A two-bedroom flat remains damaged and abandoned on the hills of Karimenga in Ghana’s North East Region for reasons unknown.
It’s thought to be where Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, hid.
With scruffy walls, warn-out ceilings, and damaged Water Closets, the structure that was built with firm blocks and galvanized iron so many years ago still appears sturdy.
The construction contains a water reservoir, and a detached structure is in a similar condition to the main structure.
During our visit to the neighborhood, we learned from Godwin Wuni, a community opinion leader, that the building served as a resting place for Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
According to him, the President utilized the building whenever he visited the Upper East region when he was alive.
The President erected an emergency exit behind his room with this type of architecture so that he could bolt if someone came for his life.
The presence of the building in the community, gave the people hope because Kwame Nkrumah provided them with a water reservoir where they could get potable water, while the detached building was used as an office for the Kasajan Quarry, which employed many people in the community.
The building, however, has remained abandoned since the President’s death, and despite visits by tourism officials on multiple occasions, nothing has been done about it.
The building is currently surrounded by weeds, and a piece of it now serves as a hideaway for smokers who smoke and defecate inside the structure.
According to Godwin, renovating the property will assist enhance the community’s fortunes by bringing in foreign cash and providing some kind of work.
With Ghana’s massive investment during the Year of Return and in “Destination Ghana,” a glance at this facility may have gone a long way toward improving the tourism business in the country’s North East area.
Karimenga is a rural town just a few kilometers from Bolgatanga, the regional headquarters of the Upper East. The residents here rely on subsistence farming, with nothing in the way of commercial activities.
Because the hamlet only has one basic school, which terminates at Primary Six, students who wish to continue their education must walk to a neighboring community.
