Egypt and Ghana's Bilateral Relations Under Abdel Nasser's Rule
By: Alaa Ahmed Shabana
Egypt participated in the Accra Conference, which was called for by Nkrumah to be the first conference of independent African states, on April 15, 1958, with the participation of eight countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Ghana, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. The Egyptian delegation to the conference was headed by Dr. Mohamed Fawzi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who emphasized Egypt’s stance on the necessity of pursuing joint African action and rejecting colonial policies that divide Africa into North and South of the Sahara, White and Black, Negroid and non-Negroid, Arab and non-Arab, Islamic and Christian, etc.
Nkrumah received a grand reception during his visit to Cairo in June 1958, being regarded as one of the great African leaders and fighters against colonialism. Additionally, he was recognized for his prominent role in advocating for African unity and the necessity of cooperation among its peoples to achieve progress and confront ambitions and challenges. Abdel Nasser was very pleased with this visit, as he considered Nkrumah a model of national leadership that struggled for the independence of its country.
Nasser delivered a speech during his reception of the Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah, in which he emphasized that "Ghana represents the triumph of African nations, and it also embodies the hope that Africa, which struggled and fought to obtain its rights and independence, looks up to." He pointed out that "Dr. Nkrumah represents the national leadership that fought for the independence of its country and succeeded in achieving it... the national leadership that was determined to secure the rights of its people to freedom and equality and was able to accomplish that.
The great Ghanaian leader was warmly welcomed by the Egyptians throughout the various stops of his visit. When he toured the "Iron and Steel" factory in Helwan, the workers raised "welcome banners" in Fante, the language of the nationalists in Ghana. On the other hand, the King of the Asanti tribes awarded President Nasser the "Crown of the King of Africa," a coronation that holds great significance for the Ghanaian people, given the esteemed position the King of the Asanti holds among them and throughout Africa. During the visit, Nkrumah was awarded the Collar of the Republic, the highest Egyptian honor at the time, and he was also conferred an honorary doctorate from Cairo University.
Regarding the joint efforts between Egypt and Ghana to enhance African cooperation, Nasser and Nkrumah participated in the historic conference held by African leaders in Casablanca in January 1961. The conference was attended by representatives from Mali, Morocco, the Algerian National Front, Libya, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, and Egypt. This conference marked the first practical step leading to the establishment of the Organization of African Unity by emphasizing three main principles: working to liberate African lands from colonialism, affirming the idea of solidarity among African peoples, and promoting economic and cultural cooperation among the continent's countries.
The relations between Egypt and Ghana are based on strong and solid historical, cultural, and economic foundations, which provide a distinctive momentum for cooperation between the two countries. This is evident in bilateral cooperation across various fields and in the coordination of views and policies in different African and international organizations and forums. Additionally, both Egypt and Ghana are actively engaged in numerous regional and international organizations, such as the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in which Egypt holds observer status.
