Ghana Targets $100 Million to Restore Slave-Era Forts Under Reparations Agenda
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
Ghana has unveiled plans to mobilise $100 million to rehabilitate its network of slave trade–era forts and castles, placing heritage preservation at the centre of its expanding reparations campaign. The initiative seeks to merge historical accountability with economic strategy by repositioning the sites as both memorial landmarks and revenue-generating tourism assets.
The country’s Special Envoy for Reparations, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, is pushing for closer coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to drive the fundraising effort. The proposal frames restoration not only as cultural preservation but as a structured component of Ghana’s international reparative justice advocacy.
Deputy Tourism Minister Yussif Issaka Jajah has endorsed the engagement, admitting that years of funding gaps have slowed rehabilitation work. Although GH₵22 million was allocated in 2025 for the restoration of six sites, officials acknowledge that the amount is insufficient to address deterioration across the full portfolio of 28 forts and castles.
Several of the landmarks, including Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, are inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. These coastal structures serve as powerful symbols of the transatlantic slave trade and remain among Ghana’s most visited historical attractions.
Despite their cultural and commercial value, many of the sites face structural weakening and environmental threats, particularly coastal erosion linked to rising sea levels. Preservation experts have warned that without substantial investment, some smaller forts risk irreversible damage.
The fundraising drive coincides with Ghana’s heightened global push on reparations. President John Dramani Mahama, currently serving as the African Union’s Champion for Reparations, has announced plans to present a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly seeking formal recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
If secured, the $100 million target would mark Ghana’s most ambitious attempt yet to align cultural restoration, diaspora engagement, and development financing within a single framework. Officials say achieving it will require sustained outreach to international donors, multilateral institutions, and diaspora communities, alongside continued domestic budgetary support.
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