General News of Thursday, 16 November 2023
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2023-11-16Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum & Memorial Park records historical GHS1m per month - Ofori-Atta
The Kwame Nkrumah park has undergone significant renovation
After much-needed renovation and reimagining, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park in Accra currently rakes in one million cedis every month, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said.
Mr Ofori-Atta informed parliament of this development today, Wednesday, November 15, 2023, during his presentation of the 2024 Budget.
He added that
Read full articlebefore the remodeling, the highest patronage the iconic facility had received in its history "since opening in 1993," was 98,000 visitors. This, he explained, was due to the current administration’s Year of Return drive, led by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC).
Ever since July 2023, when it was reopened to the public after a year of being closed, however, a staggering 150,000 people have come to the edifice, the finance minister revealed.
“The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park was redeveloped, modernised and commissioned by H.E. the President in July 2023.
“Since opening in 1993, the Park had the highest number of 98,000 visitors in 2019, during the Year of Return. However, four months after the recent face-lift in July, the number of visitors increased to about 150,000.
“Revenues subsequently increased from a paltry GHS30,000 per month to an average GHS1 million per month,” Ken Ofori-Atta said.
The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum & Memorial Park houses the mortal remains of Ghana’s first Prime Minister and President Kwame Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia. It is situated on the former polo grounds in Accra, where the West African country was first declared independent in 1957.
In 1992, acclaimed architect Dr Don Arthur designed the original edifice which was opened in 1993.
On Saturday, May 28, 2022, the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government, through MoTAC, closed down the mausoleum for renovation.
On Tuesday, July 4, 2023, the facility, redesigned by 26-year-old Bethel Kofi Mamphey, was commissioned by the president and a concert to reopen it to the public took place on Friday, July 7, featuring Reggae/Dancehall star Samini and Highlife/Hiplife star Kofi Kinaata.
