Sekondi: The government has allocated GHS22 million for the rehabilitation of six forts and castles across the country. The initiative aims to repair cracks and tears, reroof structures, and transform portions of the existing facilities into museums and tourism sites to narrate the African story.

According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Kwesi Essel Blankson, the Executive Director of the Ghana Museums and Monument Board, led a delegation to Fort Orange in Sekondi and later visited the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Fredrick Faustinus Faidoo. Mr. Blankson stated, “We hope to complete rehabilitation works on Fort Orange within a year.”

The project is designed to preserve history, serve as a heritage site, and boost domestic tourism. It focuses on safeguarding these historically significant structures, which were integral to the gold trade and later the slave trade.

Fort Orange in Sekondi is among the six forts chosen out of the 28 located across various regions of Ghana, including the Volta, Greater Accra, Central, and Western Regions. The contractor and consultant are already on site to begin the project, and Mr. Blankson has urged residents to maintain a clean beachfront 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 on a dirty environment,” he noted.

Mr. Fredrick Faustinus Faidoo, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, assured the group of the assembly’s commitment to assisting in the project’s execution.