Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, reminded everybody to accept to put the nation ahead of selfish interest and other consideration.  He added that they upheld the values of hard work, honesty and getting right with the law.

That, he said was the way forward to put the nation on the path of development.

Mr. Osei-Mensah advised all to avoid doing anything likely to hold back the progress of the country. He noted that Ghana would not be where it was today - would have seen tremendous improvement in the lives of the people, if the right things had been done everybody.

The parade was under the command of Captain Hope Elorm Gamor, of the Fourth Infantry Battalion (4BN) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and present were Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, heads of departments, chiefs and the general the public.

There was poetry recitals - recounting not only the successes achieved over the period but highlighted the challenges and proffered solutions to make things better.   “Ghana beyond aid”, was the theme for this year’s anniversary celebration.

Mr. Osei-Mensah underlined the unswerving commitment of the government to fight corruption and protect the public purse.   He said the law would deal with anybody caught to have engaged in acts of financial malfeasance, regardless of political affiliation.  He denounced the mismanagement of the economy over the years’ people with the responsibility of protecting the nation’s resources, resulting in mass poverty.

He called for the people to give strong support to the government in its drive to restore fiscal discipline in the management of the economy.

By Stephen Asante/Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA