The President of Zimbabwe, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa, has paid tribute to the Founder and First President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park in Accra last Thursday.

His visit to the Memorial Park formed part of his three-day state visit to the country at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, and together signing several memoranda of understanding (MoU) to foster the relationship between the two states.

At the Memorial Park, the Zimbabwean President laid a wreath at the resting place of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and observed a minute's silence in honour of the country’s first President for his impactful contributions to the independence struggle and liberation of Africa.

President Mnangagwa was accompanied by the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, and was also received at Memorial Park by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie.

President Mnangagwa was taken around the Memorial Park by the Acting Executive Director of Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park, Dr Collins Rawlings Nunyonameh.

Eulogy

In his tribute, the Zimbabwean President expressed his honour to have visited the Memorial and the influence Dr Kwame Nkrumah had on his life as a young Zimbabwean.

He described the former President as a hero to young Africans, whose memory and history must be preserved for years.

"I feel honoured that you have allowed me space to express my personal view about the late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

"I remember when we were in primary school in the late 1958-we gathered as students draped in our bedsheets (white in colour) to emulate the former President Dr Kwame Nkrumah - he was our hero as students.

"I feel most honoured that I have had this opportunity to record my feelings today, which I experienced at that time around 1958. Long live the memory and history of our beloved President Dr Kwame Nkrumah," he wrote in the tribute book.

President Mnangagwa's tribute underscored the instrumental role of Dr Kwame Nkrumah in the pursuit of freedom across the continent, including Zimbabwe, which was led by its late former President, Robert Mugabe, to obtain independence on April 18, 1980. It also fostered deep respect and friendship between the two countries.