On September 21, 1909, in Nkroful, Gold Coast, Kwame Nkrumah was born. Gold Coast would become Ghana, and Kwame, its first president.

In 1935 Kwame Nkrumah studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, obtaining master’s degrees from both Lincoln and from the University of Pennsylvania upon graduation in 1939. During his time in America he gained an interest in socialism, and nationalism. He studied the work of Karl Marx and Vladimir I. Lenin, and was heavily influenced by Marcus Garvey. Kwame Nkrumah left the U.S for Manchester, England in 1945, here he organized the 5th Pan-African Congress. Eventually he returned to Ghana in 1947 when J.B Danquah founded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to “work for self-government by constitutional means”, and he became the general secretary for the political party.

After two years Nkrumah direction for the future of the party was not in line with those of UGCC, he created the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in June 1949. The goal of the party was also to gain immediate-self-government and they campaigned “positive action” non-violence during protest, organizing strikes, and declining to co-operate with colonial authority from Britain. In 1950, Kwame Nkrumah was arrested for inciting riots and the disruption taking place in the colonized Gold Coast, he was sentenced to one year in prison. He was released after the CPP won Gold Coast’s first general election on February 8, 1951 and elected to Parliament as leader of government business. He became the prime minister of Gold Coast, and on March 6, 1957 Gold Coast and the British Togoland became Ghana, a nation within the British commonwealth.

As prime minister, Nkrumah commissioned roads, schools, and hospitals to be built. Nkrumah implemented Africanization which helped make more job opportunities for Ghanaians. In 1960 Ghana became a republic and Nkrumah was named its president. During this period Nkrumah campaigned for the political unity of black Africa. In August 1962 at Kulugungu an assassination attempt was made on President Kwame Nkrumah’s, life it was the first attempt but not the last. Ghana was officially designated a one-party state with Nkrumah as life president in 1964.

During the early 1960’s Ghana developed economic issues with the country in a financial deficit and undergoing a shortage on goods and foods. By the mid-1960’s due to corruption of government officials the country was in political unrest. On Feb. 24, 1966,the army and police in Ghana overtook the government with the alleged backing of the United States while Kwame Nkrumah was visiting Beijing and Nkrumah was no longer leader. Nkrumah’s goal for the completion of the Volta Dam was completed one month prior, the hope of Ghana to become a modern industrial nation were gone with his removal from office. Nkrumah took asylum in Guinea and lived the rest of his life there, he died of cancer on April 27, 1972 in Bucharest, Romania. He was survived by his wife Fathia Rizk, formerly an Egyptian teacher,and their three children Gamal, Samia and Sekou.

In present day many Ghanaians still hold Nkrumah in the highest regard. He was called Osagyefo (meaning redeemer in Twi/Akan) after he became president and is still referred to that today. In Ghana, Accra the Kwame Nkrumah memorial park holds his remains and erected a monument in his likeness. Former-President John Atta Mills also declared 21 September 2009 to be Founder’s Day, a statutory holiday in Ghana to celebrate the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah. While he was alive Kwame Nkrumah was given honorary doctorates by many universities around the world, and is remembered as Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

source:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/416674/Kwame-Nkrumah