A section of the public has commended the government for giving the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park a major facelift.
The facelift, the public say, would attract scores of tourists, while protecting the memory of the late first President of the nation.
According to them, the memory of a prestigious statesman like Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah must be honoured in the most admirable way and worthy manner.
Interacting with The Chronicle on the development, several people held that giving the park a new image was a move in the right direction, without necessarily considering the cost involved.
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 a significant deterioration of the edifice.
A pupil teacher, Mr. Albert Nsiah, told The Chronicle that even though this was a project to give honour to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, it would also boost tourism in the country, as well as create job opportunities for Ghanaians.
A retired security officer, Mr. Loud Amoah, extended his gratitude to the President for such a thoughtful initiative, and the entire planning committee for a job well done. “This is a job well executed,” he said.
One Emmanuel Arthur indicated that: “I can see a lot of hard work, time and money has gone into the refurbishment which is very befitting to our former President, but my worry is the maintenance of the facility. Ghanaians have a bad culture of maintenance, so I will simply entreat all responsible for managing the place to work effectively as to maintain it well to the benefit of all.”
Some comments under the pictures of the Memorial Park posted on the official Facebook page of the President by one Kwame Sapphire Amamoo read: “Well done Mr. President. You’ve touched every part of the country with your development projects. I don’t know where you’ve not touched. God bless you. Keep touching and please turn your attention to the Castles too, thank you.”
Another account name, Babs Sillim, wrote: “Well done President Nana Addo for improving the facility in remembrance of the first President.”
And one Simon Kwame Yeboah posted: “The only visionaries of our time! This is really amazing Mr. President! The prophet in his grave will sleep well. Thank you Mr. President and your noble team.”
On Friday, May 27, 2022, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, in a release, announced the temporal closure of the facility for major renovation works to be undertaken to give the Mausoleum a facelift that befits the stature of the former President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
A year on, President Akufo-Addo has reopened the refurbished GH¢30 million Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park to the general public.
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra was dedicated to Ghana’s first President, Dr. Nkrumah in 1992, and is situated on the site of the former British Colonial Polo Grounds in Accra.
The park, which has the bodies of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah, is the same spot where he declared Ghana’s independence.
