The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced that it is unaware of a supposed replacement of Akan and Ewe inscriptions on the welcome signage at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra with a Ga greeting.

Reports on social media suggested that the greetings ‘Akwaaba’ (Akan) and ‘Woezor’ (Ewe) had been swapped with the Ga word ‘Oobakɛ.’ The claims followed earlier calls by some Ga citizens for their language to be included on the park’s signage.

In a statement, GTA Chief Executive Officer, Maame Efua Houadjeto, said wrote:

“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 explained that the inscriptions remain unchanged and continue to reflect Ghana’s cultural diversity. She added that any modification to the signage would require approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as well as the relevant agencies.

Mrs Houadjeto stressed that the GTA had no knowledge of the alleged changes and did not sanction any alteration. She urged the public to disregard the misinformation and continue to support the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park as a national symbol.

The controversy arises from concerns raised by sections of the Ga community, who argue that it is unfair to exclude their language from signages on national infrastructure situated on Ga land.

The debate has since extended to Kotoka International Airport, where some campaigners are demanding that the inscription “Akwaaba” be replaced with ‘Oobakɛ’.

Images circulating online, believed to be AI-generated, show the airport’s signage altered to reflect the Ga word.