President Akufo-Addo commissions Presidential Museum

By Ken Sackey, GNA Accra, March 5, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday commissioned the Presidential Museum of Ghana at the Christiansborg Castle, Osu, the former seat of government.

The museum, a 60th Anniversary Legacy project, when fully complete, would celebrate the achievement and the lives of the presidents of Ghana, past and present, who spent their time working in the colonial edifice.

The state-of-the-art facility will house presidential artifacts, presidential papers, their wax works, and personal possessions like books, artworks, and clothing to honour their memory.

The facility will also house bookshops, research room, sculptures and artworks of Ghanaian craftsmen and artists.

'What we are witnessing here this morning is an indication of the special attention my government intends to pay towards the development and promotion of tourism,' President Akufo-Addo said before commissioning the Museum.

'Investment, innovation, the pursuit of service excellence and meaningful partnerships will be the means towards the realisation of this vision,' he told the audience that included top government officials, the diplomatic corps, traditional rulers, the clergy, prominent Ghanaians and students.

The President had tasked the Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture Minister, Madam Catherine Afeku, to transform the Castle into a museum that celebrated past presidents to inspire the present and future generations to learn from their achievements and contribute to Ghana's progress.

President Akufo-Addo, who also officially opened an exhibition dubbed, Ghana: the Road to Independence,' to mark Ghana Museums and Monument Board's 60th Anniversary, said the Christiansborg Castle was a perfect location to house the museum, due to its prominence as the former seat of government.

The President entreated the public to patronise the facility when completed to see the interesting exhibits on display and learn about Ghana's history.

'I pray this exhibition inspires Ghanaians to use their talents and energies to do something in their own small way to boost Ghana's development in line with the theme of the 60th anniversary - Mobilising for the Future.'

The exhibition, which pays homage to the country's forebears whose toil led to the independence from colonialists, showcases everyday people including market women and farmers.

It also puts the spotlights on statesmen like playwright and lawyer Kobina Sekyi, Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford, Paa Grant and the Big Six-Obetsebi Lamptey, Kwame Nkrumah, Ako Adjei, Dr J.B. Danquah, William Ofori-Atta, Paa Willie and Edward Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo was optimistic that the project would transform Christianborg Castle to boost tourism and create jobs for the indigenes of Osu.

Meanwhile, the President has directed the Minister of Tourism to convene a forum that would attract investment into culture.

The forum would, amongst other things, focus on drawing the necessary investment towards the restoration of the country's forts and castles and provide access to the creative community to invest in a vibrant cultural content for both domestic and international tourism.

The initiative will propose ways to honour the memories of personalities like like Maya Angelou, George Padmore, and W.E.B Du Bois who were initially interred in Ghana.

It is expected to draw the interest of the African-American communities in the Americas and the Caribbean and boost Ghana's tourism drive.

GNA