According to Palgrave, Ghana has no single founder.
Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the former government spokesperson on governance and security, has maintained that Ghana‘s independence was achieved by the combined efforts of numerous political individuals and that the country cannot be regarded to have had a single founder.
On Monday, September 22, 2025, Dr. Boakye-Danquah discussed the 116th birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, which was celebrated on September 21 on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV.
He claimed that although Nkrumah merits national honour, it is inaccurate to claim that he was Ghana’s only founder.
“In a strict sense, Ghana does not have a founder. It was a group of people who came together and contributed to securing independence for the country in 1957. Ghana should have a separate day to celebrate Kwame Nkrumah as our first President, but not necessarily as the founder of the nation,” he said.
Dr. Boakye-Danquah added that rather than Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s vision, Ghana’s progress is influenced by a common national identity.
“Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s dream is not just a dream that everyone must follow. I believe the blueprint of Ghana has already been laid, if you look at some of the historical antecedents. It is difficult for me to say successive governments are living out Nkrumah’s dream, because I feel that it is the ‘Ghanaism’ that we all share which must drive our development, not necessarily the ideals and ethos of one individual,” he explained.
He went on to say that in addition to Nkrumah, the colonial administration and other leaders who were instrumental in the fight for independence should also be given credit for Ghana’s survival through the succeeding republics.
“As a nation, we must be grateful for our path. In light of world politics, we must evaluate each republic’s achievements and give ourselves kudos for surviving. Our survival is premised on the foundations laid by the colonial fathers and the people who fought for our independence,” Dr. Boakye-Danquah said.
