Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene says the region is ready to host future editions of NkrumahFest, a move he described as part of efforts to take the celebration beyond Nkroful and make it a national and continental event.
He spoke at the 2026 festival in Nkroful, in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region. This year’s theme was “Nkrumah @ 117: Celebrating His Enduring Legacy – Africa Must Unite or Perish.”
Dr Amoakohene invited the festival’s convener, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and the organisers to consider the Ashanti Region as a host. He expressed hope that the festival would eventually be nationalised and spread across Africa.
The minister said Kwame Nkrumah should be seen as a living idea rather than only a historical figure, and that the ideals of Ghana’s first President should be deliberately passed to young people.
He noted that he had asked some youth on his way to the event what they knew of Nkrumah. Their answers ranged from his role in the independence struggle to his commitment to African unity. One young man said he knew of Nkrumah only through books, which Dr Amoakohene took as a sign that the current generation must make those ideas accessible and relevant to young people.
He argued that Nkrumah’s generation won political freedom and that today’s generation must now pursue development, opportunity, justice and prosperity. He also stressed that national borders should not stop African countries from pursuing shared goals, for “Indeed, Nkrumah never dies”, Dr Amoakohene said.
