Kwame Nkrumah

About Kwame Nkrumah

The first Prime Minister and President of independent Ghana, and the first leader of a sub Saharan African nation to gain independence. Nkrumah was a passionate Pan Africanist who envisioned a United States of Africa. He oversaw ambitious development projects including the Akosombo Dam. His authoritarian tendencies grew, and he declared himself president for life in 1964. Nkrumah was overthrown in a 1966 coup while visiting China. He died in exile in Romania in 1972. Nkrumah is considered the father of African independence. His vision of African unity remains influential.