He attended Elementary School at Half Assini where his father worked as a goldsmith. A German priest called George Fischer influenced his education. He went to a school for teachers in Accra, then became a teacher himself. In 1935 he went to Lincoln University in the United States. He learned more about Communism. His education continued at the University of Pennsylvania, from 1939 to 1943. In 1945 he went to London and organized an international conference for African freedom. At that time he changed his name to "Kwame".