Let’s honour Nkrumah with a better Ghana devoid of corruption – PPP
The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is calling solutions to society’s ills to achieve the dream of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
As Ghanaians observe September 21, 2020 as a Statutory Public Holiday to celebrate Dr. Nkrumah, the PPP wants holistic improvement in all sectors of the country.
“Let us count our blessings and stand proud by striving to curb corruption, bolster the economy, consolidate democratic governance, deal with insecurity and honour Nkrumah’s vision to industrialize the nation with Ghanaians at the commanding heights of the economy,” National Secretary of PPP, Paa Kow Ackon, noted in a statement.
The day would have been the 111th birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, “the man who made the greatest sacrifice in our struggle for independence from colonial rule”.
The PPP further urged “the youth of Ghana to reflect on the varied legacies and actions of our forebears that have left for us today not only infrastructural development, but also, the sense of discipline, support for local industry, commitment to high standards, and the history and culture that nourishes us”.
They praised Nkrumah’s Accelerated Development Plan for Education, and called for all Ghanaians to exhibit a high sense of patriotism.
The day will be marked with lectures and events to commemorate the achievements and legacy of Dr Nkrumah.
Among the activities used to mark the day was a performance of the Change of Guard at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra at 1700 hours, a wreath-laying ceremony by the Convention People’s Party, founded by Dr Nkrumah, and the launch of a pan Africanist museum by President Akufo-Addo.
The Government of former and late President John Evans Atta Mills initiated legislation in Parliament to declare September 21, a holiday in memory of Dr Nkrumah.
In September 2009, President John Atta Mills declared September 21st (the centenary of Kwame Nkrumah’s birth in 1909) to be Founder’s Day, a statutory holiday in Ghana.
Some critics argue that Dr Nkrumah was not the only founder of the nation as others were involved in the freedom fight.
This was championed by President Akufo-Addo who proposed legislation to designate August 4 as Founders Day to celebrate other including members of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the leading political party in the British colony of the Gold Coast.
The birthday of Dr Nkrumah, on September 21, originally observed as Founder’s Day, was reviewed to be observed as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.