‘Let’s be inspired by Dr Nkrumah’
Ghanaians have been urged to be inspired by the confidence of Ghana's founding father, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to work hard to propel the country's socio-economic development.
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The Chairman of the Kwabena Nketsia Centre for African Studies of the African University College of Communication, Professor Kofi Asare Opoku, who made the call, said Dr Nkrumah had confidence in himself as an African, hence his ability to initiate important projects and build strong institutions in the country.
Delivering a lecture on "Standing on a Stone: Nkrumah and the African Genius" on the eve of Dr Nkrumah's 107th birthday in Accra last Tuesday, Prof. Opoku said Dr Nkrumah's confidence was anchored on his knowledge and conviction of the sterling achievements of the forebears of Africa.
"The achievement of Dr Nkrumah was based on his self-confidence. The source of Nkrumah's confidence was his knowledge of our past,’’he said.
The lecture was organised by the Board of Governors of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah African Genuis Awards. It was attended by Nkrumahists, sympathisers and people in the academia.
Nkrumah's personality
Prof. Opoku said Dr Nkrumah believed that the black man had the intellect to develop his own country.
"We, as Africans, have our own fair of genius. If we recognise it and build on it, we can propel ourselves to unimaginable heights of human achievement", he said.
Prof. Opoku said it was from Africa that modern society developed.
He reminded Ghanaians and Africans in general that they had answers to their development challenges.
He said only Africans had answers to their development challenges because outside interventions alone could not address all of them hence the need for Africans to have confidence in themselves and work together to find solutions to their problems.
Nkrumah's vision
Prof. Opoku said Osagyefo had the courage, vision and dream to achieve the best for Ghana and Africa.
He also had the drive that could inspire Africans to achieve greatness.
He added that Osagyefo set out "to make Ghana a towering beacon of a modern developed society."
African genius
The Board Chairman of the African Genius Awards Board, Mr Kojo Yankah, stressed the need for the African genius to be recognised and promoted.
That, he said, would inspire the youth to achieve greatness in life.