Nkrumah’s rule far more authoritarian than Akufo-Addo’s — Franklin Cudjoe

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has argued that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s bad governance decisions are fewer when compared to what he describes as the authoritarian rule of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

The comments come amid renewed public debate over calls to rename Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.

Supporters of the move cite General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka’s role in the 1966 overthrow of Dr. Nkrumah, which they argue disrupted Ghana’s development.

According to them, honouring Kotoka legitimises a coup that derailed the country’s progress.

However, those against the renaming, argue that Nkrumah’s own governance excesses created the conditions that led to his removal from power.

In a social media post on Friday, February 6, Mr. Cudjoe contended that although Akufo-Addo faced accusations of authoritarianism, including calls for a coup by activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, those actions pale in comparison to decisions taken under Nkrumah’s rule.

“Now know that the governance sins of Nana Addo come nowhere near the full-blown authoritarian decisions of Nkrumah—one-party state, declaring himself president for life,” he wrote.

In a follow-up post, the policy analyst listed what he described as evidence of dictatorship under Nkrumah, including the declaration of a one-party state, the use of the Preventive Detention Act, and the suppression of political opponents and the media.

“Did Nkrumah make himself president for life? Yes, he did through a flawed and rigged referendum… Did he suppress freedom by arresting and detaining political opponents? Yes,” Cudjoe stated.

He further argued that despite Nkrumah’s legacy in African unity, his economic management left Ghana heavily indebted and state enterprises struggling, noting that these actions provide sufficient context for the 1966 coup often criticised today.