President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, The Commander- in- Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces took the salute.Earlier, he lit the perpetual flame to signify the spirit and the bond of unity among Ghanaians geared towards mobilising for accelerated national development.                      

He also lit the Independence Torch and handed it over to the world legendary boxing personality and Ghana’s own hero, Barima Azuma Nelson. Azuma would tour the 10 regions and return to the Independence Square on March 6, 2018, with the lit torch.  

Group Captain Joshua Mensah Lakai, riding a 15-year old horse, "Fear Not", was the Parade Commander of the 18 contingents, made up of nine males and nine females.They were from the Ghana Navy, the Ghana Army, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Ambulance Service.

Their ceremonial outfits gave them a smart and purposeful turnout to the admiration of their audience, who applauded their spectacular formations, including that of “Ghana @ 60”.There were also 12 contingents of Basic and senior high schools drawn from the Greater Accra Region, who kick started the march past at exactly 10:49 hours, but took their seats thereafter to watch their professional comrades.

The colour party, featuring the national colours of Red, Yellow, Green and Black, was led by Flight Lieutenant Samuel Adjei Afum. Providing the melodious patriotic music to facilitate the strides of the marchers were the mass bands from the Ghana Armed Forces.Some cultural displays also followed the retirement of the student contingents to provide continuous excitement for the people who had come from far and near to celebrate Ghana, under the theme: “Ghana@ 60; Mobilising for the future".                       

Some Market Women from the Makola and Agblobloshie markets also provided a lot of fun when they joined the parade carrying vegetables and food stuffs.President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo were among the dignitaries, who graced the occasion.Fourteen African countries, including The Gambia, Nigeria, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, Morocco, Togo, Rwanda, Guinea, Mali, Gabon and Liberia participated in the event.

Some Heads of State and Prime Ministers were represented by their Speakers of Parliament and Foreign Ministers.The President, dressed in a white smock, arrived at the parade grounds with his wife, Rebecca, splendidly dressed in a kente outfit.Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and his spouse, Samira, also dressed to reflect Ghana’s good taste in fabrics and fashion, were seated at the dais, in wait for the Commander-in-Chief of Ghana’s Armed Forces.

The Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Ocquaye, Former Presidents John Dramani Mahama, John Agyekum Kufuor, Jerry John Rawlings, traditional and religious leaders, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Members of Parliament, Ministers of State and Members of the Council of State, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police were all at the big occasion.So were Ghanaians from all walks of life, who were mostly dressed in the national clothing and colours, to reflect the national mood of celebrating 60 years of independence from British Colonial rule.