Dr. Kwame Nkrumah ( born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma , September 21 , 1909 â `` April 27 , 1972 ) was an African political leader . Kwame Nkrumah ( 21 September 1909 - 27 April 1972 ) was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state , the Gold Coast , from 1952 to 1966 .