As a certified international elections observer with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), I have always felt a profound sense of duty mixed with exhilaration.
West Africa’s political landscape is a thrilling arena of hope and upheaval, and being on the ground during pivotal moments feels like standing at the heartbeat of the continent.
My journeys to Guinea have been nothing short of transformative—first in 2021, amid chaos and constraint, and then in 2025, when the doors to history swung wide open, revealing the extraordinary exile of my own hero, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The Turbulent First Mission: Guinea 2021 – Tension, Coup, and the Shadow of COVID
I arrived in Conakry in 2021 with adrenaline pumping, ready to monitor what promised to be a high-stakes election: The air was thick with anticipation—and fear.
President Alpha Condé’s controversial bid for a third term had ignited protests, and the streets buzzed with military patrols under a scorching sun.
As observers, we darted from polling station to polling station, notebooks in hand, eyes sharp for any irregularities amid the vibrant chaos of voters queuing to cast their ballots.
But then COVID-19 struck like an invisible storm, confining us to hotel compounds and masking the vibrant soul of Guinea.
Exploration was impossible; the pandemic’s grip, combined with the explosive political tension, turned our mission into a high-wire act.
Just weeks after the polls closed, the unthinkable happened: Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, head of the elite presidential guard, led a swift coup that ousted Condé.
I heard from very reliable high-up sources in Conakry that, when Conde was informed about the coup, his immediate reaction was; “where is Doumbouya?” – a case of, “if Doumbouya is around then the coup will be quashed in no time”. Conde trusted Doumbouya so much only to wake to the smell of the coffee that it was the same trusted Doumbouya who had staged the coup.
It was a stark reminder of how fragile democracy can be in our region—a thrilling yet sobering plunge into West Africa’s raw political drama.
I left Guinea with stories of resilience but a deep ache; I had seen so little beyond the barricades.
Return to a Transformed Guinea: 2025 – Calm Waters and Open Horizons
Fast forward to 2025, and I stepped off the plane in Conakry with a surge of excitement I could barely contain.
The political climate had shifted dramatically under the transitional government—tensions had eased, the streets pulsed with renewed energy, and ECOWAS’s role in guiding fair elections felt more hopeful than ever.
This time, the Atlantic breeze carried scents of fresh fish from bustling markets, and the rhythmic sounds of djembe drums filled the evenings.
With fewer restrictions, I finally breathed-in Guinea’s true essence: its crimson sunsets over the crashing waves, its people, warm and resilient, sharing stories over attaya tea.
But nothing prepared me for the personal odyssey that awaited beyond my observer duties.
Discovering Nkrumah’s Exile: Co-President with Ahmed Sékou Touré
As a Ghanaian, Kwame Nkrumah isn’t just a historical figure to me—he’s the fire of Pan-Africanism that burns in my blood.
Overthrown in 1966 while abroad, he found refuge in Guinea, where President Ahmed Sékou Touré declared him co-president in a breathtaking act of brotherhood.
From March 1966 until his passing in April 1972, Nkrumah lived and worked in Guinea, plotting the continent’s liberation from neo-colonial chains, writing revolutionary texts that still ignite minds today.
In 2025, with time on my side, I embarked on a pilgrimage that felt destined. The discovery electrified me—tracing the footsteps of the man who dreamed of a United States of Africa, right there in Guinea.
The Thrilling Journey to Boké: Nkrumah Military Base Amid Red Earth and Revolution
Without knowing what lay ahead, I left on a six-hour drive from Conakry to Boke – where I had been deployed as a Lead Observer for ECOWAS.
The road wound through breathtaking landscapes: vast bauxite-rich plateaus glowing red under the tropical sun, fringed by emerald forests alive with bird calls and the distant rumble of mining trains.
On Election Day, arriving at the Nkrumah Military Base (one of the areas demarcated as Voting Center with over 20 polling stations), felt like stepping into a living testament to Pan-African defiance.
Named in his honor, this strategic outpost symbolized Nkrumah’s vision of a united African defense against imperialism.
I walked its grounds in awe, imagining him strategizing here, his spirit undimmed by exile.
It was exhilarating – a rush of pride that sent chills down my spine amid the humid air.
The Emotional Pinnacle: Villas Kwame Nkrumah and Sylli in Conakry
The climax came in Conakry, at Villa Kwame Nkrumah and the adjacent Villa Sylli – his home and that of Sekou Toure respectively. Twin houses separated only by a thin wall with a gate that allowed them to walk into each other’s compound with cheeky ease. Is that the extent to which they bonded as Co-Presidents? Certainly so!
I approached with trembling hands, the overgrown gardens whispering secrets of quieter days. Sunlight dappled through faded shutters as I entered, the walls still echoing with revolutionary fervor: portraits of Nkrumah, bookshelves heavy with his writings, rooms where he and Touré forged unbreakable bonds.
Standing in his bedroom, overlooking the roaring Atlantic, tears streamed down my face. This was where the giant lived his final years – undefeated, visionary, pouring his soul into Africa’s future.
The emotion overwhelmed me; I could feel his presence lingering, thanking me for visiting and urging me never to give up in my fight/struggles as a true patriot of Ghana and an unrepentant Nationalist.
An Eternal Flame: Nkrumah Lives On
As I watched the Guinea horizon swallow the sun in a blaze of orange and gold, palm fronds rustling like applause in the warm breeze, a profound truth washed over me.
Kwame Nkrumah never dies!!!
Exiled yet exalted as co-president, he turned defeat into defiance, weaving Ghana and Guinea into an eternal tapestry of solidarity.
His story—remarkable, unbreakable, electrifying—pulses through Africa’s veins, inspiring us amid coups and crises to chase unity and freedom.
In those sacred villas and red-earth bases, I felt his spirit alive, a blazing torch passed to me and the generation that is ready to fight in the supreme interest of our respective countries and the Continent, and not those who are interested only in personal gain as opposed to national gain.
And as long as we carry it forward, the Great Osagyefo will forever illuminate our paths.
As I ended my tour of Villa Kwame Nkrumah, I could not help placing my right hand on my left breast and recite the National Pledge of my beloved Ghana:
“ I promise on my honour,
To be faithful and loyal to Ghana my Motherland.
I pledge myself to the service of Ghana,
With all my strength and with all my heart.
I promise to hold in high esteem,
Our heritage won for us,
Through the blood and toil of our fathers;
And I pledge myself in all things,
To uphold and defend the good name of Ghana,
So help me God.”
Surely, Nkrumah Never Dies!!!
Forward ever, backward never!
Samuel Koku Anyidoho
(Founder & CEO, MILLS Institute For Public Policy Advocacy & Transformational Leadership Development).
Friday, January 16, 2026.
Accra, Ghana.
Email: Sitsoanyidoho1@yahoo.com
