Management of the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (KNMP) has targeted educational institutions in the country as a means to drive domestic tourism.
The initiative by the management forms part of efforts to help the teeming youth appreciate the rich and diverse Ghanaian culture.
Albeit, it is in response to President Akufo-Addo’s call on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and related agencies to institute their domestic tourism drive when he commissioned the park on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
In the President’s estimation, a successful domestic tourism drive will also “enhance national unity and stimulate the reined economy as local products are patronized”.
“Tourism, as an economic activity, could spare economic growth and create jobs and prosperity for the people. It is for this reason that the government has identified the pivotal role of tourism in national development, and has thus placed tourism at the centre of national transformation.
“We will continue to invest in the sector to unlock its full potential” President Akufo-Addo added.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM monitored by Angelonline.com.gh on how to attract tourists to the park, Edward Quao – an official of the KNMP – said a team has been organised to undertake promotional activities in the region, and schools are the major target.
“With our local market, our target is mostly schools. So, we have a team that is going to work around trying to go around to promote the park,” said Edward Quao, adding that they will also “use our social media handles a lot because we have a lot of the youth who go onto it.”
In addition to the aforementioned, the KNMP management has planned to establish an online ticketing system where tourists can purchase their tickets from the comfort of their homes.
The management also observed that sections of the public enjoy nightlife hence, arrangements are being made with event organisers to hold more events at the park.
“The park will from henceforth stay open till somewhere beyond 9 pm just to have more nightlife for people to experience and enjoy the park as it is now,” Mr Quao added.
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (KNMP) is a national park in Ghana named after Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the First Prime Minister and President of modern Ghana. It was established on July 1, 1992, to honour, promote, and preserve the legacies of Dr. Nkrumah.
The KNMP is a public agency that is directly under the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MOTAC). The park used to be polo grounds for the British and other European nationals during the colonial days. On the eve of Ghana’s Independence in 1957, Dr Nkrumah chose the same polo grounds as venues for the Independence declaration.
Presently, it is the third burial place of Dr Nkrumah since his death on April 27, 1972, in Bucharest, Romania. He had early on been buried in Conakry, Guinea, and at Nkroful in the Western Region of Ghana. The KNMP occupies an area of 5.4 acres.
It has a personal museum on Dr. Nkrumah; an imposing Mausoleum where his mortal remains and that of his beloved wife, Fathia, are interred. There is a bronze statue of about 10.8 ft. of Dr Nkrumah, erected on a pedestal at the spot he stood to declare Ghana’s independence.
Statues of hornblowers with a fountain surrounded by trees planted by some distinguished personalities on their visits to the park project the personality of Dr Nkrumah.
The redevelopment and modernization of the park, championed by the government of the New Patriotic Party under the distinguished leadership of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has introduced an architectural picturesque reception centre, which houses a host of offices, a modern library, an eatery, a gift shop, an infirmary and a conference facility, which are all digitally controlled.
The reception facility also has a display platform for the first official vehicle of Dr Nkrumah. Other novel introductions to the park include an audio-visually l synchronized fountain, which lights up the park at night with a colourful variety of lights.
A mini-Amphitheatre for lectures and performances for small groups, as well as a picnic area for the youth, has been added. Not only has the museum been expanded, but it has been aesthetically fitted with digital audio-visuals that chronicle the life of the first President of Ghana, among others.
