Gh@60 a test case for Akufo-Addo's gov't – Dr. Oduro Osae

The celebration of Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary this year will be a test case for the administration of President Akufo-Addo as far as judicious use of state resources, transparency, and accountability are concerned, Dr Eric Oduro Osae, Dean of Graduate Studies at the Institute of Local Governance Studies, has said.

According to him, the planning committee for the celebration should be able to share with Ghanaians every bit of their activities including their budget and sources of revenue for the occasion.

Ghana turns 60 on March 6, 2017, the day it won self-rule from Britain in 1957.

Accordingly, President Akufo-Addo on Thursday January 26 launched the anniversary committee at the Flagstaff House. At the launch, he said: “The celebration of our 60th anniversary should be modest, it should take into account our financial circumstances, but it also should be elegant and appropriate; we should live in a good feeling about ourselves.”

Speaking in relation to this celebration in an interview with Class91.3FM’s Emefa Apawu on Thursday evening, Dr Osae said: “The committee should be mindful of the fact that it is just 60 years. We have finished celebrating our 50 years and so the interval is just 10 years’ celebration, so the celebration must be very modest as His Excellency the president has said.

“But again, this is a very big test for the government to be very transparent and then assure Ghanaians that they will manage our resources well.

“First and foremost, I will expect them to share their work plan and work programme with Ghanaians. After that they should develop an anniversary budget and share the anniversary budget with Ghanaians and indicate where they intend raising the resources from. Any resource they receive they should be able to tell Ghanaians where they are getting the resources from. After the anniversary, within one month, I would expect them to come out and account to the people of Ghana or publish a financial statement on the activities of the anniversary.

“Once they are able to go through this, I will be very positive that Ghanaians will be happy with them and we will be happy with ourselves.”