The 2026 edition of NkrumahFest was on Friday launched at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra with a call to revive the Pan-African ideals of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The week-long celebration, dubbed “Journey to Nkroful”, is scheduled to take place from September 14 to September 21, 2026, in Nkroful, the birthplace of Dr Nkrumah in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who is the brainchild of NkrumahFest, announced this at the launch.

He said the 2026 edition is on the theme “Nkrumah @ 117: Celebrating His Enduring Legacy - Africa Must Unite or Perish” and also marks 60 years since Dr Nkrumah’s overthrow in 1966.

“We gather today beneath the towering presence of this sacred mausoleum as living torchbearers of a vision that refuses to die,” he stated.

Armah-Kofi Buah said the purpose of the gathering was to launch a movement and rekindle the revolution that Dr Nkrumah started.

“Let me state clearly why we are here. We are here to launch a movement. We are here to rekindle a revolution. We are here to declare that the dream Dr Kwame Nkrumah planted in the soil of Nkroful is not a relic of the past—it is the blueprint for our future,” he said.

He indicated that activities lined up for the celebration would include lectures, cultural displays, community engagements and moments of reflection, aimed at ensuring that Ghanaians do not just remember Nkrumah but embody his spirit.

Speaking on the theme, the Minister said “Africa Must Unite or Perish” was a summons and not a suggestion.

“Let us pause and sit with that theme. It is a summons. It is not a suggestion. 'Africa Must Unite or Perish' — these were not the idle words of a dreamer. These were the urgent words of a statesman who saw the future with terrifying clarity,” he said.

He noted that Dr Nkrumah understood that the strength of Africans lay not in borders but in bonds, and that no African nation could be truly free until the entire continent was free.

“Why must Africa unite? Because division is the weapon of the oppressor. Because a continent divided cannot negotiate from a position of strength... Today, as we face climate change, economic instability, and new forms of neo-colonialism, the call for unity is not just political—it is existential,” he added.

Armah-Kofi Buah said Nkrumah’s legacy was not a monument to be admired but a mandate to be fulfilled.

“Nkrumah's legacy is not a monument to be admired but a mandate to be fulfilled. To celebrate Nkrumah's enduring legacy is not to place wreaths at his feet while ignoring the foundations he laid. It is to build upon those foundations,” he stated.

He urged Ghanaians both at home and in the diaspora to travel to Nkroful in September.

“Let us go to Nkroful not as tourists visiting a shrine, but as soldiers returning to the source of our strength. Let us march with pride. Let us teach our children his name with reverence,” he said.

The launch attracted dignitaries including the Majority Leader of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga; Evalue Gwira MP; Kofi Arko Nokoe, MP for Amenfi East; Nicolas Amankwah; Kukua Bissue, MP for Ahanta West; H.E. King Kwasi Kyei Dankwa, Ghana's Special Envoy to the Caribbean Region; Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper and an Nkrumalist; and Sekou Nkrumah and Samia Yaba Nkrumah, children of the late Osagyefo.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper and an Nkrumalist, commended Armah-Kofi Buah for instituting NkrumahFest. He took the opportunity to call on the government to prioritise the development of the Western Region.

“I want to pay special tribute to Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah. He has done extremely well. He has opened the path to Nkroful again, not just Nkroful but to the whole of the Western Region,” he said.

“I'm very deeply worried that the people of Western Region also deserve a fair share of the national cake. Why? They gave us Dr Kwame Nkrumah, not just Kwame Nkrumah but Paa Grant and so many leaders of this country. Most of the resources we explored and gave to the capitalists for free come from the Western Region. They deserve better,” he added.

On his part, Nana Kwasi Kutuah V, Divisional Chief of Nkroful, commended Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah for the initiative and described him as a star and icon of Ellembelle District.

He took the opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians to join the people of Ellembelle to honour Dr Kwame Nkrumah in September this year.

“I want to invite all of you to join us to honour Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. NkrumahFest is a pilgrimage for all Ghanaians and I'm inviting everybody to be at Nkroful to celebrate the life of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and think about the development of Nkroful and Nzema as a whole,” he concluded.

The DCE for Ellembelle, Joseph Agyekum, who attended the event, also commended Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah for establishing the NkrumahFest in honour of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Joseph Agyekum revealed that plans were underway to establish a district hospital at Nkroful to honour Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Organisers said the festival was expected to boost tourism and local businesses in Ellembelle, citing last year’s event, which saw hotels fully booked and increased patronage for drivers and Okada riders, as well as the refurbishment of Dr Kwame Nkrumah's museum at Nkroful.

Armah-Kofi Buah also announced plans to link NkrumahFest 2026 to EcoFest 2026 to promote heritage tourism.

In his closing remarks, Armah-Kofi Buah declared the 2026 edition of NkrumahFest duly launched.

“The journey begins now. The Black Star still shines. And the work of building Nkrumah's Africa is still being born. It is with immense pride and a profound sense of duty that I declare the 2026 edition of the NkrumahFest, A Journey to Nkroful, duly launched. Let the 'Journey to Nkroful' begin!” he declared.