Following claims by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) boss that the Akan and Ewe ‘Welcome’ greetings on the signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park have not been replaced with “Oobake,” checks have proven otherwise.
Recently, Maame Efua Houadjeto, in a statement released on August 27, 2025, insisted that the “Akwaaba” (Akan) and “Woezor” (Ewe) greetings had not been replaced with the Ga word “Oobake,” despite growing calls for the change.
Calls for the change by Ga custodians have intensified in recent times, as they have consistently argued that their language should also be represented on the signage at the park, which is located on Ga land.
However, checks conducted by GhanaWeb’s Joseph Henry Mensah on September 1, 2025, have confirmed that the original “Akwaaba” and “Woezor” signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum has indeed been replaced with “Oobake.”
GTA denies replacing ‘Akwaaba’ and ‘Woezor’ with Ga greeting
Some Ghanaians around the premises, who spoke in an interview with GhanaWeb‘s Joseph Henry Mensah, expressed mixed reactions following the swapping of the Akan and Ewe ‘Welcome’ greetings.
An individual named Otumfuo Owusu Ntiamoah noted that, “I think the conversation going on is something normal because we are on the Ga land and we have to appreciate the Ga language and encourage the Ga youth to speak their language.
“Akwaaba has been with us for all these years. My contribution is that we can maintain the Obaake, but we shouldn’t delete it automatically. We can use both the Oobake, Akwaaba, and Woezor.”
Another, who refused to disclose his identity, said the change of signage from Akwaaba to Oobake sounds tribalistic.
According to him, the people of Ga-Adangbe can find a more appropriate means of channelling their concerns.
“Akwaaba has been in the system for decades. Most Ghanaian celebrities use Akwaaba. Someone was trying to explain the Oobake to me after it was changed, but it doesn’t sound the same as Akwaaba.
“If they want to change it to Oobake, I have no problem with it, but making it look like it’s their land so they can change it to me sounds tribalistic,” he said.
However, attempts to speak to the management of the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum proved futile.
Meanwhile, beyond the memorial park, the conversation has also reached Kotoka International Airport, where some campaigners are now calling for the word “Akwaaba,” which welcomes visitors, to be replaced with “Oobake.”
Why Oobakɛ, Akwaaba, and Woezor are trending on X
The debate was further fueled by images circulating online that showed the airport signage altered to display the Ga greeting.
These images were believed to have been generated using artificial intelligence.
Watch the video below:
JHM/EB
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