The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has stressed the importance of people-to-people exchanges and cultural understanding in Ghana’s growing heritage conservation partnership with the Republic of Korea.
The minister recalled the warm reception accorded Ghana’s delegation during its recent visit to Korea, describing the interactions and sharing of cultures between the two countries as particularly meaningful.
She said the partnership should go beyond financial and technical support to promote human connections and deepen cultural understanding, particularly among the younger generation.
The Minister made the remarks when she received a delegation from the Korean National Commission for UNESCO in Accra as part of ongoing discussions on a heritage conservation project between Ghana and Korea.
Ms. Gomashie expressed satisfaction with the progress of the collaboration since her visit to Korea, saying the initiative had generated significant interest within the Ghanaian Government.
She disclosed that she had briefed Cabinet on the partnership and that President John Dramani Mahama was pleased with the progress and steps being taken to advance the project.
According to the Minister, the partnership was particularly important in view of recommendations made by UNESCO in 2022 and 2024 for Ghana to take concrete measures to safeguard its heritage sites.
“We promise and assure you of our support to ensure that this is very successful,” she said.
Ms. Gomashie also disclosed that she had engaged the Danish Ambassador to Ghana on possible collaboration to improve the condition of Osu Castle, which was established during Danish rule.
She explained that Denmark had expressed interest in supporting work at the castle and said she had further proposed to the Danish Ambassador that future cooperation could extend to Fort Prinzenstein in the Volta Region, another heritage site of Danish origin.
The Minister expressed appreciation to the Korean Government for supporting Ghana’s heritage conservation efforts, despite the absence of comparable monuments from Ghana in Korea, describing the partnership as an important example of international cooperation in heritage preservation.
On his part, Kwon Soo Han, a cultural anthropologist and member of the Korean heritage project team, expressed appreciation to the Ghanaian Government for its commitment to the collaboration.
He disclosed that the Director-General of UNESCO had recently visited the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and commended it as one of the three best examples of national commissions, alongside those of Germany and Britain.
Kwon said the UNESCO Director-General had also expressed interest in the Ghana-Korea project as an example of cooperation between national commissions that could be shared with other countries.
“I am very proud to have the chance to contribute to the promotion and protection of World Heritage in Ghana,” he said.
He commended the Ghanaian minister for her leadership and thanked the Ghana National Commission for UNESCO and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), which he described as the technical partner in the project.
Kwon said a major focus of the project would be to build the capacity of Ghanaian heritage professionals and decision-makers to enable them to eventually take full responsibility for protecting and managing the country’s heritage.
He said the Korean team would also engage communities around the heritage sites to understand their expectations and ensure that their views were reflected in the project, stressing that the support and participation of the Ghanaian people would be essential to its success
The Ministry hosted the visiting Korean delegation, UNESCO representatives and other partners to a dinner reception at Traffix, located within the National Theatre of Ghana. The evening featured pleasant Ghanaian highlife music and an array of sumptuous Ghanaian dishes, providing an opportunity for the guests to experience Ghanaian hospitality and culture.
Credit: Written with information from the PR UNIT of Ghana’s Tourism Ministry.
