The Socialist Movement of Ghana (SMG) has paid tribute to the Convention People’s Party (CPP) as it marks 76 years since its founding, hailing the revolutionary legacy of Kwame Nkrumah and calling for a renewed commitment to socialism and Pan-Africanism.
In a statement issued yesterday and signed by SMG General Secretary Kwesi Pratt Jnr., the movement described June 12, 1949, as a day that “ignited the enduring spark of liberation, socialist aspiration, and Pan-African unity.”
The statement emphasized that the anniversary is not just a historical marker but a moment for reflection and recommitment to the unfinished struggle for genuine independence and social justice.
The SMG highlighted how the CPP rose in defiance of both imperial domination and elite gradualism, mobilizing workers, farmers, youth, and market women under the thunderous slogan “Self-Government Now!”
“This was not a polite request, the statement declared. It was a demand echoing from the streets of Accra to the villages of the North. The CPP was not a party of the drawing rooms but of the streets, fields, and factories.” SMG mentioned
The tribute recalled the CPP’s mastery of mass mobilization, transforming political participation from an elite preserve into a vibrant grassroots force. Through the historic Positive Action campaign of 1950 marked by strikes, boycotts, and civil resistance the CPP disrupted the colonial order and asserted the power of an organized populace.
The statement described Kwame Nkrumah’s leadership as a visionary and transformative, blending Marxist analysis with the lived realities of Africa. “He understood that socialism was not an imported ideology, but the logical path to true independence” the SMG stated.
According to the SMG Following independence in 1957, the CPP government pursued an ambitious agenda of national development nationalizing key industries, expanding education and healthcare, and launching the Seven-Year Development Plan aimed at building a self-reliant economy.
Further the statement noted that Nkrumah also positioned Ghana as a Pan-African hub, hosting liberation fighters and spearheading the formation of the Organisation of African Unity.
Again, the SMG cautioned that Nkrumah’s vision remains unfulfilled.
“Today, Ghana and much of Africa remain shackled by neo-colonial domination through foreign debt, unequal trade, and the betrayal of a comprador elite. The founding insights of the CPP are more relevant than ever,” SMG indicated
The movement also honoured the many unsung heroes of the CPP struggle, including grassroots organizers, market women such as Akua Asabea Ayisi, and countless farmers and workers who formed the backbone of the party.
“You faced imprisonment, intimidation, and vilification, yet you dared to dream of a united, socialist Africa” SMG said
Affirming its ideological foundations, the SMG pledged to uphold the CPP’s original pillars: mass mobilization, anti-imperialism, socialism, and Pan-African unity.
“As we mark 76 years, we do not merely look back in nostalgia. We recommit to organizing the oppressed, to resisting imperialism in all its forms, and to realizing the dream of a free, united, and socialist Africa,” the statement said
