Why entry fee for Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park increased by 500%

The entry fees for the renovated Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park have increased by about 500 percent from the old rate across board for the general public, the diaspora, and foreigners.

The development comes after the park was recently commissioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and later closed down for a few days. But as of July 11, 2023, the $3.5 million renovated park is officially open to tourists.

To gain entry into the premises, non-Ghanaian adults will have to pay GH¢100 while Ghanaian adults will pay GH¢25. The fee for school children is now pegged GH¢5 from an earlier GH¢1 charge.

For tertiary students who are non-Ghanaians visiting the facility, they will have to pay GH¢60 while Ghanaian tertiary students will pay GH¢15.

Following the price increment, Acting Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Edward Quao explained the hike is necessary to ensure the facility keeps running as well offsetting the renovation cost.

“We have new facilities in the Park, and we need money to maintain them and so if we don’t put these measures in place, it will be really difficult for us to maintain them,” he is quoted by citinewsroom.com

The World Bank-funded facility was commissioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on July 4, 2023.

According to him, the park which was first built by late former President Jerry John Rawlings in 1992 to honour, promote, and preserve the legacies of Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has not witnessed any major renovations until this one.

The 5.4-acre facility now includes a presidential library, a reception facility, an amphitheater, a restaurant, Freedom Hall, and a digitalised payment and access system, among others.

The park's renovation, which was estimated at US$3.5million, is part of a US$40 million World Bank-supported Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) meant to improve the performance of tourism in targeted destinations across the country.

MA/NOQ