President John Dramani Mahama has pledged that government will make adequate budgetary provision in 2027 to restore the Cape Coast Castle and other heritage sites to safeguard their status as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and strengthen Ghana’s tourism sector.
Speaking after inspecting the Cape Coast Castle as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Central Region, President Mahama said preserving Ghana’s forts and castles remains a national priority due to their historical significance and contribution to tourism.
“This is part of my Resetting Agenda Tour to the Central Region, and as part of the tour, we have been looking at the impact of our policies on different sectors,” the President said.
He explained that the regional tour had taken him to a newly completed CHPS compound under the Free Primary Healthcare Programme, the sod-cutting ceremony for a 24-hour market, and the inspection of an ongoing road project before concluding with a visit to the Cape Coast Castle.
“Tourism is an important sector in our economy, and we’re also investing in tourism in order that it can play its role in terms of our national progress,” he noted.
President Mahama expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of the Cape Coast Castle, noting that the site’s UNESCO World Heritage designation places an obligation on Ghana to maintain it to internationally accepted standards.
“As you know, it’s been listed as a historical heritage site by UNESCO. We have to keep it to a certain standard so that it qualifies to remain listed,” he said.
The President disclosed that Cabinet had earlier in the week discussed a report presented by the Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts on the condition of Ghana’s forts and castles and the risk of losing their UNESCO status if urgent restoration works are not undertaken.
“The Minister brought a report about the state of the forts and castles and the threats by UNESCO to delist our forts and castles from the World Heritage List,” he revealed.
“But I can assure you that in next year’s budget, we’re going to make adequate provision to restore this place so that we keep it listed as a historical site.”
President Mahama also reflected on Ghana’s leadership in the global campaign for reparative justice, recalling the recent Next Steps Conference on Reparations hosted by Ghana following the adoption of a United Nations resolution on restitutive justice.
He said a dramatic reenactment of the transatlantic slave trade by the School of Performing Arts profoundly moved delegates attending the conference.
“The performance moved a lot of our visitors to tears. Indeed, the son of Marcus Garvey, Dr. Julius Garvey, was one of the delegates, and he actually broke down in tears,” President Mahama recounted.
He said the reenactment vividly portrayed the suffering endured by enslaved Africans as they were marched over long distances, confined in dungeons, and eventually shipped across the Atlantic.
“Nothing prepares you for when you see the reenactment of the way the slaves were treated,” he said.
The President commended the School of Performing Arts for preserving Ghana’s history through artistic performances and announced that the group had received an international invitation to perform in Barbados later this year.
“The Prime Minister of Barbados invited me to attend the unveiling of a slavery monument and asked that I bring along my School of Performing Arts children to perform there. So the good news for them is that they are going to Barbados before the end of this year to reenact this performance,” he announced.
President Mahama further underscored the historical significance of Ghana’s forts and castles, noting that they served as departure points for enslaved Africans from across West Africa, many of whose descendants continue to visit Ghana in search of their ancestral roots.
“Ghana is noted to have the most forts and castles along our coastline. Many of the enslaved people, even those brought from outside our present-day borders, passed through here before they were taken away,” he said.
He therefore called on the Ministry of Tourism and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board to maintain the country’s heritage sites to world-class standards to preserve their historical value and attract more visitors from the African diaspora.
“The Ministry of Tourism has to keep this place in good shape so that it remains attractive for people who come to reconnect with their history and understand what happened here,” President Mahama said.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
