Renowned Pan-Africanist and anti-corruption crusader Professor P.L.O. Lumumba has described Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah as a selfless leader whose vision for African unity and dignity continues to resonate decades after his death.

Prof. Lumumba said visiting Nkrumah’s birthplace at Nkroful had given him a deeper appreciation of the former Ghanaian leader, particularly his humble beginnings and his determination to challenge the conditions of a continent under domination.

Speaking in an interview with JoyPrime’s Israel Laryea, Prof. Lumumba said Nkrumah rose from humble circumstances to recognise the need for Africans to unite and improve their collective conditions.

“When I reflect about Kwame Nkrumah or I read about Kwame Nkrumah, I understand Kwame Nkrumah and understand the advantage of visiting his home in Nkroful. I understand that man better,” he said.

He said Nkrumah, despite his modest beginnings, developed a continental vision and raised fundamental questions about Africa’s political and social circumstances.

“This was a man with humble beginnings, and this is a man who, out of almost the last point of the world metaphorically, raised questions, recognised a continent that was dominated, and people that had to unite in order to improve their circumstances,” Prof. Lumumba said.

Prof. Lumumba also highlighted what he described as one of Nkrumah’s enduring messages — the need to preserve the light of African liberation, unity and dignity.

He recalled Nkrumah’s declaration that the light he had helped to ignite in Ghana and Africa should never be extinguished, even by his death.

“The light that he had continued to light in Ghana and Africa never be extinguished even by death,” he said.

According to Prof. Lumumba, the continuing relevance of Nkrumah’s words decades later demonstrated the depth of his commitment to Africa and the selflessness that characterised his leadership.

“It is as true today, as if they were spoken today, and that to me tells me that this was the personification of selflessness,” he said.

Prof. Lumumba further argued that Nkrumah understood African dignity as something Africans themselves had to recognise, protect and advance.

“He believed in doing good and they recognised that African dignity could only be realised if Africans would accept it,” he said.

For Prof. Lumumba, Nkrumah’s legacy extends beyond Ghana’s independence. It represents a continuing call for Africans to recognise their collective strength, unite to improve their circumstances and take ownership of the continent’s dignity and future.