Former General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah, asserts that Ghana and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are suffering under a curse allegedly placed by former President Kwame Nkrumah.
In an interview on Oman FM’s Pae Mu Ka show, she emphasized the need for a ritual to lift this supposed curse to enable the country to develop.
“I always say this. Kwame Nkrumah has cursed Ghana and the NPP more. That is why their government is so disgusting. So if we do not sit and reflect on the need to apologize and perform some ritual to pacify him,” Nana Jantuah expressed.
She criticized President Akufo-Addo for failing to give Nkrumah the respect and recognition he deserves. “Instead of you doing this, you are saying you reject him. That is why your government is like that,” she added.
Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah’s call for a rite to revoke Nkrumah’s curse underlines a deep-rooted belief in the spiritual and symbolic significance of Ghana’s founding history and the need for reconciliation to pave the way for development.
President Akufo-Addo has repeatedly dismissed the notion that a single person was responsible for founding Ghana.
During his 2024 Founders’ Day address on August 3, he emphasized the collective efforts involved in the independence struggle, stating, “I speak to you this evening, rejecting completely, the notion that Ghana was founded by one man. While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable, it is important to acknowledge for ourselves that respect that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations.”
In 2019, Parliament passed a law establishing August 4 as Founders’ Day to honor all individuals who contributed to Ghana’s path to independence.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticized President Akufo-Addo’s recent comments regarding Ghana’s founders. Mahama emphasized the importance of respecting Ghana’s established history, saying, “We all know the history and will follow our history. When we are elected, as president I promise you, we will reset all.”
Mahama elaborated that the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), which included J.B. Danquah among its members, historically opposed Ghana’s independence.
“Apart from destroying the economy, one of the things this government wants to do is to rewrite our history, and we shall not allow them to rewrite our history because the president said he does not accept that one person can be the founder of our nation.”
Additionally, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, son of Ghana’s first President, challenged President Akufo-Addo’s assertion. In an interview on Joy News’ PM Express, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah emphasized, “What the President completely misses is that Nkrumah was one man, but he represented millions of Ghanaians, and that was exactly the grassroots connection he had.”