Cape Coast – Veteran Ghanaian journalist, newspaper publisher and Pan-Africanist, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, will deliver the 15th Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures at the University of Cape Coast from September 17 to 18, 2026, as part of efforts to deepen public reflection on the enduring relevance of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to constitutionalism, national development and Pan-Africanism.
The two-day event, which will also feature a special congregation in honour of Mr Pratt, will be held on the theme: “Kwame Nkrumah, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Perspectives on Constitutionalism, Development and Pan-Africanism.”
According to a news release issued by the University of Cape Coast and signed by the director of Public Affairs, Mrs. Gladys Attah-Gyamfi Abbeyquaye, the first lecture is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while the second lecture will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 18, alongside the special congregation.
At the congregation, UCC will confer an honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) degree on Mr Pratt in recognition of his distinguished service to humanity and his contribution to Ghana’s media landscape.
Five decades of journalism
Mr Pratt, one of Ghana’s prominent media personalities and political commentators, has more than five decades of experience spanning journalism, newspaper publishing, broadcasting, political analysis, public communication, political advocacy and institutional leadership.
He is also widely associated with Pan-African thought and Nkrumaist political traditions, areas that are expected to feature prominently in his presentations.
According to the release, Mr Pratt will draw on his extensive knowledge of African history, political movements, liberation struggles, journalism and Pan-Africanism to lead participants in examining Dr Nkrumah’s legacy and its significance to contemporary Africa.
The lectures are expected to explore how Nkrumah’s political ideas and development philosophy can be assessed against present-day challenges, particularly in the areas of constitutional governance, socioeconomic development and African unity.
The programme will also provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on the extent to which the ideals that shaped the independence struggle and the early years of post-colonial Africa remain relevant to the continent’s development agenda.
Preserving Nkrumah’s legacy
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture series was instituted by UCC in 1974 and formally inaugurated in November 1976 by the university’s first Chancellor, Dr Archie Casely-Hayford.
It was established to honour the memory and intellectual legacy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President and one of the leading figures in Africa’s independence and Pan-African movements.
Dr Nkrumah played a central role in Ghana’s struggle for independence and subsequently became a leading advocate for African political unity.
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His contribution to continental integration also extended to efforts that culminated in the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which has since evolved into the African Union (AU).
The memorial lectures focus particularly on issues relating to the social, economic and political development of Africa and the Black world, subjects that occupied a central place in Dr Nkrumah’s writings, political philosophy and public life.
The university indicated that Nkrumah’s lifelong engagement with those issues continued to serve as a source of inspiration and confidence for people of African descent across the world.
Distinguished platform
Since its inception, the lecture series has attracted a range of distinguished personalities, including scholars, heads of state, ministers, diplomats and professionals from across Africa, who have used the platform to examine major issues affecting the continent and its people.
The 15th edition is expected to continue that tradition by placing contemporary political and development questions within the broader historical context of Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana and Africa.
Mr Pratt’s selection as speaker is also significant because of his long career in journalism and public affairs as well as his involvement in discussions on African liberation, governance and Pan-Africanism.
The university said his participation would offer the audience an opportunity to assess Nkrumah’s ideas not merely as part of Ghana’s political history, but also in relation to present and future questions about constitutional democracy, economic transformation and African cooperation.
Special congregation
The university will, on the second day of the programme, reconstitute its assembly into a special congregation to confer the honorary Doctor of Letters degree on Mr Pratt.
The honour is in recognition of his outstanding service to humanity and the media landscape.
Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
