By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Aug. 11, GNA – South Korea is supporting Ghana with a $4.5-million project to protect the country’s Forts and Castles World Heritage Property from climate change.
The five-year Korea-Ghana Heritage Project on Climate Change Impact on Forts and Castles of Ghana World Heritage Property will run from 2026 to 2030.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said the project would tackle climate-related threats to the coastal heritage sites, including erosion, flooding, salt-induced deterioration, structural instability and extreme weather.
She said this at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday.
The project would initially cover six heritage sites in the Greater Accra Region: Ussher Fort and James Fort at Jamestown, Christiansborg Castle at Osu, Fort Augustaborg at Teshie, Fort Vernon at Prampram and Fort Fredensborg at Old Ningo.
Madam Gomashie said the project would establish a scientific climate-risk assessment and monitoring system for the selected sites and support national and site-level climate response policies.
“It will further strengthen institutional and technical capacity for climate-responsive heritage management while developing integrated data systems and climate-risk mapping for the sites,” she added.
The Minister said the project would be implemented through a multi-stakeholder framework involving government institutions, technical agencies, local communities, academia and international partners.
The initiative is aligned with the UNESCO World Heritage Climate Action Policy 2023, the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 11 and 13, and recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.
Madam Gomashie said community participation would be promoted to make local communities active partners in protecting and preserving the heritage sites.
“As part of the capacity-building component, six experts from various stakeholder organisations have undergone two weeks of intensive training in climate change response policy for forts and castles in South Korea,” she said.
Six site managers are expected to undertake two months of site management training in South Korea between October and November 2026.
The Minister said additional stakeholders would receive training and skills development during the five-year project to strengthen Ghana’s expertise in climate-responsive heritage management.
The project is expected to enhance Ghana’s participation in regional and international discussions on climate change and heritage conservation.
It will be officially launched on August 26, 2026, at the forecourt of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, with Ghana’s and South Korea’s UNESCO counterparts expected to participate.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Morkporkpor Anku