Accra, May 25, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday said although Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, First President of Ghana, died several years ago, his vision and ideas were still relevant and useful to all Africans.

"His vision of constructing the Akosombo dam, which still supplies electricity to over 50 percent of Ghanaians and his Pan-African ideas of African Union among others are still useful and relevant to all Africans." Vice President Mahama said this during the closing ceremony of the Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Colloquium dubbed "Contemporary Relevance of Kwame Nkrumah's contribution to Pan-Africanism and Internationalism." The programme also climaxed the eight-month long celebrations of the 100 years of the former Ghanaian President and the remembrance of his contribution to the liberation of the African continent. It was formally launched in July 2009 and among other activities, regional lectures were held in all the ten regions of Ghana and symposia, drama sessions and wreath laying programmes to commemorate the birth of the African icon also took place.

Vice President Mahama played a glowing tribute to the former President and other African leaders, who spearheaded the struggle for independence in the country.

He said "Nkrumah's greatness was not only in his struggle for the independence of Ghana, but went beyond the confines of Ghana to cover the entire continent."

The Vice President challenged the critics of Nkrumah's centenary celebration to demonstrate patriotism and nationalism by giving credit to all Ghanaians and Africans who struggled for freedom, liberty and all other signs of liberation.

He said that "We know that other people contributed towards the independence of Ghana, but it is only Nkrumah who has chalked 100 years and therefore deserves this celebration that we are ending today." Vice President Mahama paid tribute to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, President Abudulai Wade of Senegal and Ambassador Dudley Thompson for their contribution towards the independence of the African continent and their subsequent contribution towards the centenary celebration of Nkrumah's birthday. He commended the Akilakpa Sawyerr led-Planning Committee of the celebrations for the meticulous use of funds and gave the assurance that the expenditure on the celebrations would soon be published for the public to know how much was spent.

Mr. Erasmus Nwencha, Deputy Commissioner of the African Union (AU), said programmes on the Union and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah would be made available on the internet for the youth to learn more about Pan- Africanism and the struggle for independence.

He said an African Union Summit, which would address the concerns of the youth in Africa, would be held in Kampala, Uganda, in July and called on participating countries to include the youth in the forum for them to inculcate experience to be acquired in their colleagues.

The Deputy Commissioner said the AU would forever support efforts towards the total unionisation of Africa and called for inputs from member-states to achieve that goal in the nearest future.

Professor Francis Nkrumah, eldest son of Kwame Nkrumah on behalf of the Nkrumah family commended President John Evans Atta Mills and members of the AU for organising a befitting centenary celebration of their father's birth. He described his late father as "An African and not a Ghanaian and a Ghanaian and not an Nzema from the small town of Nkronful." Prof. Nkrumah said the celebration was not only for Ghanaians and Nzemas, but for the people of the entire African Continent and called on all Pan-Africanists to continue to embrace the ideas of his father and his contemporaries until they achieved their goals.

Other Speakers at the closing ceremony were Ambassador Dudley Thompson, a contemporary of Dr. Nkrumah and Dr. Yao Graham, a planning committee member of the celebrations. 25 May 10