President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park to preserve the legacy of Ghana’s first President.
“As the outstanding Pan-Africanist of his generation, the burial site of Dr. Nkrumah must be appropriate to his status and exceptional contribution to the liberation of Africa from colonialism and imperialism,” he eulogised Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
President Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned the renovated and modernised Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, a year after he cut the sod for the commencement of work on the project at the cost of $3.5 million (GH¢30 million).
“The Park, which was built in 1991 and opened to the public in 1992, in the time of the 1st President of the 4th Republic, His Excellency the late Jerry John Rawlings, had not seen any renovation since then, resulting in significant deterioration of the edifice.
“It is for this reason that I instructed the brilliant Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, to close it down temporarily for renovation to be undertaken.
“It is gratifying to note that the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park has not only been renovated, but it has also been completely modernised to befit the status of the final resting place of the man who led us to independence in 1957, and became Ghana’s first President, the justly-celebrated Kwame Nkrumah”, President Akufo-Addo stated during the commissioning.
The Park, he pointed out, now has facilities including a presidential library, receptive facility, mini-amphitheater, restaurant, freedom wall, and a digitalised payment and access system.
“The mausoleum has also been fully refurbished, with the tombstone upgraded, and the museum expanded with an audiovisual tunnel.
“There is also an upgraded VVIP lounge, expanded recreational area, a modernized gift shop, and a fountain area with synchronised audiovisuals, the first of its kind in West Africa”, he added.
President Akufo-Addo said the GH¢30 million modernised Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is in line with plans by Government to make the Park one of the best tourism and heritage attractions in West Africa.
According to him, the redeveloped Memorial Park will attract some one million domestic and international tourists annually.
President Akufo-Addo gave assurance that the government will continue to invest in the tourism sector to help revive the economy.
“The construction of a Museum and Heroes Park for the ‘Big Six’, a Memorial Park in Cape Coast for the Aborigines, a Memorial Enclave in Tamale for the founders of the erstwhile Northern People’s Party to symbolise their participation in the drive for national independence, and the completion of ongoing works at the Bonwire Museum and the Yaa Asantewaa Museum both in Ejisu, are in the offing. “You will recall also that the National Museum had to be closed down for seven years from 2015 to 2022 due to lack of maintenance. It was in my time, in 2022, that the renovation of the museum was completed,” he added.
In seeking to delight visitors who throng our tourist attractions, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Ghana Tourism Authority have embarked on product improvement and customer service orientation for operators in the hospitality and tourism value chain.
Accordingly, President Akufo-Addo indicated that some 6,000 frontline operators will be imbibed with the necessary customer care skills and competencies over the course of the next one year to enable them handle both domestic and international tourists.
Nkrumah’s family
Meanwhile, the family of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has thanked the government for the redevelopment of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park houses the remains of Ghana’s first President and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Park, the Daughter of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Samia Nkrumah disclosed that the government through President Akufo-Addo consulted the family before the redevelopment.
She expressed the gratitude of the family to government for preserving the legacy of their father who served Ghana well.
