GHANA COMMISSION FOR UNESCO ORGANIZES INCEPTION MEETING FOR THE ICH PROJECT IN GHANA

On Wednesday, 23rd November 2022, the Ghana Commission for UNESCO organized an Inception Meeting to kickstart the ICH project in Ghana at the Ellking Hotel in Accra.

The Commission was joined by the UNESCO Accra Office, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, National Folklore Board, and the National Commission on Culture.

As part of its role, Ghana aims to take necessary measures to ensure safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) present in its territory through inventory making. However, the knowledge gap on the 2003 Convention and its underlying principles is worth addressing hence the urgent need for capacity building.

This project will therefore provide a critical mass of national competencies in safeguarding ICH and ensure inter- agency and inter – ministerial strategy for sectors in which ICH finds itself leading to the inclusion of cultural practices into development programs.

The above will be achieved through developing core national teams through training of the trainers and decentralising implementation with teams across the country (trained under the Training of Trainers (ToT) project)

The Inception meeting was a one-day consultative workshop that sought to kickstart the project by facilitating discussions on the selection of participants for training activities and also ensure full participation of the communities concerned in the planned activities and inventorying process.

The main Speakers for the opening ceremony were Mrs. Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, Secretary-General for Ghana Commission for UNESCO, Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, Head of Office, UNESCO Accra Office, Madam Bernice Ann Deh-Kumah, Executive Director, National Folklore Board, and Madam Janet Edna Nyame, Executive Director, National Commission on Culture.