Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and Lands and Natural Resources Minister, has unveiled the Osagyefo Roundabout at Sanzule, near Eikwe, in honour of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The unveiling formed part of activities marking the 117th anniversary of Dr Nkrumah’s birth.

The monument recognises Dr Nkrumah as an iconic figure who spearheaded Ghana’s independence struggle and championed the liberation of Africa.

Unveiling the monument alongside Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, a Kenyan lawyer and Pan-Africanist, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said Nzemaland produced a son who led Ghana to independence, but the area plunged into darkness for more than 30 years following the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah.

He said at one point, Dr Nkrumah’s detractors attempted to erase his name from Ghana’s history, including removing his image from the country’s currency, but failed.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah described the Osagyefo Roundabout as a monument to self-reliance, saying, “Ghana could no longer lean on the people who colonised us.”

He said the government would, next year, renovate Dr Nkrumah’s residence in his father’s hometown of Half-Assini to preserve his memory and legacy.

Prof. Lumumba said Dr Nkrumah stood tall among his peers and that his legacy endured because his ideals, memories and philosophy continued to live on.

He commended Mr Armah-Kofi Buah for honouring Dr Nkrumah, saying the late President deserved lasting recognition for his contribution to Pan-Africanism.

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said two prominent figures associated with Ghana’s pre-independence political struggle, Paa Grant of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and Dr Nkrumah, founder of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), were both sons of Nzemaland, from Axim and Nkroful, respectively.

He said attempts had been made in the past to obliterate Dr Nkrumah’s name from the annals of Ghana, but they had failed.

Mr Asiedu Nketiah said Dr Nkrumah had been recognised as an African Man of the Millennium and, therefore, it was appropriate for Ghana to continue honouring his legacy.

Madam Samia Yaba Nkrumah, daughter of Dr Nkrumah, expressed the family’s appreciation to Mr Armah-Kofi Buah for the honour.

She said the family looked forward to seeing more people in contemporary governance who embodied Dr Nkrumah’s ideals of freedom, development, prosperity and self-reliance.