REACTIVE MONITORING MISSION TO GHANA’S FORTS AND CASTLES 2020

From the 1st -10th of February this year, the Secretariat joined the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board to facilitate a joint WHC/ICOMOS/ICCROM Reactive Monitoring Mission to the country’s Forts and Castles. The Reactive Monitoring Mission was a follow up to the joint WHC/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory Mission to the Forts and Castles facilitated by the Secretariat and GMMB last year. The Reactive Monitoring Mission was also in pursuant to decision 43 COM 7B. 106 of the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd Session at Baku in Azerbaijan.

The team joined by Mr. Christopher Wetcher from the Secretariat spent 10 days visiting all the 28 Forts and Castles along the coast of the country to evaluate their overall state of conservation of the properties giving particular attention to the conditions of authenticity and integrity that make up its Outstanding Universal Value. The Mission was generally successful with GMMB demonstrating its readiness to effectively manage the properties by initiating the development of a management plan for the components. The team from the WHC is yet to release their report and recommendations which will give the country the next step of action.