Nile Kenya

Kwame Nkrumah (September 21, 1909 – April 27, 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, revolutionary, and the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, the first African nation to gain independence from colonial rule in 1957. Born in Nkroful in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), Nkrumah studied in the United States and the United Kingdom, where he became involved in Pan-Africanism.

In 1949, he founded the Convention People’s Party (CPP), advocating for immediate self-governance through nonviolent protests. Nkrumah became Prime Minister in 1952 and led Ghana to independence in 1957, later becoming its first President in 1960 after Ghana was declared a republic. His administration focused on national development and African unity but became increasingly authoritarian over time.

Nkrumah was deposed in a military coup in 1966 while on a trip abroad. He spent his later years in Guinea, where he was named honorary co-president. Nkrumah’s legacy includes his influential writings on neo-colonialism and his role as a leading figure in the Pan-African movement. He died in Bucharest, Romania, while undergoing treatment for cancer.