The redeveloped
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park which costs about $3.5 million will be commissioned
on July 4. 2023 by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Kwame
Nkrumah Memorial Park, is a monument of historic significance in Ghana. It was
dedicated to the memory of the country’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It
also serves as the resting place for the remains of the first President and his
wife, Fathia Nkrumah.
The Park is
located at the coast of Accra, on the former British colonial Polo Grounds,
where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana as an independent nation.
After many
years of independence, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park was built by the former
Head of State, His Excellency the late Jerry John Rawlings in the year 1990 in
honour of Ghana’s first President, and as part of preserving the nation’s
heritage. The Park was opened to the public in 1992.
Since its
establishment in 1992, visitors from all over the world numbering up to about
98,000 each year, come and pay homage to Ghana’s first President, learn about
his life, and legacies. The Park is one of the 10 most visited sites in Ghana.
After 25 years
of existence of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the facility had not seen any
meaningful facelift. Indeed, at a point, the fountains (which are major
attractions) were not functioning well or regularly thus affecting visitations.
Moreover, the
roof of the museum leaked each time it rained making it difficult to conduct
visitors around.
The situation
was not different at the VIP lounge where most VIP guests of the State signed
the visitors’ books after their tour. Additionally, the main corridor to the
washrooms and some parts of the washrooms were in a deplorable state.
In 2017, when
His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took over as President of the
Republic of Ghana, and recognized the important role of tourism in the
development of the country, he declared Tourism as social advancement, with the
potential to give a big boost to the economy.
In 2018, His
Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo secured a 40 million U.S Dollar loan
facility from the World Bank through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture
to; strengthen and enable the tourism environment; to address constraints most
likely to have a transformative impact on the sector; develop tourism sites and
destinations; and finance the costs of tourism enterprises and business
development services and training.
On 19th July
2022, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, cut
sod for the commencement of the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Kwame
Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
The
redevelopment has been completed and will be commissioned on Tuesday, July 4,
2023, by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, whose governing party, the
New Patriotic Party understands and appreciates the significance of the Kwame
Nkrumah Memorial Park, and its contribution to the history of Ghana.
Hence, the
Government sparing no efforts in its quest to ensure that the monument is
uplifted to a status befitting of the first President of Ghana whilst also
generating the needed resources for the country.
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