Sunday, September 21, 2025, marks exactly 116 years since Ghana’s first President, the late Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was born in 1909.
Nkrumah’s birth is now commemorated in Ghana as Founder’s Day, a public holiday, following the amendment of the Public Holidays and Commemorative Days Act (Act 601) by the current John Dramani Mahama government to honour Ghana’s first president for leading Ghana’s independence struggle.
Though the debate about whether Ghana has one founder (Kwame Nkrumah) or founders (the Big Six) continues to linger, the legacy of Ghana’s first president, one can confidently say, is unmatched.
Many have described Ghana’s first president as a visionary leader because his impact is still being felt in the country to date. In fact, Ghana cannot today do without some of the infrastructure projects that were put in place, which are more than 60 years old.
This article takes a look at some of the infrastructural and industrial projects put in place by Dr Kwame Nkrumah as part of his broader vision of building a self-reliant and economically liberated Ghana, some of which are still important to the running of the country, and others whose collapse has taken the country several years back.
Major hospitals established:
Kwame Nkrumah built the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. He also expanded the 37 Military Hospital and opened it to the public.
He expanded and upgraded Korle-Bu to a Teaching Hospital status. These exclude clinics and other health facilities started by Nkrumah.
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Universities/Tertiary Education Institutions established:
Kwame Nkrumah founded the University of Cape Coast, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Ghana, the Kwame Nkrumah Institute of Economics and Political Science (now the South Campus of the University of Education, Winneba), Kumasi Technical Institute (now a university), Accra Polytechnic (now Accra Technical University), and the Ghana Medical School.
In addition, he set up 16 teacher training colleges in the country, including the Atebubu Training College, Berekum Training College, Fosu Training College, the Enchi Training College, the Kwadaso College of Education, the School of Languages in Ajumako, and the Ghana National College in Cape Coast.
Contribution to Ghana’s electricity production:
Kwame Nkrumah established the Akosombo Dam, which to date provides Ghana with almost a quarter of its electricity needs – 1,020 MW.
He also initiated the establishment of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in 1963 and initiated the plans for the Ghana Nuclear Reactor Project (GNRP) in November 1964.
State-owned factories established:
Ghana’s first president established a host of state-owned manufacturing companies, including Abosso Glass Factory, Akosombo Textiles Limited, Asutuare Sugar Factory and Buokrom Estate, Bolgatanga Meat Processing Factory, Bolgatanga Rice Mill Factory, Kade Match Factory, Kumasi Jute Factory, Kumasi Shoe Factory, and GIHOC Pharmaceuticals.
Social intervention policies:
Kwame Nkrumah established the Ghana Education Trust to set up secondary schools across the country to increase access to secondary education in remote and poor regions such as the Northern, Upper West, and Upper East areas.
Some secondary schools that were opened under the Trust include Mfantsiman Secondary School, Ofori Panyin Secondary School, Techiman Secondary School, Apam Secondary School, Swedru Secondary School, Dormaa Secondary School, Tema Secondary School, Oda Secondary School, and the Labone Secondary School.
Also, he established a free basic education programme in 1961 for primary and middle schools to ensure that every child of school-going age had access to quality education. Not only did Dr Nkrumah provide free education, but he also supplied free textbooks to schoolchildren in 1963.
He also established the Cocoa Marketing Board Scholarship, which provided children of cocoa farmers across the country with scholarships.
Nkrumah also established the Northern Scholarship Scheme to provide free secondary education to students of northern extraction. This initiative aimed to bridge the gap in education between the northern and southern parts of the country.
Other notable projects:
Ghana’s first president established the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Commercial Bank (now GCB PLC), National Investment Bank (NIB), and Ghana Black Star Line.
He also established the Meridian Hotel, City Hotel, Catering Rest Houses, Patasi Estate, Tema Township, and Tema Motorway, among many others.
Aside from his economic prowess, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah is celebrated across the world, including many African countries, as a symbol of freedom.
Nkrumah, during the declaration of Ghana’s independence in 1957, famously stated that “Ghana’s independence was meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent,” and he took steps to ensure that other African countries gained independence. In fact, his efforts to help other countries were among the things that earned him enemies who wanted him removed.
He also became an icon for many civil rights activists in countries where blacks were fighting for their rights across the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. of America, among others.
Nkrumah’s efforts for a liberated Ghana and Africa, as well as the liberation of the marginalised and oppressed, earned him Africa’s Man of the Millennium title in 1999.
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