Recently, social media has been awash with posts suggesting that the inscriptions on the welcome signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park had been altered.
What had long read Akwaaba (Akan) and Woezor (Ewe) has now been replaced with the Ga greeting Oobakɛ.
Checks have confirmed the development, and images depicting the change have gone viral. Amid the situation, one question has emerged: Who ordered the change?
‘Akwaaba’, ‘Woezor’ signage replaced with ‘Oobake’ at Nkrumah Memorial Park
GTA’s Denial
On August 27, 2025, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) released a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Maame Efua Houadjeto, distancing the Authority from the change.
“We wish to categorically state that at no point has the Ghana Tourism Authority ordered or approved the replacement of the culturally significant greetings ‘Woezor’ (in Ewe) and ‘Akwaaba’ (in Akan) with ‘Oobakɛ’.
“These inscriptions remain preserved and respected as part of Ghana’s diverse cultural heritage. GTA cannot replace or change the name on a signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park without consultation or approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and also in consultation with the agency in question.
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“The GTA wishes to put in the public domain that we do not know anything about it, and we did not order or approve the change of the name on the signage,” the statement read.
On the surface, the statement appeared to reassure Ghanaians that the signage had not been tampered with.
But a closer reading revealed something else: the GTA boss was not denying that the change had occurred, she was stating that the Authority had not permitted it.
GhanaWeb checks
To clear the confusion, GhanaWeb journalist Joseph Henry Mensah visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park on September 1, 2025. And there it was. The change had, in fact, been made.
The familiar greetings Akwaaba and Woezor were no longer on the signage. Instead, Oobakɛ had taken their place.
Efforts to speak with officials at the facility proved futile. None were willing to confirm who had authorized the alteration or why it had been done.
Pressure from the Ga Community
There has been a longstanding argument from some groups within the Ga community that since Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is situated on Ga land, the welcome signage should include a Ga greeting.
Their campaign also extended to Kotoka International Airport, where they demanded that the Akwaaba sign welcoming visitors be replaced with Oobakɛ.
Who really ordered the change?
The most pressing question remains unanswered. If the GTA did not order the replacement, and if the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture was not consulted, then who had the authority to make such a decision?
Was the change of signage carried out under pressure from the Ga community, or did another state agency act independently?
Meanwhile, watch as ‘Akwaaba’, ‘Woezor’ signage replaced with ‘Oobake’ at Nkrumah Memorial Park
AK/EB
