The newly refurbished Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, which was commissioned on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, has got many Ghanaians talking.
President Nana Akufo-Addo during the commissioning said the redeveloped Park will attract some one million domestic and international tourists annually.
The President further said at the unveiling that the government will continue to invest in the tourism sector to help revive the economy.
The refurbished Park cost $3.5 million and was executed by Ghanaians only.
In an interview with Citi TV, the architect behind the refurbished Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Bethel Kofi Mamphey, said the inspiration behind the new look and feel of the edifice reflects what the former president stood for, excellence.
According to the 29-year-old architect, said the new Park will create an experience where both the young and old can understand and appreciate the work of Ghana’s former President.
The redeveloped facility which housed the remains of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia Nkrumah was originally designed by Dr. Don Arthur in 1991. It is located on the former polo grounds in Accra, where Ghana’s independence was declared.
The facility was shut down in 2022, and refurbished with new features.
The newly refurbished Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park now has a reception hall, administration, ample restroom facility, a restaurant, a gift shop, a library, among other attractive features.
There is also an audiovisual hall, a tunnel with Dr. Nkrumah’s speeches inscribed on the wall and a Freedom Wall. Audiovisual elements have also been added to the water fountain.
Speaking to Bernard Avle on the Point of View on Citi TV, the former student of Achimota School said that creating the Freedom Wall with quotes and pictures depicting the different states of emotions of Ghana’s first President was aimed at providing visitors of the park a genuine sense of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
“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.
Touching on some of the facilities, Mamphey said “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”.
Watch full interview with Mr. Mamphey below;
Pulse
