It was hosted by the W.E B Du Bois Museum Foundation, a non-governmental organisation under the theme “Du Bois Lives On: 40 Years, Four Generations, One Legacy.”

The W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation was the organisation that was currently working to redevelop and rebrand the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre in Ac­cra into a premier global institu­tion and heritage site, in partner­ship with the government.

The W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture served as the final resting of the late Dr W.E.B Du Bois, a Pan-Af­ricanism activist and his wife, Shir­ley Graham Du Bois.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Dzifa Go­mashie, in a speech read on her behalf by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mrs Maame Efua Houadjeto, said it was a privilege for the ministry to partner with the W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation to redevelop and rebrand the memorial centre.

She described the late Dr Du Bois as a true Pan-Africanist who stood for justice and fairness and the emancipation of Africans in the United States pf America and beyond.

“May researchers and tourists from around the globe find more knowledge and renewed commit­ment to the struggle for freedom and justice here at the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-Af­rican Culture,” Mrs Gomashie said.

The Executive Director of the Jerry John Rawlings Foundation, Yaa Asantewaa Agyeman-Rawl­ings, said that the redevelopment and rebranding of the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-Af­rican Culture was a testament to Ghana’s commitment to Pan-Af­ricanism.

Additionally, she said that the establishment of the memorial centre in 1985 by the late Pres­ident Rawlings, represented an act of historical reclamation that affirmed Dr Du Bois as a periph­eral figure that was at the heart of Ghana’s identity.

“We at the J.J. Rawlings Foun­dation shall do what we can to ensure that the memorial centre remains a vital hub for promoting Pan-Africanism, cultural exchange, and education,” Yaa Asantewaa Agyeman-Rawlings said.

The Executive Director of the W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foun­dation, Mr Japhet Aryiku, said that it was to raise US$ 100,000 to transform the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture into a stand alone library, a museum, a conference centre, art theatre, and a hostel.

“All the money that we are going to invest in here, there is no money going back anywhere. It is not a loan. It is a grant,” Mr Aryiku said.

In addition, he said that an amount of US$ 2.6 million had already been spent on the archi­tecture of the redevelopment and rebranding project alone.

He, therefore, called for the support of the government and the citizenry to support the rede­velopment and rebranding of the memorial centre as it would be managed by Ghanaians.

The great grandson of Dr W.E.B Du Bois, Mr Jeffrey Du Bois Peck, pledged his commit­ment to preserving and promoting the legacy of his great grandfa­ther.

Former First Lady, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings expressed gratitude to the late President Rawlings and late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah for champion­ing the legacy of Dr W.E.B Du Bois.

The ceremony was also to celebrate the 78th birthday of late President Rawlings and was attended by former Executive Directors of the memorial centre, former ministers of state, and ambassadors.