The Osu Castle, Accra is a favorite tourist attraction in the city and also acts as the seat of government in Ghana. The Osu Castle is also known as the 'Fort Christiansborg' or more simply as the 'Castle'. The history of the fort can be raced back to the 16th century and has gone through a number of hand before being substantially built by the Danish in the 1660s. The fort served as the seat of government since the British colonial rule and continues to do so even today. The tourist coming to Accra make it a point to visit the Osu Castle, Accra as it gives then a comprehensive knowledge about the history of the place as well as of the country.
In the year 1960, the Osu Castle was transformed into the house of the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah when the country became a republic. More rooms were built to accommodate Queen Elizabeth in the year 1961. The castle became the topic of controversy in 2005 on whether it should be replaced and made the seat of government. But President John Kufor was of the opinion that the government could not have a seat in the castle as it was previously associated with slavery and also because of the fact that the facilities here were not adequate enough. The argument put forward by the National Democratic Congress MPs were hat a new palace for the president would cost a huge sum of money which could be conveniently used for some other work.
There are about 2,100 workers working at the Osu Castle itself. Though this castle is the main seat of the government but the other buildings are also used for this purpose. The castle has been visited by international dignitaries including Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon (U.S. Presidents) and Gerhard Schroder (German Chancellor). There are many facilities that are provided by the castle including a shopping center, a clinic, a post-office and a cafe where the employees can catch up with their friends. There is a permanent garrison stationed at the Osu Castle. The beautiful garden extending over quite a large area houses both imported and local variety of plants which are taken care of by 30 people. Though the tourists are not allowed to enter the Osu Castle, the travelers still make it a point to at least catch a glimpse of it while they pass-by.
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