The Minister of State in charge of Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has declared that the cost of this year’s 68th Independence Day celebrations will be merely a tenth of what was spent the previous year.
Taking place at Jubilee House on March 6, the event has been toned down to demonstrate the government’s commitment to budgetary prudence while maintaining the occasion’s significance.
Kwakye Ofosu discussed the preparations, stating that, in order to cut expenses, the event has been significantly simplified.
“In the past, there were 60 contingents, each made up of 60 men and women. So we are talking about close to 3,600 men and women, along with thousands of children who marched.
“Now, everything has been scaled down to a little over 500 people. That includes both security personnel and schoolchildren who will be performing. This is to ensure that we do not incur the kind of costs we did in the past.
“I can reveal to you that the celebrations to be held here on Thursday will cost a tenth of what it took to host this event in Koforidua last year. That event cost GH₵15 million. What will be held here tomorrow will cost a tenth of that,” he stated.
Kwakye Ofosu further explained that the significance of the event is not diminished by the reduction in scale.
“The scaled-down events in no way undermine the significance of the day. The Independence Day celebration is one that President Mahama takes very seriously. He believes it must be celebrated, but in a manner that allows us to make savings that can be redirected into other areas of expenditure,” citinewsroom.com quoted him as saying.
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Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
You can also watch the latest episode of #Trending GH as Ghanaians call for economic solutions instead of KIA renaming
