Dr Nkrumah’s Vision Remains Relevant in a Multipolar World- President Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana’s enduring commitment to the foreign policy philosophy of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, declaring that the country remains guided by the principle of “Neither East nor West, but forward together.”
Delivering Ghana’s statement at the 65th anniversary summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Belgrade, President Mahama said the history of Ghana’s anti-colonial struggle was inseparably linked to the birth of the movement in 1961. <Cite ref={[“turn0search0”]}/>
He paid tribute to Dr Nkrumah, who joined Yugoslavia’s President Josip Broz Tito, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Indonesia’s President Sukarno in establishing NAM as an independent voice for newly liberated nations during the Cold War.
The President recalled Dr Nkrumah’s famous declaration that Ghana would neither align with the East nor the West, but instead pursue peace, sovereignty and the freedom of nations to determine their own destinies.
According to him, that vision remains relevant in an increasingly fragmented and multipolar world, where developing countries continue to face pressures that threaten their strategic autonomy.
President Mahama said Ghana’s participation in the Belgrade summit was both symbolic and historic, as it returned to the city where the movement was formally inaugurated 65 years ago.
He also highlighted the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia as the political foundation that shaped Ghana’s engagement with Asian and African solidarity even before independence, noting that the Gold Coast delegation led by Kojo Botsio helped advance the causes of decolonisation and sovereign equality.
The President said NAM must preserve its independence and remain a collective voice for peace, dialogue, development and justice, while resisting the politics of competing power blocs.
“As we look to the future, our direction remains clear, Neither East nor West, but forward together,” he concluded.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
