President John Dramani Mahama is expected to lead a wreath-laying ceremony at Asomdwee Park on July 24 as Ghana marks the 14th anniversary of former President John Evans Atta Mills’ death.
The J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage announced a programme of activities celebrating the former president’s life and public service. Professor Mills died in office on July 24, 2012.
The programme began on July 15 and will conclude on July 25 with a memorial hockey tournament at the Theodosia Okoh National Hockey Pitch in Accra.
A commemorative lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Kofi Ohene-Konadu Auditorium of the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
Cardiothoracic surgeon and former Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng will deliver the lecture on the theme, “President John Evans Atta Mills, 14 Years On.”
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Libya Hanna Serwaa Tetteh will chair the event. She previously served as Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade and Industry.
The principal memorial ceremony will take place at Asomdwee Park near Osu Castle on Friday, July 24. President Mahama will lay a wreath on behalf of the state.
Other wreaths will be laid for Parliament, the late president’s widow Ernestina Naadu Mills, the Mills family, the National Democratic Congress, the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage and the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.
The ceremony combines a memorial service with the wreath laying at the burial and commemorative site established for Professor Mills. It is the central public event on the anniversary date.
The hockey tournament on July 25 reflects the former president’s association with sport and provides the final activity in the announced schedule. The participating teams and match format were not listed in the initial programme.
Professor Mills served as Ghana’s president from January 2009 until his death in July 2012. He had earlier served as vice-president from 1997 to 2001.
The memorial organisation holds anniversary activities to preserve records of his political career and promote discussion of the values associated with his public life. The 2026 programme uses a lecture, state ceremony and sporting event rather than a single observance.
The July 22 lecture precedes the anniversary ceremony by two days, and the hockey tournament follows it the next day. The sequence places the historical discussion before the state memorial and closes with the sporting event.
Alex Segbefia, chairperson of the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage, announced the activities at a press conference in Accra. The organisation selected Professor Frimpong-Boateng and Ms Tetteh for the lecture’s speaker and chairperson roles.
The events involve state officials, the former president’s family, his political party, traditional authorities and members of the public. Their separate wreaths represent the institutions and relationships included in the ceremony.
No admission arrangements were announced for the public events. The lecture venue, memorial site and hockey pitch were confirmed with the dates in the anniversary schedule.
The anniversary date falls on Friday, July 24.
The commemoration remains distinct from official state business conducted by the current administration. President Mahama’s role on July 24 is to lay the national wreath during the memorial service.
The latest programme places the lecture on July 22, the Asomdwee Park ceremony on July 24 and the hockey tournament on July 25, completing three principal stages of the 14th anniversary observance.
