Ken Amankwah, chairman of Ghana 60 years on committee, interacting with Lord Commey
The committee responsible for the planning of the country’s 60th independence anniversary celebration has outlined a number of events for the year-long programme.
At a press conference at the Flagstaff House yesterday, Chairman of the Events Sub-Committee of the ‘Ghana: 60 Years On,’ Laud Oblitey Commey, took the media through the year-long programme, including the launch of a ‘jubilee tech start-up challenge – a competition to unveil talented innovators whose innovations would accelerate some strands of Ghana’s development – scheduled for February 22 and the re-enactment of the 28th February cross-road mishap, when three police officers were shot dead by the colonial law enforcers.
It also includes the finals of public school 60th anniversary debates, the launch of the ‘jubilee youth entrepreneur challenge, a documentary dubbed ‘Tales from yesteryears,’ featuring older people recounting their experiences and memories of the independence struggle and a ‘flag draping day’; all set for March 1.
On March 2, there would be a lecture on the theme for the celebration, ‘Ghana: 60 Years On,’ with a Muslim day of prayer and thanksgiving scheduled for March 3 and choral night as well as national symphony orchestra on the same day.
The following day, March 4, there is expected to be a ‘What do you know?’ quiz for secondary schools, an SDA prayer and thanksgiving and a Museums Board colonial photo exhibition.
This would be followed by a presidential awards for students, commissioning of presidential museums [a new museum to celebrate the Museums Board], ‘Known your Ghana’ campaign to mark the jubilee, reenactment of proclamation of independence and a National Christian Day of praise and thanksgiving.
On independence day itself (March 6), there would be an independence ceremonial parade with troops of colours, the lighting of anniversary torch, a national festival of culture, commissioning of legacy project [sod cutting for special commemorative project], masquerade festival, fireworks and an international gospel concert.
A day after independence day, March 7, there would be an open day at Garrisons nationwide for school children, followed by a musical concert with MUSIGA at the independence square from March 10 and a WBC boxing at the Accra Sports Stadium dubbed, ‘Rumble@60’ on March 11 and a football match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko on March 12.
On World Water Day, which is scheduled for March 22, there would be conservation activities along the banks of major rivers, young writers’ competition [an essay competition on what children think Ghana would be like in sixty years] on March 29 and the construction of 60 libraries in 60 deprived communities on April 25.
On May 1, there would be a TV quiz about Ghana’s history for university students, the launch of an Arts and Culture Festival throughout the regions and a series of lectures.
There is also scheduled to be a mock parliament at the Accra International Conference Centre to debate environmental issues on May 25 and an event for graduates to compete for sponsorship to executive thesis findings, aside a science programme for areas critical to Ghana’s development at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology [a post-graduate study for 300 men and 300 women in the sciences).
On July 1, the committee intends to organize an event to honour 20 small, 20 medium and 20 large-scale manufacturers and hold a national athletics meet in Kumasi to unearth talents on September 21 whiles launching a compact disk (CD) dubbed, ‘60 sounds of Ghana’ that captures authentic Ghanaian music through the years and many more.
From Charles Takyi-Boadu, Jubilee House