Accra, March 6, GNA - When three Ghana Air Force planes flew past the Independence Square in Accra on Sunday, a milling crowd of celebrants raised their heads to acknowledge the jets that went in the direction of the sea. The mission was part of the celebration of Ghana's 54th independence anniversary parade addressed by the First Gentleman, President John Evans Atta Mills.

After 113 years under British colonial rule, Ghana at the stroke of midnight on March 5, 1957, began a new dawn, and the nation was celebrating that historic political feat.

A new nation with the torch of African liberation had begun its journey of freedom. It was the time the Union Jack was replaced with a flag of red, gold and green with a distinctive black star at the centre.

The British-ruled Gold Coast was now a self-ruled country - Ghana - the first sub-Saharan nation to claim its independence from colonialism. It was a historic event, heralded as the force that urged other sub-Saharan African nations forward in their quests for liberation.

The President, who reviewed the anniversary parade, delivered a speech which stressed discipline and hard work, especially among the youth, to fast track their own development and that of the motherland. The youth, mostly from cadets corps of Basic and Second cycle schools and some voluntary organizations Accra participated in parade. The Independence Square, which recently received a facelift and fresh painting, was shining with the traditional colours of red, yellow and green with a black star conspicuously showing.

The President arrived at about 0800 hours and waved to the cheering crowd as he was escorted by the Mounted Constabulary of the Ghana Police Service to the presidential dais.

A massed band formed by pupils from selected schools in Accra struck the national anthem for the national salute to be taken. The celebration was carried live by a number of radio and television stations for other Ghanaians at home and abroad. President Mills, in the company of Mrs Betty Mould-Idrissu, Minister o= f Education, was driven slowly in an open-top car, to inspect the parade that was made up of 41 contingents of schools from the Accra Metropolis.

The car moved to the cenotaph, where Miss Cindy Anim, adjudged the bes= t pupil at the Basic Education Certificate Examination 2010, assisted the President to light the perpetual flame.

The flame symbolises the continuous glow of the spirit of independence to facilitate Ghana's economic, political and social progress. Children from selected schools graced the celebration with traditional dances of Sikyi in Ghana's Middle Belt, Husago from the Volta Region and Bawa from Nandom in the Upper West Region, and later put up a tae-kwando performance, before President Mills took the salute for the march past. Tam-tam appellations invited President Mills to deliver his speech. The year is Action Year, the President reminded Ghanaian youth, and urged them to put a lot of action into their academic work.

"Fellow countrymen and women, I am very confident that we will not fail, we shall succeed because God is on our side," President Mills said, and invoked divine blessing for Ghana to be greater and stronger.

"May the 6th of March continue to bring back good memories of what o= ur independence day means to us and spur us on to continue to roll out the vision and mission of the Founding Fathers," the President said.