CPP’s Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Calls for Pan-African Education Reforms at 80th Anniversary of 5th Pan-African Congress
Story by Eugene Nyarko Jnr. l Accra l November 18, 2025
The 2024 Presidential Candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankuma, has called for a radical overhaul of Ghana’s educational curriculum to embed Pan-African consciousness in the country’s youth. She made the remarks during a press interview at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum on the sidelines of an international conference marking the 80th anniversary of the historic 5th Pan-African Congress. The event was organised by the Pan-African Progressive Front.
Expressing both inspiration and disappointment, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa lamented that although the Pan-African spirit remains alive, Africa continues to grapple with well-known challenges rooted in colonial legacies and ideological disorientation.
“We know the problems we face as a nation and as a race. The challenge is how we solve them,” she said. “Nothing will change unless we reorient the minds of the next generation. That conviction only comes from knowledge, and that knowledge comes from education.”
She criticised Ghana’s education system for failing to sufficiently teach the ideology, writings, and legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, arguing that generations of students have grown up with greater exposure to Shakespeare than to Osagyefo’s works.
“Where are the books of Osagyefo in our schools?” she questioned. “My own son never read anything on Nkrumah until he went to Howard University in the United States. How can we talk about African unity when our people don’t even understand why we are where we are?”
Nana Akosua Frimpomaa stressed that unity must be driven by an informed populace rather than political leaders alone. She therefore called for compulsory Pan-African Studies across all levels of the school curriculum to build ideological clarity and self-awareness among young people.
Turning her attention to Ghana’s economic struggles, she bemoaned the nation’s continued dependence on imports despite abundant natural resources. “We still import what we can produce here. Even this bottle of water—its raw materials are imported when we have the resources. That is why we are not achieving economic independence,” she noted.
The CPP leader also criticized what she described as Ghana’s failure to meaningfully honour Kwame Nkrumah’s legacy. She cited the commissioning of the renovated Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum on July 4—America’s Independence Day—instead of July 1, Ghana’s Republic Day, as symbolic of misplaced national priorities.
“It is not about celebrating or immortalizing him in ceremonies. The real honour is in living out the essence of his ideology—sovereignty, industrialization, and dignity for the African,” she stated.
Nana Akosua Frimpomaa further expressed concern about youth unemployment, poverty, and the increasing desperation pushing young Africans onto dangerous migration routes. She argued that without ideological empowerment, the youth cannot drive the transformation Africa desperately needs.
Regarding whether the ongoing Pan-African gathering could contribute to achieving Nkrumah’s dream of total African liberation, she was cautiously optimistic. “If we go back and introduce a proper Pan-African curriculum and teach Nkrumah’s ideology boldly, then yes, we can achieve it. But without that, no,” she said.
The conference, commemorating the landmark 1945 Pan-African Congress in Manchester, brought together scholars, activists, and political actors committed to advancing Africa’s liberation agenda. Nana Akosua Frimpomaa’s remarks added urgency to growing demands for re-centering African knowledge systems in national development strategies.
She concluded with a rallying call to Ghanaian youth—especially those active online—to consciously re-educate themselves and cultivate a belief system rooted in African identity. “We have many intellectuals, yet our children still learn ‘London Bridge is falling down.’ We must go beyond this,” she urged.
