The government has initiated steps to renovate the John Evans Atta Mills Presidential Library, nearly a decade after it fell into disrepair.

President John Mahama announced the plan on Thursday, July 24, during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of the late president’s death at the Asomdwee Park in Cape Coast.

Commissioned in July 2016 under the Mahama administration, the library was designed to serve as a center for research, education, and tourism, preserving the legacy of the late president.

However, years of neglect have left the facility in a deteriorated state, sparking criticism from the public and family members.

Addressing the gathering, President Mahama confirmed that plans were underway to restore the facility.

“The Honourable Kofi Totobi Quakyi has been involved with that library from the time it was built. After we left the office, it was handed over to the University of Cape Coast, I remember. It fell into a state of disrepair, and we have held this discussion already.

“I can tell you that Kofi Totobi and a small group are already working on bringing that memorial library back to the shape in which it should be, and we can be sure that we will let it achieve the objective for which it was set up,” President Mahama said.

Family members, including the late president’s sister, Araba Kwashie, had earlier appealed to the president to revive the library.

“The library, which was inaugurated about 10 years ago in Cape Coast, seems not to have anything going on there. As we are back, [We hope] something will happen,” she said.

The ceremony was attended by key figures, including Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, senior government officials, NDC party leaders, and relatives of the late president.