Ghana has begun negotiations with the family of former Guinean leader Sékou Touré to take possession of the house where Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, lived and worked during his final years in exile.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the talks were initiated on the instructions of President John Mahama. He noted that the Mahama administration intends to renovate and preserve the residence as a way of honoring Nkrumah’s legacy.
“This important assignment is not only an act of respect but also a means to preserve the Osagyefo’s legacy,” Ablakwa said. “It will create a full experience for tourists to follow Nkrumah’s outstanding life from Ghana to Guinea.”
The decision was conveyed to the Touré family on Saturday when Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang led a delegation to meet them and tour Nkrumah’s abandoned home following the investiture of Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya, Ablakwa wrote on his X page.
He said Ghana’s delegation was warmly received by three generations of the Touré family, led by the former president’s eldest son.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is negotiating the terms and conditions and engaging preservation experts for this important assignment,” Ablakwa said. “In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the Ghanaian public shall be fully apprised at every stage. Nkrumah never dies.”
