The announcement that the Ghana government is to spend $20 million (¢ 180 billion) on Ghana’s 50th anniversary celebration has generated a lot of furore in various circles including the political and social. Political Parties especially those in the opposition have been quick to criticize the government for not using such a huge amount of money to provide basic social amenities to the rural poor. Some have even gone to the extent of asking the government to use the money to subsidize fuel prices.

These are concerns from various sections of the Ghanaian public and therefore they are worth listening to, and addressed. In doing so I believe the first question that should have been asked even before the complaints started was: “how is the $20 million going to be spent” and at the end of the day what benefits will accrue to the country”. Probably the word “celebration” being used has led many to think that the money will be spent on parties, parties and more parties.

The Press Secretary to the President, Andy Awuni, when interviewed on one of the TV stations explained that the money will be used to upgrade the country’s social infrastructure to give the country a facelift befitting a country that has traveled fifty years down the road of independence. According to Mr. Awuni, some of the money will be used to rehabilitate the roads to various tourist sites in the country as well as up-grading other forms of social infrastructure at these sites. The 50th anniversary celebration will draw people from all walks of life into the country and if we are able to showcase our tourism sites in a positive light to these visitors, the industry will be given a big push, making it a really high foreign income earner.

Another area which will receive some support from this $20 million anniversary money is education. According to the CEO of Ghana@50 Secretariat, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, in an interview he granted to the UK based Guardian newspaper; a series of legacy projects including 140 Jubilee Kindergartens will be put up (The Crusading Guide – August 10 – 16, 2006). In light of the increase in school enrolment as a result of the Capitation Grant and School feeding programme introduced, this is indeed welcome news.

Improvement of sanitation facilities is another area that some of that anniversary money has been earmarked for. I am not privileged to have traveled to many parts of the country but if the sanitation situation in Accra, Cape-Coast, and Kumasi is anything to go by, and indeed some of the money will be used to improve the situation, then I respectfully appeal to the Secretariat to address this issue first. Indeed it is very embarrassing to be asked by a stranger to direct him/her to a place of convenience and the only place you can direct such a person to is the nearby bush, the gutter or some other inappropriate place. Lack of these amenities put off potential tourists and create a lot of filth. Adequate provision of sanitation facilities will go a long way to for instance restore our water bodies such as the Korle lagoon and Odaw River in Accra, and the Subin River in Kumasi, which ironically government has been spending millions of dollars to restore. The Ghaba@50 Secretariat has placed adverts in the Print media inviting companies to tender for the procurement of souvenirs to be given to Heads of States and important dignitaries who will be in the country during the period of the 50th anniversary celebration. Some cheap populists might question the need to distribute souvenirs such as diaries and calendars to foreign dignitaries who will be in the country. To these people it is worth pointing out that these souvenirs are very effective methods of marketing the country abroad.

A lot of instances abound in history regarding structures that were put up during important occasions and are still serving important purposes in the country. Instances include the Jubilee (Railway) Line opened in Britain on 1st May 1979 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee anniversary, the FESTA Village built in Nigeria to celebrate the World Festival of Arts and Culture, The State House (Job 600) built in Accra for Ghana to host the OAU Summit in 1963, and the Accra International Conference Centre built in 1991 to host the Conference of Non Aligned Movement in Ghana. The list goes on and on. The significant thing here is that these structures continue to serve very important purposes in their respective countries. The Accra International Conference Center has hosted a lot of important functions in Ghana; The Jubilee Line is an integral part of Britain’s transport system; the FESTA Village in Nigeria is a ‘must visit’ tourist place in Nigeria. The Accra International Conference Center has hosted a lot of important conferences in the country, way after the NAM conference in Ghana; Job 600 really facilitated the work of Ghana’s Parliament in the first and second republics

$20 million to celebrate fifty years of Independence will not be too much if it will not be spent on anniversary cloths, cars and booze. If how the Secretariat has stated it will spend the money is anything to go by then lets keep our eyes wide open and make sure they do just that.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.