NkrumahFest @117: Buah Calls on Africans to Carry Nkrumah's Builder Legacy Forward

At the 117th anniversary celebration of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's birth, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah delivered a powerful call: Africans must defend the legacy of selfless leadership and adopt the builder mentality that transformed Ghana. Speaking at Nkroful in the Western Region on September 19, 2026, Buah framed the annual pilgrimage as a collective return to the soil that produced the continent's most transformative leader.

Why NkrumahFest matters for Ghana's future

NkrumahFest, instituted by Buah, has grown into a major Pan-African gathering that brings chiefs, students, political leaders and diaspora representatives to Nkroful each year. This year's edition, themed Nkrumah @117: Celebrating His Enduring Legacy - Africa Must Unite or Perish, was held at the Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School park. The festival has become a platform for reflection on Nkrumah's vision and a pilgrimage site for those who believe in African self-determination.

Buah: Measure Nkrumah in achievements, not years

Buah urged the crowd to stop measuring Nkrumah's life in years and instead measure it in what he built. He pointed to concrete achievements that still serve Ghanaians six decades later: the Akosombo Dam, Tema Harbour, Tema Township and the Motorway. He also cited the electricity that still powers homes and the graduates produced by KNUST, the University of Cape Coast and the Ghana Medical School.

He did not build for the next election; he built for the next century. That is the difference between a builder and a caretaker. A caretaker manages what exists. A builder imagines what does not yet exist.

That distinction, Buah argued, is the core lesson for today's leaders and entrepreneurs. Nkrumah's authority never rested in his title, he said, but in his willingness to sacrifice comfort, safety and even freedom for a continent that had not yet learned to believe in itself.

Pan-African unity remains a survival warning

Buah brought Nkrumah's Pan-African message into the present, noting that his dictums remain relevant to Africa's current challenges of climate change, economic instability and neo-colonialism. He cited Nkrumah's famous words: We face neither East nor West, we face forward. Africa must unite or perish.

To illustrate the artificial divisions colonialism created, Buah pointed to the Tano River behind the venue. That river, he said, was cut like a cake, half for Ghana and half for Côte d'Ivoire, by colonial rulers who never asked the Nzema people. The message was clear: unity is not rhetoric, it is survival.

Linking Nkrumah's legacy to today's fight against galamsey

In a direct link to his current role as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Buah called on all citizens to join the government's renewed fight against illegal mining and environmental degradation. He framed environmental protection as part of Nkrumah's legacy.

Osagyefo loved this land as fiercely as he loved his people. To honour his legacy is to defend the soil beneath us.

NkrumahFest @117 attracts top Pan-African figures

This year's celebration drew a distinguished lineup, including renowned Pan-Africanist Prof Patrick Lumumba, Nkrumah's daughter Samia Yaba Nkrumah, NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene, 2024 running mate Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, former PNC Chairman Bernard Mornah, and Deputy Transport Minister Dorcas Affo-Toffey. Chiefs, queen mothers, students and Pan-Africanists from across the continent also attended.

Buah commended President John Dramani Mahama and Parliament for placing the Journey to Nkroful on the national calendar and for enacting Founders' Day into law. He urged citizens to carry the fire of Nkrumah into their homes, offices, classrooms and across borders.

Let us leave this field today not merely inspired but transformed. Let us carry the fire of Nkrumah into our homes, our offices, our classrooms and across our borders until the day when the Africa he dreamed of is no longer a dream deferred but a destiny fulfilled.

What Nkrumah's legacy means for African entrepreneurs today

For a new generation of African business leaders and innovators, Nkrumah's example offers a clear playbook: build for the long term, invest in infrastructure and education, and think continentally. The festival at Nkroful is more than a commemoration. It is a call to action for those who want to build the next century of African progress.

Frequently asked questions about NkrumahFest

What is NkrumahFest?

NkrumahFest is an annual festival instituted by Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to celebrate the life, ideas and Pan-African legacy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. It promotes pilgrimage to his birthplace at Nkroful and rekindles patriotism, unity and self-determination among Ghanaians and Africans.

When was NkrumahFest @117 held?

NkrumahFest @117 was held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School park in the Ellembelle district of the Western Region.

Who attended NkrumahFest @117?

Dignitaries included Prof Patrick Lumumba, Samia Yaba Nkrumah, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Dr Frank Amoakohene, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Bernard Mornah and Dorcas Affo-Toffey, along with chiefs, queen mothers, students and Pan-Africanists.

What was the theme of NkrumahFest @117?

The theme was Nkrumah @117: Celebrating His Enduring Legacy - Africa Must Unite or Perish, reflecting Nkrumah's enduring call for continental unity.

Photo: GhanaWeb