The architect behind the refurbishment of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park has disclosed that everything concerning the project was done by Ghanaians without any foreign inclusion.
29-year-old Bethel Kofi Mamphey, who was the architect behind the project, said this was one of the dreams of Nkrumah to see Ghanaians taking charge of their own projects and affairs.
Quoted by
Read full articlecitinewsroom.com, he said: “Everybody on the project, from the engineers to the welders were all Ghanaians. This is fully Ghanaian. There were no ex-pats.”
On the inspiration for the refurbishment, he intimated that the tone he wanted for the park was to show Ghanaians a side of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah that many did not get to see.
“Most of us millennials, have heard of Nkrumah, but we didn’t see him, so coming up with the project, I wanted to create something that will allow people to experience parts of him that people have never seen– the emotional phases he went through as a President. The Freedom Wall is to give visitors a feel of Dr. Nkrumah,” he said.
Mamphey further added that even though a large part of the park has been refurbished, some parts were not touched in a bid not to tamper with some very important parts of history.
“We left the old mausoleum as it is. It is a very beautiful structure. It was made with marble stones which is an everlasting material. We just restored the dilapidated state of some of its structures including the broken concrete fence. That is where his remains are. The land is the same. The difference is that the lawns and the trees have been well-manicured, so now you can see everything at a distance,” he shared
The Nkrumah Memorial Park which was closed down for redevelopment and refurbishment was opened on July 4, 2023, by President Akufo-Addo.
The 5.4-acre facility, which was built in 1992 to honour, promote and preserve the legacies of Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has never seen any major facelift until this one.
The park's renovation, which was estimated at US$3.5million, is part of a US$40 million World Bank-supported Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) meant to improve the performance of tourism in targeted destinations across the country.
