Ghana is launching a major climate adaptation initiative to protect its historic Forts and Castles World Heritage Property, with South Korea providing US$4.5 million to safeguard some of the country’s most important coastal heritage sites from the growing impacts of climate change.
The five-year Korea-Ghana Heritage Project on Climate Change Impact on Forts and Castles of Ghana World Heritage Property will run from 2026 to 2030 and focus on strengthening the resilience of vulnerable UNESCO-listed sites along Ghana’s coastline.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Abla Dzifa Gomashie said the project would address climate-related threats including coastal erosion, flooding, salt-induced deterioration, structural instability and extreme weather.
The first phase of the project will target six heritage sites in the Greater Accra Region: Ussher Fort and James Fort in Jamestown, Christiansborg Castle in Osu, Fort Augustaborg in Teshie, Fort Vernon in Prampram and Fort Fredensborg in Old Ningo.
According to the Minister, the project will establish a scientific climate-risk assessment and monitoring system for the selected sites while supporting the development of national and site-specific climate response policies.
“It will further strengthen institutional and technical capacity for climate-responsive heritage management while developing integrated data systems and climate-risk mapping for the sites,” she said.
The initiative will be implemented through a multi-stakeholder partnership involving government institutions, technical agencies, local communities, academic institutions and international partners.
Madam Gomashie said local communities would play an active role in protecting and preserving the heritage sites, while a significant component of the project would focus on capacity building and technical training.
As part of that effort, six Ghanaian experts have already completed a two-week intensive training programme in South Korea on climate change response policies for forts and castles, and six site managers are scheduled to undergo two months of specialised training in South Korea later this year.
The project aligns with the UNESCO World Heritage Climate Action Policy 2023, the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goals 11 and 13, and recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.
The Ghana-South Korea initiative is expected to strengthen the country’s expertise in climate-responsive heritage conservation and enhance Ghana’s role in regional and international discussions on protecting cultural heritage from climate change.
The project will be officially launched on August 26, 2026, with representatives from the UNESCO authorities of both Ghana and South Korea expected to participate.
