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Kwame Nkrumah

Also known as Francis Nwia Kofi Ngonloma, Nkrumah, Francis Nwia Kofi Nkrumah, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

Ghanaian politician (1909–1972)

AI overview

Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician who led his country to independence from British rule in 1957 and served as its first president. He is considered a major figure in African decolonization and pan-Africanism, making him historically significant for both Ghana and the broader African continent.

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Kwame
Gender: male
Citizenship: Ghana
Place of birth: Nkroful
Place of death: Bucharest
Spouse: Fathia Nkrumah
Occupation: university teacher
Educated at: Lincoln University
Political party: United Gold Coast Convention
Languages spoken: English language
Native language: Fante
Religion: Christianity
Military rank: field marshal
Image: Kwame Nkrumah - The National Archives UK - CO 1069-50-1.jpg
Work location: Axim
Residence: Rin Grand Hotel

Show 14 more facts

candidacy in election: 1960 Ghanaian presidential election
Commons category: Kwame Nkrumah
date of birth: 1909-09-21
date of death: 1972-04-27
topic's main category: Category:Kwame Nkrumah
manner of death: natural causes
cause of death: prostate cancer
place of burial: Nkroful
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
P12749: Polycnemum
honorific suffix: Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Ghana Place Names URL: sites.google.com/site/ghanaplacenames/places-in-perspective/birthplaces#h.gb1ksetz76dk
name in native language: Kwame Nkrumah
writing language: English language

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Encyclopedic overview

Kwame Kofi Nkrumah (born Nwia Kofi Nkrumah, /(ə)nˈkruːmə/ (ə)n-KROO-mə; 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972), baptised Francis, was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from the United Kingdom. He was then the first prime minister and then the president of Ghana, from 1957 until 1966. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.

After twelve early years abroad pursuing higher education, developing his political philosophy, and organising 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 he led Ghana to independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, a first in sub-Saharan Africa at the time. In 1960, Ghanaians approved a new constitution and elected Nkrumah as president.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kwame Nkrumah” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.