First son of Kwame Nkrumah passes on

Professor Francis Nkrumah, the eldest son of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has passed on.

The cause of death is not immediately known.

But Indian author and editor Vijay Prashad announced his demise in a post on X on Sunday, June 30, 2024.

He was 89 years old.

🧵Dr. Francis Nkrumah (1935-2024) has just died. He was the oldest son of Kwame Nkrumah. He spent his life as a paediatrician, highly loved by his patients. Dr. Nkrumah remained in Ghana after the coup against his father, and continued to work as a doctor and scientist. pic.twitter.com/fKM0h6mM52

— Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) June 30, 2024

Taking to Facebook, his brother Sekou Nkrumah shared a photo with the deceased.

Although his photo had no message attached to it, the post has attracted goodwill and commiseration messages from some social media users.

The late Emeritus Professor was the longest-serving Director of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).He was honoured for his role in poliomyelitis eradication initiatives in Africa and for the various roles he played as a founding member of the Pediatric Association of Ghana and the West African College of Physicians.

In October 2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Region honoured him for his distinguished and diligent role in Poliomyelitis eradication initiatives in Africa.