Professor Francis Nkrumah, a son of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has been reported dead. The sad incident is said to have occurred on Sunday, June 30, 2024, at the age of 89. Professor Nkrumah was Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s firstborn child, whom he had with Madam Fanny Miller, who hailed from Elmina in the Central Region.
The story of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Madam Fanny Miller began in Amisano, a town near Elmina, where Dr. Nkrumah was teaching at a middle school run by the Catholic Church. Their relationship blossomed, leading to the birth of Professor Francis Nkrumah before Dr. Kwame Nkrumah departed for further studies at Lincoln University in the United Kingdom.
Upon Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s return to Ghana, he found that his son, Francis, had excelled academically, particularly at St. Augustine’s College, where he performed commendably well in his O Levels. By 1952, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had risen to the position of leader of government business and was residing with Francis at his Accra New Town residence. Recognizing his son’s potential, Dr. Nkrumah secured a Cocobod scholarship for Francis to study medicine in Germany.
Professor Francis Nkrumah went on to have a distinguished career in medicine and public health. As the longest-serving director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), he played a pivotal role in the eradication of poliomyelitis in Africa. He was also a founding member of both the Pediatric Association of Ghana and the West African College of Physicians.
In recognition of his contributions, the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region honoured Professor Francis Nkrumah in October 2016 for his dedicated efforts in polio eradication. He received three awards for his service on the Africa Regional Certification Committee (ARCC), his contributions to the NHO Ghana office, and his tenure as chairman of the Regional Task Force on Immunization (TFI).
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
