An aerial view of the Cape Coast Castle
The government has made available GH₵22 million for the rehabilitation of six forts and castles across the country.
The rehabilitation works will focus on repairing cracks and tears, reroofing, and transforming portions of the existing facilities into museums and tourism sites to tell the African story.
Mr. Kwesi Essel Blankson, the Executive Director of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, who led a delegation to Fort Orange in Sekondi and subsequently paid an introductory visit to the Mayor of STMA, Mr. Fredrick Faustinus Faidoo, said, “We hope to complete rehabilitation works on Fort Orange within a year.”
The project will preserve history, serve as a heritage site, and drive domestic tourism.
“This project focuses on protecting these historically significant structures, which played a role in the gold trade and later the slave trade,” he added.
Fort Orange in Sekondi is one of the six selected out of the 28 across various regions of Ghana, including the Volta, Greater Accra, Central, and Western Regions.
The contractor and consultant are already on site to commence the project, he added, and appealed to residents to keep the beachfront clean to attract tourists.
“After all is said and done, if the city is not clean, it will be very difficult to attract tourists because no tourist would want to spend time in a dirty environment.”
Mr. Fredrick Faustinus Faidoo, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, assured the group of the assembly’s readiness to assist in executing the project.