Samia and Sekou Nkrumah reveal how the 1966 Coup affected their late brother

Samia and Sekou Nkrumah have recounted how the 1966 coup that toppled their father, Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, deeply affected their late brother, Gamel Nkrumah.

The two siblings shared aspects of Gamel’s life and the difficulties he experienced following the overthrow of the Nkrumah government, including the family’s years in exile and his struggles after returning to Ghana.

Gamel, who spent much of his life in Egypt, was among the children of Dr Kwame Nkrumah who returned to Ghana with the family in 1975 after the government of the then Head of State, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, facilitated their return from exile.

According to Sekou, Gamel struggled to settle into life in Ghana and encountered health challenges that disrupted his education.

He said Gamel enrolled in a boarding school after the family returned but became seriously ill after about two months. The family subsequently adjusted his education plans, moving him and his brother Samuel from Form Five to Form Four.

Gamel later attended A-Grid, where he was expected to pursue what Sekou described as “6-4”, but experienced further health difficulties.

Sekou said the 1966 coup had particularly affected Gamel, whose experiences after the overthrow of their father’s government shaped much of his life.

He also recounted that Gamel later studied and worked at the Institute of Development Studies in Harare, Zimbabwe, after securing an opportunity through the intervention of Sally Mugabe.

The siblings shared these accounts when members of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), led by Comrade Chris Ziga, visited the Nkrumah family to express condolences following Gamel’s death.

The delegation, comprising members of the party’s Council of Elders and National Working Committee, was received by Samia and Sekou Nkrumah.

The family expressed appreciation to the governments of Ghana and Egypt for their support during Gamel’s hospitalisation and burial.

The CPP delegation also pledged the party’s support for the family as it prepares for Gamel’s final funeral rites in Ghana.