Renowned Pan-Africanist Professor P.L.O. Lumumba says President John Dramani Mahama is helping to rekindle Ghana’s historic Pan-African role and revive aspects of the vision championed by Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Prof. Lumumba said Ghana was once regarded as a leading force in Africa’s liberation struggle under Nkrumah and argued that recent initiatives under President Mahama indicate that the country is beginning to reclaim that position.

Speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, September 23, he particularly pointed to President Mahama’s engagement on the African continent, his international advocacy and Ghana’s efforts to strengthen relations with other African countries.

“When I hear John Brahmani Mahama going to the United Nations and being in the forefront of the struggle for liberation, then I know that those are memories to my side. So, Ghana is beginning to play that part,” Prof. Lumumba said.

According to Prof. Lumumba, Nkrumah did not see Ghana’s independence as an isolated national achievement.

He said the former president envisioned Ghana as a launching pad for the liberation and political unity of the entire African continent.

“The Kwame Nkrumah wanted Ghana to be more than a nation-state. He wanted it to be a launching pad for African liberation and unity,” he said.

Prof. Lumumba said this broader Pan-African outlook is reflected in some of Ghana’s current initiatives and diplomatic engagements.

He cited Ghana’s role in continental institutions and its efforts to maintain relations with countries across West Africa as examples of the country once again looking beyond its national borders.

Prof. Lumumba specifically praised Ghana’s approach to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, saying efforts to engage the Sahelian states through dialogue were consistent with the spirit of Pan-African cooperation.

“When I see the Africa Continental Free Trade Area being headquartered here, when I see Ghana in its approach to the Sahelian states, trying to be reconciliatory and having a rapprochement with Burkina, with Niger, with Mali, that is how Nkrumah should have done it,” he said.

“And I'm happy that Ghana is moving in that direction.”

He said stronger relationships between Ghana and other African states were necessary if the continent was to address its political, economic and security challenges collectively.

Prof. Lumumba also highlighted Ghana’s move towards easier movement for Africans as another indication of its renewed Pan-African orientation.

He pointed to the government’s decision to remove visa requirements for African nationals, describing it as consistent with the idea of a more integrated Africa.

“When during the administration, the second coming of John Brahmani Mahama, I see Ghana in the forefront of saying, we shall not require visas from Africans,” he said.

The initiative, he suggested, reflects the principle that Africans should be able to interact, travel and build relationships across the continent with fewer barriers.

AfCFTA strengthens Ghana’s position

Prof. Lumumba also drew attention to the fact that the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat is headquartered in Accra.

He said the presence of the continental trade institution in Ghana was significant because economic integration is an important part of the Pan-African project.

For him, greater economic cooperation among African countries can help strengthen the continent’s collective position and create stronger links between its economies.

He said Ghana’s role should therefore extend beyond hosting continental institutions to actively supporting policies that promote African integration.

Prof. Lumumba also referenced Ghana’s efforts to reconnect with Africans and people of African descent outside the continent.

He cited the Year of Return as an important initiative in strengthening Ghana’s relationship with the African diaspora.

“When Ghana talked about the Year of Return, that was also a beautiful thing,” he said.

He explained that Ghana’s Pan-African identity should embrace Africans wherever they live.

“Demonstrating that Ghana is not just about Africa. It is about Africans, wherever they are,” he said.

Ghana beginning to reclaim its place

Prof. Lumumba said Ghana’s contemporary engagement with Africa represents a gradual return to the continental role it played during the Nkrumah era.

He argued that the country should continue building on its historical reputation as a centre for Pan-African thought and African liberation.

“So Ghana is beginning to reassert herself and to occupy the seat that she should as the seat of being the torch of Africa that was lit on the sixth day of March, the year 1957,” he said.

For Prof. Lumumba, President Mahama’s engagement with African countries, advocacy on international platforms, support for continental integration and efforts to deepen Ghana’s links with the African diaspora are developments that echo elements of Nkrumah’s Pan-African vision.