Gender, Tourism Ministries to facelift Efua Sutherland Children’s Park
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is partnering the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts to renovate the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra to make it more child-friendly and create an open, green and environmentally-friendly space.
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This is to create an environment where families can enjoy recreation during leisure time.
In an interview with the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, she said when she took over office in 2013, there were some challenges because the park had been leased out to a number of companies so there was the need to seek legal advice from the Attorney-General on what to do to terminate the leases and licenses.
She said to a large extent, the ministry had been able to address the legal issues and also entered into a memorandum of understanding with UT Life.
The two ministries, she said, are now in a process of preparing the redesigning works so that the Efua Sutherland Park would be developed along the lines of the Rattray Park in Kumasi.
She explained that the new look would include a green space – a quiet corner which will be green by maintaining the trees and lawns where people could sit, relax, read and reflect; a playground and an events section where programmes could be organised.
Nana Oye Lithur said these would be done so the three components could blend nicely.
“We are asking the children to bear with us. We are coming up with something really exciting that they will enjoy. It will take a bit of time but we will get there,” she added.
She said the ministry was committed to ensuring that there was a green space where children and families could go and enjoy some quiet atmosphere and also have a good time.
She said the Efua Sutherland Park was dear to her heart and promised to work hard to get it renovated because she remembered as a pupil at the Ridge Church School, every week, the whole class would go to the park, adding that “it was really an exciting time for us”.
She recalled there was a race course close to the school so pupils had the chance of going for horse rides at the park, swings, slides and a train and it was a wonderful experience at the park back then.
“I used to really enjoy going to the Efua Sutherland Park as a little girl at the Ridge Church School and I am hoping that as a minister, I would also be able to create that space where children can enjoy themselves.”
Furthermore, she said there were other parks that fell within the ministry’s jurisdiction such as the Dansoman Park, as well as in every region and there was the need to do more work to make the parks more child-friendly.
She appealed to corporate bodies and philanthropists to help the ministry create the spaces since it was important for the total development of children.