Pan-African Legacy: Kwame Nkrumah’s Grandson Initiated into Phi Beta Sigma in Ghana

A historic moment for Black Greekdom and the global African diaspora unfolded on January 31st as Kwame Melega, the grandson of Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was initiated into Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Melega crossed through the Sigma Mu Sigma Alumni Chapter in Accra, Ghana alongside his line brother Jonathan Sablah, becoming part of a brotherhood his grandfather joined more than eight decades ago.

Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and a leading voice of Pan-Africanism, was initiated into Phi Beta Sigma through the Mu Chapter at Lincoln University in 1942. His commitment to liberation, unity, and global Black advancement reflected the very principles of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service that define the fraternity.

Now, that legacy continues across generations and across continents.

According to the Ghana Sigmas, “This isn’t just a personal milestone; it’s a multigenerational continuation of service.” They emphasized that Melega’s initiation represents more than individual achievement. It is a continuation of leadership deeply rooted in both family and fraternity tradition.

The legacy extends even further. Melega’s mother, Ghanaian politician Samia Nkrumah, is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma’s constitutionally bound sister organization. Samia Nkrumah is former chairperson of the Convention People’s Party(CPP) making her the first woman to ever head a major political party in Ghana. Together, the family reflects three generations connected through the Divine Nine and a shared commitment to uplifting the African diaspora.

“From the Pan-African vision of Dr. Nkrumah, the principles of the Divine Nine continue to bridge continents and generations,” the chapter shared. “Three generations. Two organizations. One mission: the uplift of the African diaspora.”

For the fraternity, the timing is notable. Nkrumah’s 1942 initiation came years before his return to Ghana, where he would lead the country to independence in 1957 and articulate a vision of Pan-African solidarity that still resonates until this day across the diaspora. His grandson’s initiation, conducted on African soil by an African chapter, carries echoes of that enduring project.

Sigma Mu Sigma Alumni Chapter, chartered in 2020, continues expanding Phi Beta Sigma’s footprint in West Africa through education initiatives and community development efforts throughout Ghana. If you are interested in learning more about the history of the spread of D9 organizations throughout West Africa, look into Watch The Yard’s most recent collaborative history project with the NPHC West Africa called Bridges Built.

For Black Greekdom, this moment is more than symbolic. It is a reminder that the values of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service are not confined by borders. They move across oceans. They move across generations.