The University of Cape Coast (UCC) conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) on veteran journalist, publisher and Pan‑Africanist Kwesi Pratt Jnr on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The award was presented during a special congregation that formed part of the 15th Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures.
UCC said the honorary degree recognised Mr Pratt’s decades of contribution to journalism, public discourse, democracy and the ideals of African emancipation. The conferment followed his delivery of the second of the two Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures under the theme, “Kwame Nkrumah, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Perspectives on Constitutionalism, Development and Pan‑Africanism.”
Chancellor of UCC, Dr (Sir) Sam Jonah, said the honour recognised Mr Pratt’s longstanding contribution to Ghana’s media and civic space and his commitment to public discourse, social justice and Pan‑Africanism. “In honouring him today, the University recognises that a vibrant democracy depends on courage, independent journalism, and the openness to new ideas,” Sir Sam said.
He described Mr Pratt’s public life as reflecting “a relentless commitment to the public good and an unshakable belief in the power of informed civic engagement.” Sir Sam also urged students to draw lessons from Mr Pratt and Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, particularly the importance of critical thinking and civic engagement.
Mr Pratt, the Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper, said he never imagined that he would one day have the opportunity to deliver the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures and subsequently receive an honorary degree from UCC. “I never in my life thought that one day I would be given the honoured opportunity to deliver the talk of Nkrumah,” he said.
He added that his intellectual and political formation had been strongly influenced by Nkrumahist ideas and that his commitment to African liberation and unity had remained central to his public life. Mr Pratt reaffirmed his commitment to the pursuit of a united Africa, saying his political dreams might not all be realised during his lifetime. “My dreams may not be realised in my lifetime. They may be gone. But as long before the dream of a united Africa under the banner of scientific socialism would be realised,” he said.
Mr Pratt’s honorary degree forms part of UCC’s wider commemoration of Kwame Nkrumah’s legacy through its memorial lecture series, which was instituted in 1974 and inaugurated in 1976. The university said the lectures are intended to promote discussion on the social, economic and political development of Africa and the Black world. The 2026 lectures focused on constitutionalism, development and Pan‑Africanism, with Mr Pratt using the platform to examine the continuing relevance of Nkrumah’s ideas to Ghana and Africa.
UCC Vice‑Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, said Mr Pratt’s decades of work as a journalist, publisher, political commentator and public intellectual had contributed significantly to national discussions on Ghana’s political, economic and social development, as well as African emancipation and self‑determination. The university also commended Mr Pratt’s recent book, Reparations: History, Struggle, Politics and Law, which examines reparatory justice, historical memory and sovereignty.
Looking ahead, UCC plans to continue its lecture series as a platform for scholars and citizens to debate Africa’s future, while Mr Pratt remains an influential voice in Ghanaian media and Pan‑African discourse.
