Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
PRESIDENT Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa has implored young people across the continent to emulate African luminaries such as the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah who sacrificed their all for the independence of African states.
He was speaking after touring the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra’s Central Business District, where he paid tribute to Ghana’s founding father, whose leadership was instrumental in securing independence for the then Gold Coast, now Ghana, in 1957.
President Dr Mnangagwa, who is on a three-day State visit to Ghana, reflected on the inspiration he drew from Dr Nkrumah during his youth, recalling how the attainment of independence by Ghana ignited a sense of pride and awakening among African students.
“When we grew up, I remember when we were at secondary school, Ghana became independent and we were told that an African country had become independent and the Prime Minister was Dr Kwame Nkrumah. They showed us what he was wearing, a wrapping cloth. We took our bed sheets and wrapped them around our bodies in the dormitories and we were punished. That was around 1957. So I am so delighted that I was able to visit this place,” he said.
The President implored young Africans to learn from such leaders, saying Dr Nkrumah inspired an entire generation to take up arms and fight for independence across the continent.
“He lived a life not for Ghana, but for Africa. We were all inspired by Dr Nkrumah. We are all inspired by what he did for Africa, in Southern Africa, he was our hero,” he said.
The Head of State signed off a visitors’ book at the Memorial Park and got insights into the history of the Godfather of Pan Africanism.
Apart from touring the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the President also visited the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant, an initiative similar to the Geo Pomona Waste Management project in Harare.
“We have a similar plant in Zimbabwe and I have been impressed at the levels of modernisation,” he said.
To round off the day, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretary General Mr Wamkele Mene paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his hotel in Accra.
