Executive Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, has stated that Ghana�s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was an autocrat whose policies hurt citizens and stalled the development of the nation.
According to him, although Dr. Nkrumah supervised the nation�s independence from British colonization in 1957, most of the political and economic decisions he subsequently took when he became President is what led to his overthrow in 1966.
However, Samia Nkrumah, the chairperson of the Convention People�s Party (CPP) and daughter of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in February this year blamed Ghana�s current economic woes on the overthrow of her father.
According to her, the situation brought an abrupt end to the economic measures put in place to ensure massive development of the country.
In an interview with Citi News on Sunday, Ms Nkrumah mentioned that the only means through which Ghana can experience true development is for government to revisit and implement the ideals and policies of her father.
But Cudjoe insists that �in terms of strategy, in terms of looking out for Ghana, most of the political decisions he made, especially, the ones that relate to extending his presidency, running a one party state, and actually being very autocratic did not help the cause of Ghana at all.�
These, he said, have contributed to the stagnation of the nation�s development since independence.
He continued saying, ��it�s good to ask questions whether our independence as rushed as it was, was worthwhile.�
The IMANI boss was quick to clarify that his comments about Dr. Kwame Nkrumah �is not to take away from the gentleman; he is a fine man but I think most of his policies; economic and indeed, political as far as Ghana was concerned did not necessarily help us at all�and I think we�ve got to be brutally frank about it.�
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