The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has described the overthrow of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a situation that delayed the emancipation of the African continent and hindered progress and development of his country.

The Association believed that Dr Nkrumah and others could have achieved more for Ghana and Africa as a whole if his tenure had not been cut short considering his level of commitment towards the fight against colonialism.

“We know that a lot could have been achieved not for Ghana alone, but also, Pan-Africanism if his tenure was not cut short and if Kwame Nkrumah had stayed longer, maybe the emancipation of Africa could have been completed much earlier together with the efforts of his generation of leaders.” It said.

Right honorable Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, chairperson of CPA, was speaking on behalf of the Association at a monumental durbar organized by the Central Regional Coordinating Council in honour of its members when they toured the Region at the end of the 15th edition of CPA conference in Accra.

The three-day conference, which was on the theme” Raising the confidence of the citizenry in the Legislature, the role of the speaker” sought to promote the understanding of parliamentary democracy in various forms and the development of parliamentary institutions in Africa.

It was also to foster and encourage impartiality and fairness of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliament in Commonwealth African countries.

Mrs. Kadaga, who is also the Speaker of Parliament in Uganda explained that, the situation that Kwame Nkrumah faced was more complex and challenging than today and therefore did not allow him to fully execute the plans he had for his country and the whole of Africa.

The construction of Tema and Takoradi Harbours, Akosombo Dam, educational institutions, roads among many others, by Dr. Nkrumah for Ghana and the rest of Africa showed he was a true patriot and a Pan-Africanist, she noted.

The history of West Africa was an examinable subject in most of the Commonwealth countries in Africa because of what Dr. Nkrumah and other West African ilk did in the liberation of the African continent.

Mrs. Kadaga expressed her gratitude to the people of Ghana and that of Cape Coast for offering them the opportunity to understand the impact of the slave trade, which they had read in the history books.

Ebo Barton Odro, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who spoke on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, explained that CPA identifies the immense contribution of the traditional governance system to the improvement of parliamentary democracy, hence the decision to crown the conference with a visit to the traditional area.

Before attending the durbar, Speakers and the Presiding Officers visited the Assin Manso Slave Market, the Wesley Methodist Cathedral and the Cape Coast Castle.