On Wednesday, 27th August 2025, I saw a post on the X page of the Ghana Tourism Authority about reports that inscriptions on the welcome signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Nkrumah Memorial Park had been changed.
A few minutes later, I had the full press release signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Maame Efua Houadjeto.
Her statement
The attention of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has been drawn to a social media post circulating on Instagram alleging that GTA has replaced the inscriptions “Woezoe” and “Akwaba” with “Oobakɛ”on the newly refurbished Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park signage.
We wish to categorically state that at no point has the Ghana Tourism Authority ordered or approved the replacement of the culturally significant greetings “Woezoe” (in Ewe) and “Akwaba” (in Akan) with “Oobakɛ”.
These inscriptions remain preserved and respected as part of Ghana’s diverse cultural heritage. GTA cannot replace or change the name on a signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park without consultation or approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and also in consultation with the Agency in question.
The GTA wishes to put in the public domain that we do not know anything about it and we did not order or approved the change of the name on the signage.
We therefore urge the general public and stakeholders to disregard the false information and continue to support the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park as a symbol of national pride and unity.
Import of the statement
Although the statement initially came out as if she was announcing that there had not been any change in the signage at the Nkrumah Park, a critical read shows she was rather informing the public she had not sanctioned the said change.
So who sanctioned the change?
On Thursday, August 28, 2025 Joy FM’s broadcast journalist Kofi Hayford called the Acting Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park Dr. Collins Nunyonameh for clarity on the issue, but he declined to speak.
I have personally called the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mabel Delassie to seek information on the development but she said as of the time I called she had no information to share with me, and that she would make it public once it is available.
But the big question is, why would the Director at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park be running away from answering simple questions about changing inscriptions on a signage? Also, why wouldn’t a whole Ministry PRO have information on it? Why would the GTA CEO Maame Efua Houadjeto hurriedly release a press statement to dissociate herself from the change when no one had publicly said or implied so?
It is worthy of note that even though the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is a tourism facility and works in tandem with the Ghana Tourism Authority, it is a autonomous agency just like the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Creative Arts Agency, National Commission on Culture or any of the 13 agencies under the ministry. The person in charge of the Kwame Nkrumah Park is Dr Collins Nunyonameh. The change couldn’t have been done without his knowledge. But did he inform powers at the top of the ministry before doing that?
I am not sure we would be changing signages just at the behest of agitators. That is not healthy for our country. Such actions are incendiary! Even if you wanted to change it, it should not be done when tensions are high. To me, that was a very careless decision taken. At best, he could have added the Ga greeting to the Akan and Ewe.
The agitation
The Ga agitators have argued that Akan and Ewe greetings on the welcome signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra should be replaced with a Ga inscription. A few days after their agitation, the inscription was changed.
Their campaign was extended to the Kotoka International Airport, where they demanded that the word ‘Akwaaba’ be replaced with ‘Oobakɛ.’
Images circulating online, believed to be AI-generated, show the airport signage altered to reflect the Ga greeting, although reports indicate that the original Akwaaba signage remains unchanged.
The controversy has reignited conversations about the pressure on Ga culture, given Accra’s cosmopolitan character and its status as Ghana’s capital city.
The Akwaaba vs ‘Oobakɛ’ debate
Back in school, I learnt during history lessons that Akan words like paano, krataa, asopatre were of Portuguese origin. These were corrupted versions of the Portuguese words pao, carta, and sapateiro.
I learnt that the English language, like many other languages, has many words that are of Greek, Latin, French, Japanese, Dutch, German, Italian origins.
In Ghana, there are so many words we use across various tribes and ethnic groups that have assumed a national acceptance and usage.
A word like osofo used for a Christian priest in Ewe and Ga, is borrowed from the Akan word Osofo, to mean same. Did you know that Ayeeko, which is a widely used across the country to mean “well done” is originally a Ga word? What about Chalewote, the slippers or Chale the term for buddy? Do we really think about which language it is when using words like dumsor and akpeteshie? And did you know Akwaaba is originally Fantse and not Asante?
What is my point? Language grows. And language is part of culture. Culture is fluid. Culture is sometimes borrowed, culture is sometimes influenced by other cultures.
Some of the words you thought were truly indigenous to your tribe have their origins in other foreign languages. It is even possible the type of dressing you thought was exclusive to your tribe was borrowed from other cultures. Due to migration, inter-marriages, trade, colonisation, and globalisation, no culture has retained its original form.
But let’s ask ourselves: Do the Gas have a point in trying to preserve and project their culture? Yes, they do. Do they have a point in complaining about being excluded in signages of national significance? Yes, especially when they are on their lands.
However, as we strive to preserve, and protect our various forms of culture, we shouldn’t forget that certain words and expressions although from certain tribes, have assumed national value to the extent that they are considered more Ghanaian than Ga, Ewe, Bono, Okere or Dagbani. Having ‘Oobakɛ’ at the airport is no issue. Adding it to ‘Akwaaba’ is not a big deal. If we could, we should even litter greetings of the over 70 Ghanaian languages everywhere but of what essence would that be?
The Gas are right when they say the airports in Ho, Tamale and Kumasi have greetings in their local languages so the one in Accra should have same. We will be unfair to dismiss that argument.
However, because Akwaaba, which has assumed a national brand just like Ayeekoo, Chale or Agoo, has been used as signage at the airport for decades, we might just have to leave it untouched.
The current agitation has created awareness of the Ga greeting ‘Oobakɛ’ which means welcome. Prior to this, even most Gas didn’t know about it.
Nii Kwardey Ntreh, a cultural activist and storyteller at the Ga Mantse Palace, told me on Showbiz A-Z on Joy FM that the Ga greeting has always existed.
“‘Oobakɛ’ means you shall surely come. See, there is an expectation inbuilt when we speak with the long opening vowel. It’s a future participle. ‘Oobakɛ’ means we expect foreigners to come and live with us,” he said.
Nii described the word as “exoteric” because it is not often used.
“Everyday language uses the basic Ga but within the circles of traditional leaders and elders they still use it.”
He added that in daily speech Gas usually say “atuu.”
Moving forward, there should be a conscious effort to get ‘Oobakɛ’ featured at national edifices that are yet to be established, or those that don’t have already marketed greetings.
Influential Ga people and traditional authorities should start using them too. The Ga land has gone through so much cultural pressure due to its cosmopolitan and Capital City status – and we must all help them retain at least some core parts of what defines and binds them.
Unity in diversity
Above all this, we are one people bounded by common values. Ga man Sammy Odame wears fugu more than some Northerners. People queue to eat fufu regardless of where they come from. It’s so with waakye lovers. Ga kenke has been the staple for most of us across the country. When we are enjoying these delicacies, we don’t question their origin.
I am not for the change of words on national signages that have been well marketed to any other due to agitations for representation. The best we could do is to add up.
However, there can be unity in diversity. By way of showing the world how rich and diverse our culture is, we should be intentional about getting various cultures well represented on the national level.
For example, instead of the Ghana Tourism Authority always using a particular type of music and dance ensemble to welcome visitors at the airport, they could try others.
Let’s break the monotony. We have too many beautiful ensembles littered across the country to be stuck to only one. It gets boring, sometimes.
We should respect various tribes and their cultures but also be sensitive to our national pride.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
John Dramani Mahama is the president of Ghana
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