Ghana@60 Committee Yet To Raise GHC10m Out Of GHC20m Celebration Budget

The Ghana@60 Planning Committee is racing against time to raise the ?20 million budget for the Independence celebration which is barely a week away.

The committee is even yet to raise ?10 million cedis of the amount spokesperson of the committee confirmed to AM show host Mamavi Owusu Aboagye.

Jefferson Sackey says the committee is still hoping to get the financial support from corporate Ghana as it rolls out an elaborate plan for the celebration of Ghana’s 60th Anniversary.

Concerns have been raised about the need for the new government to sink 20 million cedis into the celebration of an anniversary at a time the country is reeling in debts and struggling to keep its power on for both residential and industrial users.

But the Nana Akufo-Addo led administration has been adamant and has been trumpeting the need to lift national consciousness using activities of the independence celebration.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is keen to make a positive impression on Ghana’s Independence celebration which falls on March 6.

A number of activities have been lined up for the celebration, including a wreath laying ceremony on February 28, 2017, a video documentary of Ghana’s Independence era till date which will be aired on March 1, an inter-schools debate competition, an innovative apps challenge, an international gospel concert, a public lecture, the independence day parade etc.

Each of these activities will involve an amount of money which has been pegged at an estimated cost of 20 million cedis.

The planning committee said no public funds will be used for the celebration and that they will raise the money through sponsorship from corporate institutions.

Even though some of the activities have begun with the 28th February wreath laying event, the entire funding amount is yet to be raised.
Asked if the committee has raised the budget sum, Jefferson Sackey said “contributions are coming.”

He said the committee has neither raised the 20 million cedis sum nor has it raised half of that amount.

“We are very confident. The very first day the president inaugurated the logo itself, we had corporate Ghana in there. We had majority of them make some pledges.

It is now up to the sub- committee responsible for sponsorship to follow up on those funds and ensure that we get that amount of money so that we can commemorate this anniversary,” he said.