The political leadership of Osagyefo Dr.

Kwame Nkrumah liberated the Gold

Coast into the State of Ghana on March 6, 1957. In this time period the
continent of Africa was experiencing the political changes of its people
against imperial rule of powers such as, France, Britain, Poland, and Portugal.
When colonial rule ended in Ghana, there were only eight independent
African States Ethiopia, Ghana, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Liberia and
Sudan. Even while witnessing the beginnings of Colonial Independence,
Nkrumah believed that Imperialist have "cleverly postponed their ultimate
and inevitable demise by deviously granting formal sovereignty to their
colonies, yet by various economic and political demises continuing to exploit
and direct the fortunes of new states." We'll find that Nkrumah's tactical
political objectives against Imperialism were right, when the political
environment was ripe shifting towards Colonial Independence. Moreover,
leading him to seek the vision Ghana's Colonial Unification and Continental
Unity of Africa as whole, earning him a place in African political history.

The Road to Ghana's Colonial Independence

As a graduate student in England, he presented his political beliefs against

Colonialist, by joining student organizations and disseminating his message
through the press. While at the London School of economics to the In 1947
Kwame published a powerful pamphlet denouncing Imperialist rule in the
Gold Coast, Towards Colonial Freedom, where he presented a four-point
program that called for the abolition of political illiteracy, the organization of
the masses and the establishment of an educational fund and an national
press. He became Vice President of the West African Student Union while at
the same time denouncing foreign rule in Africa through the African
Interpreter. Such passion toward ending foreign rule drove Kwame to form
secret society know as Circle Union of Socialist African Republics that sought
to liberate Africa from Imperialist oppression.

After forming the circle in England, Kwame was asked become a secretary of
the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), "an organization formed mainly by
lawyers, doctors and chiefs, to end British colonial rule in the Gold Coast in
the shortest possible time" in 1947. In his new position, Kwame demonstrated
the organizational skills he acquired through Coloured Workers Association by
quickly expanding UGCC offices throughout Ghana from two to six hundred
with a six-month framework. This outreach program proved to be effective, in
spreading the organization's principle motive of self government in the
shortest time possible to farmers, unions, women's groups and youth.

Kwame's accomplishment, led to the validity of his leadership within the

professionals of the UGCC expanding to ordinary citizens, at the same time
creating a political constituency for his future political party the Conventions
Peoples Party (CPP).

On June 12, 1949 Osagyfo officially founded the CPP from members of
Committee on Youth Organization (CYO) formerly a section of the UGCC, in
order to liberate Ghana from colonialist political oppression. Nkrumah
proclaimed, "I am happy to be able to tell you that the CYO, owing to the
present political tension, has decided to transform itself into a fully fledged
political party with the object of promoting the fight for full self government"
According to Nkrumah, in order for Ghanaians to take control of their own
affairs they had to concentrate on achieving political power through unity. He
argued that a united Ghana was necessary to remove the British from
Ghanaian political affairs. Once political independence was achieved,
Nkrumah argued, economic and cultural liberation would shortly follow.

Kwame's policy of positive action left blow to the British government when he
implemented. He rallied people with propaganda signs and the CPP flag
colored red, white, and green followed by the use of party songs stating,
"there is victory for us," calling them to stop the function for the colonial
government. Positive Action began on January 8, 1950 after the parliament
refused to draw a constitution for the Ghanaian people causing the
government into a standstill as shops, factories, and transportation services
closed. The government retaliated by closing down CPP offices and arresting
Kwame. Within the confines of jail, he planned his campaign for the 1951
elections, which brought the CPP 71 seats while 16 were won mostly by
independents. Gaining a political seat allowed Kwame Nkrumah to become
Prime Minister in 1952 and eventually Prime Minister and president on
Ghana's Independence Day.

The Unification of Ghana

Once Ghana gained Independence; Kwame focused on effective control of

politics and modernization way as fronts to fight external imperialistic
pressures. Kwame believed that he could combat colonialism through five
ways, diplomatic cooperation of independent African states, political
education, the use propaganda, aid to nationalist, and a policy of non-

fraternization with the imperialist. He considered every step in toward these

policies a positive one, and he viewed political opposition as an obstacle to a
united Africa. For this reason, developed a single party state because one
group of leaders could represent common interest of the masses and having
an opposition would add inefficiency in governmental action towards
improvement. Also, took measures such as the abolition of interim regional
assemblies, constitutional safeguards for the opposition, and the enactment
of Preventive Detention Act of 1957, a law that enabled the police to arrest
and detain people believed to be collaborating with the imperialist opposition.
Most of these where members disbanded United Party, that was composed of
rent seeking doctors, lawyers, and other intelligista looking to gain power and
exploit along foreigners along Neo-Colonialism He added to this mixture
Socialist of creating a from of communalism while having a lending ear to
towards Communism which would later provide the West with motive to end
to Kwame's regime as the Cold War spread.

Kwame believed that in order to maintain imperialist forces at bay and

maintain political independence Ghana needed to be economically
independent, therefore industrialization was the key issue. The first
development plan initiated by Nkrumah and the CPP in 1957 concentrated on
preparing the country for industrialization. It included improving availability of
electricity, railways, roads and canals, mechanized agriculture, education,
and general services. Kwame delivered by directing government efforts in
establishing the Volta River project to provide electricity, building the Accra to
Tema Motorway while creating Ghana Airways and Black Star Shipping Line.
Ghana's agriculture needed to shift its dependency from cocoa, it cash crop
that accounted for nearly seventy five percent of all exports.

Having state ownership and control of the infrastructure had the underlying
objective of avoiding foreign ownership of such vital factors of production.
Yet, rapid modernization was one factor that made communism attractive to
Nkrumah, but he actively rejected attempts to reduce Ghana to a Soviet
satellite state, though the US believed this connection actually existed.
Nkrumah saw communism as an efficient way for developing countries to
industrialize quickly. Nkrumah also hoped that by using a communist system
of industrialization his country would be spared some of the worst injustices
he saw in the capitalistic model, such as a tiny group of people becoming
very rich at the expense of an enormous group of people who were very poor.
For these reasons, the Agricultural Development Board was established to
regulate cocoa production, purchasing and marketing and to identify,
subsidize and promote the production of other cash crops, such a cotton,

pineapple, and rubber to alleviate the tenuous cocoa dependency. This

economic stimulus provided short growth of 12 percent between 1957-1962,
but the dependency on cocoa would be costly for Ghana as the collapse of its
market would be used as an excuse for coup de'tat on February 24, 1966.

African Unity and Kwame's Downfall

His leadership provided a base for support and stability for other African state
by spearheading the African Liberation Movement against the colonial
powers. Kwame exclaimed, "our independence is meaningless unless it is
linked up with the total liberation of the African continent." As he sought to
combine forces against foreign ownership of the means of production. The
formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1964 can be seen as
successful deflection of Nkrumah's efforts to solidly unite the African
continent into a powerful union. The OAU's charter prescribed immutability of
the colonial borders and ensured the non-viability of African microstates. In a
nutshell, its existence pleased the ex-colonial and Neo-Colonial powers, but
the revolutionary politics of Kwame generally displeased them. According to
Nkrumah, only through a united effort would the removal of the colonial
powers be successful, because no one country had the resources to prevail
alone but Unified Africa would. Nkrumah, Toure, Nasser joined forces and as
icons of rejection of the European colonial order. Each of them was leaning
toward the socialist block and each of them had considerable following
especially Kwame with his writings.

In his book, Neo Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperealism Osagyefo

presented the notion of Neo-Colonailism, the situation where the pattern of
relationships between former metropolitan Power and its former colony
remained unchanged even after the attainment of Independence, basically
Colonialism without accountablity. He expressed the tactics of foreign power,
such the US and Britain, which included: the policy of balkanization, the
lowering of the living standard of the people in developing countries, the
retention of military bases in former colonies and the signing of military pacts
with extra African powers, and the maintenance in power through any means
including coup d'tat of puppet regimes in Africa. Later Nkrumah would state
"In this book I exposed the economic stranglehold exercised by foreign
monopolistic complexes such as the Anglo-American Corporation, and
illustrated the ways in which this financial grip perpetuated the paradox of
Africa poverty in the midst of plenty. The American Government sent me a
note of protest, and promptly refused Ghana $35 million of `aid'."

His final writing denouncing the "New Imperialism" and Ghana's dependency
led to his downfall. By writing this book, he was against America who at the
time was fighting a Vietnam War and fearing that Ghana would follow the
domino effect of becoming a communist country. Meanwhile, the economy
had been depleted; foreign exchange and government's reserves shrank and
disappeared. Unemployment rose dramatically. Food prices skyrocketed up
over 250% from 1957 levels and up a phenomenal 66% in 1965. Eventually,
there were massive food and essentials shortages effecting every area,
sector and individual in Ghana.

Thus the opposing National Liberation Council (NLC) with leadership Colonel
Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka of the 2nd Infantry Brigade on 24 February, 1966,
took over government in "Operation Cold Chop", a well organized coup d'etat.
The US and Ghana's Neo-Colonialist heavily backed this operation, causing
Parliament to dissolve and outlawing Nkrumah's ruling political organization,
the Convention People's Party (C.P.P.) and by dismissing Nkrumah himself as
President of Ghana's First Republic, all while he was in peace keeping mission
in Vietnam.

Conclusion

Indeed, His successes, his Pan-African enthusiasm, the political galvanization

of a very diverse, multi-faceted society, the attainment of independence for
Ghana and his early economic achievements have earned him an important
place in history. His message Independence became a vibrant national
passion for development and self-reliance. Throughout the nation, in every
region, in every Chiefdom, the population was enthusiastically and earnestly
engaged following the principles of the CPP. He organized for Independence
setting a model for other African countries to follow, particularly in the grand
liberation of 1960 where countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia,
Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. He political objective of having a strong
Ghanan government and modernization prove to be effective, but only the
short run. Most Africans remember him as the "the redeemer" because he
provide the charisma that Africans needed for a leading statesmen against
any form of imperialism.

His loss of power in Ghana is overshadowed by providing Africans a rallying

point to achieve African unity and end economic dependence on the West,
which he fought for as an live exile by proclaiming his beliefs for African Unity
and the end of Imperialism until his death due to cancer on April 27, 1972.

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