President Akufo-Addo cut the sod on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, to open the redeveloped Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in a well-attended event.
The site, which was previously on the Old Polo Grounds was transformed by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings into the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in 1991, where the former president Kwame Nkrumah and his wife were buried.
In its new state, the building features a Presidential Library, a reception area, an amphitheater, a café, Freedom Hall, and a digitalized payment and access system.
The museum was expanded with an audio-visual tunnel where sounds and images of the former President could be heard and seen as part of the renovations, which also included the gravestone, which had been refurbished with new marble.
A modernized gift shop, renovated VVIP Lounge, extended leisure space, and fountain that syncs with sounds and images to resemble Dubai’s Burj Khalifa musical fountain have also been added.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Akufo projected that the renovation mausaluem will now attract over 1 million tourists globally, up from some 90,000 tourists pre-COVID-19.
He accordingly gave the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture the responsibility of seeing that the relevant ministries and agencies developed successful marketing and promotional plans to meet the goal.
President Akufo-Addo further promised that the facility is one of many to come across various regions in a bid to provide the needed boost to the tourism industry.
The US$3.5 million project was financed by the World Bank under the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP).