Mahama’s rekindling Ghana’s Pan-African role echoing Nkrumah’s vision – P.L.O. Lumumba

Renowned Pan-Africanist and Kenyan lawyer Prof Patrick Lumumba has described Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as a “lonely man”, saying his commitment to the broader African cause left him vulnerable to opposition both within Ghana and from forces outside the country. Speaking on Joy Prime on September 22, Prof. Lumumba said Nkrumah’s vision extended beyond Ghana’s immediate national interests, setting him apart from others who had participated in the independence struggle.

He explained that while some members of the independence movement were focused primarily on Ghana, Nkrumah was thinking about the political and economic future of the entire African continent. “My own interpretation is that while others were very proficient in their thoughts, there are those within Ghana who, when they had been part of the independence movement, only thought about Ghana. But Nkrumah thought about Africa and in that regard, there were those who thought, but why are we using the resources of Ghana for other countries?

And that made him very vulnerable,” he said. Lumumba, the difficulty was compounded by the gap between Nkrumah’s long-term vision and the immediate needs and expectations of Ghanaians. He said a population dealing with pressing economic and social challenges could become impatient when asked to support projects and ideas whose benefits might only become apparent decades later.

“When you are dealing with a population that once bred on the table now, and you are talking to them about things that will be realised in 50 years, then you can imagine how impatient they are,” he said. Lumumba said Nkrumah’s political opponents could exploit that impatience by presenting his Pan-African commitments as evidence that he was neglecting Ghana’s interests. “Then you can imagine how your detractors and your enemies will then come and say, this gentleman is not talking about us.

He’s thinking about things and using our resources in a manner that is not in our best interest,” he said. “And you then become a sitting duck. And that, I think, is part of the reason why it was very easy to have 50 colonists.” Prof.

Lumumba also argued that Nkrumah faced opposition beyond Ghana because of his outspoken position against colonialism and what he described as neocolonialism. He said Nkrumah was regarded as a threat by those seeking to retain influence… Renowned Pan-Africanist Professor P.L.O.