The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in 2016 spent 4 million cedis to organize the country’s 59th independence day march past alone, a member of the Ghana@60 planning committee, Lord Commey has revealed.
Mr Commey said the 20 million cedis budget for the Ghana@60 celebration as not outrageous as being suggested after the official launch of the theme and logo of the celebration last week.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government have come under criticisms from a section of the public over its announcement of a 20 million budget for this year’s anniversary celebration.
But according to the government, the budget will not only cater for the march past which will be held at the Black Star square in Accra on 6th March 2017, but also, legacy projects that will have direct benefits to Ghanaians.
Speaking at a press conference at the Flagstaff House in Accra on the matter, Lord Commey, who is also the Director of Operations at the Presidency “when I check the 59th anniversary celebration budget of the march past alone at the independence square it was close to 4 million Ghana cedis and the records are there, and that was the records are there.”
He said the new government under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo will ensure cost-effectiveness and judicious spending of money in the anniversary celebration noting that most of the activities that will be undertaking during the celebration will be in collaboration with private organizations.
“Change has come and certainly we will be modest. And I’m sure at the end of this very exercise, Ghanaians will be very proud of it,” he added.
He promised that the committee will render accounts to Ghanaians “because transparency is key, proper accountability is also very key… The president has cautioned everybody,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Jefferson Sackey, Chairman of the Media Sub-Committee of the Anniversary Planning Committee, has said the committee went through a deliberate and thorough process to arrive at the logo that was launched by the president.
He discounted suggestions that the logo was plagiarized, and stressed that the committee receive sample designs from a number of designers and shortlisted them till it arrived at the last one which he said was originally deigned by a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
President Akufo-Addo had earlier assured Ghanaians that the celebration will be modest because the country is not in good financial standing to allow for an elaborate ceremony.
He had also appealed to corporate organizations to contribute toward the anniversary celebrations.
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