Kwame Nkrumah was born on 21 September 1909 in the village of Nkroful in Nzima in the Gold Coast, what was then a British West African Colony. Starting at a young age, Nkrumah began to show signs of a great interest in reading and the quest for knowledge. He attended a Roman Catholic primary school and, in 1926, attended the Prince of Wales College at Achimoto, where he trained and met the criteria for his teaching qualifications.
Nkrumah left the Gold Coast in 1935 to study in the United States. He was determined to obtain advanced education, which he believed to be the most important thing in order to overcome the Gold Coast's problems. It was his goal to eventually return to the Gold Coast and help free his people from economic, social and political oppression.
By the time Kwame Nkrumah left the United States in May, 1945, he achieved Bachelor of Science degrees in economics and sociology (1939 - Lincoln University), a Bachelor of Theology degree (1942 - Lincoln Theological Seminary), a Master of Science degree in education and a Master of Philosophy degree (1945 - University of Pennsylvania). He also finished much of his work at the University of Pennsylvania towards his Doctorate Degree in philosophy. .
In late 1945 he ended up in London, England (the capitol of the Gold Coast's colonial master). While in London, Nkrumah went to lectures on politics and socialism at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His most significant action was the development of the West African National Secretariat. He became the most important influence in the Pan African Movement and was the Joint Secretary of the Fifth Pan African Congress held in Manchester in late 1945. In November of 1947, Nkrumah left England, heading back to his homeland in hopes of making a difference.
Upon his return to the Gold Coast, Nkrumah saw that his country was still very much under British colonial power.
