Nkrumah not only Founder of Ghana – Gabby Otchere-Darko

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a prominent figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has challenged the widely held belief that Dr Kwame Nkrumah was the sole founder of Ghana.

While acknowledging Nkrumah’s pivotal role in the country’s struggle for independence, Mr Otchere-Darko contends that this does not make him the only architect of Ghana’s freedom.

In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Face to Face on Channel One TV, Mr Otchere-Darko argued that the movement for Ghana’s independence predated Nkrumah’s involvement, highlighting the contributions of key figures such as J.B. Danquah, Paa Grant, and other members of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).

He stressed that Ghana’s independence was the result of collective efforts, not solely the work of Nkrumah.

“You can’t take it from Nkrumah, he knew how to charge, organise and mobilise people. But it does not make him the Founder. He was one of many. The struggles started even before the J.B. Danquahs, and Paa Grants, so I don’t know why we want to give him the credit as the founder.

“Even Nkrumah after all the work he did, what name did he settle on? Ghana, who proposed the name? It wasn’t him. It’s a tiring argument, I’m not interested in it,” the private legal practitioner asserted.

He added that those who believe in the notion that Nkrumah was the sole founder of Ghana should hold onto their beliefs, emphasising that individuals like himself will continue to acknowledge Nkrumah’s contributions while disagreeing with the idea that he was the sole founder.

“If people want to believe that Nkrumah was the only person who founded Ghana, please let them believe it. And those of us who don’t believe so, and still will give Nkrumah his credit, his due, for being a mobiliser and a driver who agitated the minds, perhaps more than the others because of his populist stance.

“Because of his connectivity with the people, we give him that credit, but I will not say that Nkrumah founded Ghana,” Mr Otchere-Darko pointed out.

Mr Otchere-Darko’s comments come after President Akufo-Addo in his 2024 Founders’ Day address on Saturday, August 3, firmly rejected the idea that Ghana was founded by a single individual, sparking criticism from some Ghanaians.