Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, has been featured on a currency note in Guinea, a West African country that he supported during his presidency. In 1958, when France was destroying Guinea’s economy for voting for independence, Nkrumah sent £10 million to the struggling nation, a move that cemented his position as a Pan-Africanist leader.
Nkrumah’s influence extended beyond Ghana, and he was made the Co-President of Guinea after he was overthrown in 1966. Guinea’s President Sekou Toure condemned the coup, saying that “Ghanaian traitors have been mistaken in thinking that Nkrumah is simply a Ghanaian. He is a universal man.”
Nkrumah’s funeral was also marked by the outpouring of grief from the Guinean people. Toure delivered a two-hour tribute while in tears, and Guineans called Nkrumah the greatest African.
This currency note serves as a testament to Nkrumah’s enduring legacy as a Pan-Africanist leader who fought for the liberation and advancement of African nations. His contributions to Guinea, Ghana, and the continent at large are still celebrated today.
