President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is to commission the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park which costs about $3.5 million on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
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.
Located on the former British colonial Polo Grounds in Accra, where Ghana’s independence was declared, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park has been a popular attraction since its establishment in 1992 by the late Jerry John Rawlings.
Since its establishment in 1992, visitors from around the world numbering up to about 98,000 each year, come and pay homage to Ghana’s first President, and learn about his life, and legacies. The Park is one of the 10 most visited sites in Ghana.
Over 25 years of existence, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park has not seen any renovation. 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. This is within the broad context of developing tourism sites and destinations.
It will be recalled that on July 19, 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.
Now that the renovation has been achieved and is ready to be commissioned, the President and the New Patriotic Party have highlighted that they understand and appreciate the significance of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and its contribution to the history of Ghana.
The incumbent government believes that the facility will continue to generate revenue for the country as was the case before it deteriorated.
Some photos of the redeveloped center
