it very hard to see how a man more than 60 years ago was able to envisage some of these things.”
Projects that outlived the era
Mr Agoha pointed to the Akosombo Dam, the development of Tema and its port, and the establishment of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology as examples of what he considers evidence of Dr. Nkrumah’s long-term vision.
He said the scale of the Akosombo Dam was questioned at the time, particularly given Ghana’s relatively small population.
But he believes the decision demonstrated an approach to development that looked beyond the immediate needs of the country.
“But again, it tells you to the kind of vision he had, and the road he placed us on.”
He further argued that the combination of infrastructure, industrial development and educational institutions established during the Nkrumah era provided important foundations for Ghana’s subsequent development.
“In every aspect, Kwame Nkrumah was able to lay the foundations for a proper, or a well-developed Ghana.”
