Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.
After twelve years abroad pursuing higher education, developing his political philosophy, and organizing with other diasporic pan-Africanists, Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast to begin his political career as an advocate of national independence. He formed the Convention People’s Party, which achieved rapid success through its unprecedented appeal to the common voter. He became Prime Minister in 1952 and retained the position when Ghana declared independence from Britain in 1957.
In 1960, Ghanaians approved a new constitution and elected Nkrumah President. His administration was primarily socialist as well as nationalist. It funded national industrial and energy projects, developed a strong national education system and promoted a pan-Africanist culture. Under Nkrumah, Ghana played a leading role in African international relations during the decolonization period. Nkrumah led an authoritarian regime in Ghana, as he repressed political opposition and conducted elections that were not free and fair.
In 1964, a constitutional amendment made Ghana a one-party state, with Nkrumah as president for life of both the nation and its party. Nkrumah was deposed in 1966 by the National Liberation Council, under whose supervision international financial institutions privatized many of the country’s state corporations. Nkrumah lived the rest of his life in Guinea, where he was named honorary co-president.
Some of the best quotes from Kwame Nkrumah are listed below.
- “A state in the grip of neo-colonialism is not master of its own destiny. It is this factor which makes neo-colonialism such a serious threat to world peace.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Action without thought is empty. Thought without action is blind.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Africa is a paradox which illustrates and highlights neo-colonialism. Her earth is rich, yet the products that come from above and below the soil continue to enrich, not Africans predominantly, but groups and individuals who operate to Africa’s impoverishment.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The notion that in order to have a nation it is necessary for there to be a common language, a common territory and common culture has failed to stand the test of time or the scrutiny of scientific definition of objective reality… The community of economic life is the major feature within a nation, and it is the economy which holds together the people living in a territory. It is on this basis that the new Africans recognize themselves as potentially one nation, whose dominion is the entire African continent.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “African unity gives an indispensable continental dimension to the concept of the African nation.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “All people of African descent, whether they live in North or South America, the Caribbean, or in any part of the world are Africans and belong to the African nation.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Always be the servant of the people.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “As far as I am concerned, I am in the knowledge that death can never extinguish the torch which I have lit in Ghana and Africa. Long after I am dead and gone, the light will continue to burn and be borne aloft, giving light and guidance to all people.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “As I pointed out, that also entails hard work. That new Africa is ready to fight his own battles and show that after all the black man is capable of managing his own affairs.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “At long last, the battle has ended! And thus, Ghana, your beloved country is free forever!” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was ‘The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey’ published by his wife.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Capitalism is a development by refinement from feudalism, just as feudalism is development by refinement from slavery. Capitalism is but the gentlemen’s method of slavery.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Capitalism is too complicated a system for a newly independent nation. Hence the need for a socialistic society.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Countrymen, the task ahead is great indeed, and heavy is the responsibility; and yet it is a noble and glorious challenge – a challenge which calls for the courage to dream, the courage to believe, the courage to dare, the courage to do, the courage to envision, the courage to fight, the courage to work, the courage to achieve – to achieve the highest excellences and the fullest greatness of man. Dare we ask for more in life?” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “For centuries, Europeans dominated the African continent. The white man arrogated to himself the right to rule and to be obeyed by the non-white; his mission, he claimed, was to “civilize” Africa. Under this cloak, the Europeans robbed the continent of vast riches and inflicted unimaginable suffering on the African people.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Forward ever, backward never.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Freedom brings responsibilities, and our experience can be enriched only by the acceptance of these responsibilities.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. Thy claim it as their own and none can keep it from them.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Ghana will be free forever.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “I believe strongly and sincerely that with the deep-rooted wisdom and dignity, the innate respect for human lives, the intense humanity that is our heritage, the African race, united under one federal government, will emerge not as just another world bloc to flaunt its wealth and strength, but as a Great Power whose greatness is indestructible because it is built not on fear, envy and suspicion, nor won at the expense of others, but founded on hope, trust, friendship and directed to the good of all mankind.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “It is clear that we must find an African solution to our problems, and that this can only be found in African unity. Divided we are weak; united, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “It is far easier for the proverbial camel to pass through the needle’s eye, hump and all, than for an erstwhile colonial administration to give sound and honest counsel of a political nature to its liberated territory.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “It is only the ending of capitalism, colonialism, imperialism and neocolonialism and the attainment of world communism that can provide the conditions under which the RACE question can finally be abolished and eliminated.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Long before many of us were even conscious of our own degradation, these men [Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. DuBois] fought for African national and racial equality.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Neo-colonialism can only flourish in a client state.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Never in the history of the world has an alien ruler granted self-rule to a people on a silver platter.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “No people without a government of their own can expect to be treated on the same level as people of independent sovereign states. It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Of all literature I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Our armed struggle for freedom is neither moral nor immoral, it is a scientific historically-determined necessity.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added unto you.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Socialism is not spontaneous. It does not arise of itself. It has abiding principles according to which the major means of production and distribution ought to be socialized if exploitation of the many by the few is to be prevented; if, that is to say, egalitarianism in the economy is to be protected.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The best way of learning to be an independent sovereign state is to be an independent sovereign state.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The difference between myself and Castro is that I am not aligned and he is; I am a socialist and he is a communist.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The fortunes of the African revolution are closely linked with the world-wide struggle against imperialism. It does not matter where the battle erupts, be it in Africa, Asia or Latin America, the master-mind and master-hand at work are the same. The oppressed and exploited people are striving for their freedom against exploitation and suppression. Ghana must not, Ghana cannot be neutral in the struggle of the oppressed against the oppressor.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The guerrilla is the masses in arms.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked-up with the total liberation of the African Continent.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The independence of Ghana is meaningless until it is linked to the total liberation of Africa.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The masses of the people of Africa are crying for unity.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The only colonialist or imperialist I trust is a dead one.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The result of neo-colonialism is that foreign capital is used for the exploitation rather than for the development of the less developed parts of the world. Investment under neo-colonialism increases rather than decreases the gap between the rich and poor countries of the world.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The total liberation and unification of Africa under an All-African Socialist Government must be the primary objective of all Black revolutionaries throughout the world. It is an objective which when achieved, will bring about the fulfillment of the aspirations of Africans and people of African descent everywhere. It will at the same time advance the triumph of the international socialist revolution.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “The traditional face of Africa includes an attitude towards man which can only be described as being socialist.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “There is a close connection between socio-political development, the struggle between social classes and the history of ideologies. In general, intellectual movements closely reflect the trends of economic developments. In communal society, where there are virtually no class divisions, man’s productive activities on outlook and culture is less discernible. Account must be taken of the psychology of conflicting classes.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We all want a United Africa, United not only in our concept of what unity connotes, but united in our common desire to move forward together in dealing with all the problems that can best be solved only on a continental basis.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our foundation – our own African personality.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We believe in the rights of all peoples to govern themselves. We affirm the right of all colonial peoples to control their own destiny. All colonies must be free from foreign imperialist control, whether political or economic.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We face neither East nor West: we face forward.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We have a duty to prove to the world that Africans can conduct their own affairs with efficiency and tolerance and through the exercise of democracy. We must set an example to all Africa.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from now on, there is a new African in the world!” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We have won the battle and again rededicate ourselves.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We in Ghana, are committed to the building of an industrialized socialist society. We cannot afford to sit still and be mere passive onlookers.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquility.” – Kwame Nkrumah
- “We were engaged in a kind of war, a war against poverty and disease, against ignorance, against tribalism and disunity. We needed to secure the conditions which could allow us to pursue our policy of reconstruction and development.” – Kwame Nkrumah
