The administration of President John Dramani Mahama has decided to scale down this year’s Independence Day celebration by moving the parade to Jubilee House, the seat of government, as a cost-cutting measure. In a media briefing, Minister of State for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced that the regional rotational celebrations have been paused due to the high cost of the 2023 event, which amounted to GH¢15 million. He emphasized that the government is committed to prudent spending while fulfilling its core responsibilities.
According to him, although the event used to be celebrated mainly in the national capital, in the last few years, there has been an effort to rotate the celebrations amongst various regional capitals. “Whereas the intentions may be noble, President Mahama has asked that the rotational policy be suspended because of the need to scale down, and this has become necessary due to escalating costs. It has been discovered after some review that the rotation imposed additional cost, and therefore, at a time when our national budget is severely constrained due to economic difficulties, it was not going to be sustainable to keep rotating the national celebrations.”
If I were to outline the costs associated with the celebrations, you would see that there are significant financial implications depending on their location. For example, the last celebrations held in Ho cost the country a staggering GHS 15 million. Each time the celebrations are held in a different regional capital, aside from Accra, we incur similar expenses. In the spirit of reducing non-essential expenses, President Mahama has instructed that this rotational policy be suspended. Additionally, the main celebration, which would normally take place in Accra at Independence Square, has undergone some changes.
He said although the President values the celebration as a significant part of the country’s history, he’s minded by the current economic challenges and other pressing needs to re-prioritise government expenditure. “He believes that it is entirely possible to hold a modest but significant event to mark this important occasion without breaking the national purse.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
