Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2012

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Pan-African Studies

Committee Chair

Bani, Mary Esi

Author's Keywords

Nkrumah; Nkrumahism; African union; Kwame Nkrumah; African development; Ghana

Subject

Nkrumah, Kwame, 1909-1972; Pan-Africanism; Africa--Economic policy

Abstract

Kwame Nkrumah framed a model of African unity and development, which stood out in sharp contrast to the Western model of capitalist development and neo-liberal democracy. Decades after his demise, the African Union which he co-founded with other African leaders, now espouses a model of development based on liberal democracy and market principles, a radical break away from Nkrumahist thinking. This research addresses the following two questions. First, "What principles constitute Nkrumah's model and ideas on economic development and Pan African Unity?" Secondly, the paper asks, "What has accounted for the current shift from the Nkrumahist vision of Africa into the neo-liberal model of development on the African continent?" The study is significant because Africa still lacks its own model of development. It is a qualitative research which looked into a number of writings, articles, and commentaries by Nkrumah himself and other scholars. To conclude, the paper examines how Nkrumah's ideas can be salvaged and utilized today into policies of political integration and economic development without necessarily pushing for a socialist and authoritarian state.

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