File photo of the Ghana National Theater against the backdrop of Gulf of Guinea (Xinhua/Lin Xiaowei)

Ghana on Sunday marked the 65th anniversary of its independence from British colonial rule with a national parade in Cape Coast, capital of the Central Region.

Addressing the parade, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reiterated the preparedness of his government to continue to protect the territorial integrity, peace, and security of Ghana amid the turbulence in the West African subregion.

"Our efforts at transforming the Ghanaian economy and laying the foundation for progress and prosperity would be futile if we fail to secure our borders to give Ghanaians freedom to go about their daily activities in an atmosphere of peace and security," said Akufo-Addo.

The president bemoaned the growing terrorist attacks from the Sahel region toward the southern coastal states, urging Ghanaians to cooperate with the security services in the discharge of their duty of protecting the country from external and internal aggression.

"When citizens and security services work together to ensure our country is secured, we can channel our energies and resources into building a progressive and prosperous nation," added the president.

2022's celebration marked the second time the national parade was held outside the capital of Accra, after the 2020 event held in Kumasi. The 64th-anniversary parade was called off due to the surge in COVID-19 in early 2021.

The West African country became the first Sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence on March 6, 1957, under its founding president Kwame Nkrumah.

Xinhua