The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has rubbished reports suggesting that Akan and Ewe inscriptions on the welcome signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra have been swapped for a Ga greeting.
Social media claims alleged that “Akwaaba” (Akan) and “Woezor” (Ewe) had been replaced with the Ga word “Oobakɛ.”
In a statement, GTA Chief Executive Officer, Maame Efua Houadjeto, described the allegations as false and misleading.
“We wish to categorically state that at no point has the Ghana Tourism Authority ordered or approved the replacement of the culturally significant greetings ‘Woezor’ (in Ewe) and ‘Akwaba’ (in Akan) with ‘Oobakɛ’,” she stated.
She clarified that the existing inscriptions remain unchanged and continue to reflect Ghana’s cultural diversity. According to her, any modification to the signage would require official approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as well as other relevant agencies.
Mrs Houadjeto further stressed that the GTA neither sanctioned nor had knowledge of the alleged changes, urging the public to disregard the misinformation. She also encouraged Ghanaians to continue supporting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park as a symbol of national unity and heritage.
The controversy stems from earlier demands by some Ga citizens for their language to be included on national signages situated on Ga land. The debate has since spread to Kotoka International Airport, where AI-generated images of signage bearing “Oobakɛ” instead of “Akwaaba” have been widely circulated online.
