Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions

• Erosion (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Housing, (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Commercial development
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure
• Illegal construction
• Interpretative and visitation facilities
• Ground transport infrastructure
• Ground Water Pollution
• Solid waste
• Management systems/management plan (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Legal Framework
• Financial resources
• Heavy rain (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Wind (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Changes to oceanic waters
• Salt-laden atmosphere (issue resolved in 1998 but significant again in 2019)
• Lack of maintenance of built fabric

Total amount granted: USD 26,770 provided in 2007 by the Australia Trust Fund for the project "Cleaning Ussher Fort; USD 49,261 received in 2007 by the European Commission for the project "External Works for the Restoration and Redevelopment of Parts of Ussher Fort"; USD 33,593 provided in 2019 by the UNESCO / Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for the project "The rehabilitation of Ussher Fort Slave Museum and Documentary Centre"; USD 35,377 provided in 2021 by the government of France for the "Consolidation of Fort Amsterdam (Ghana) for Conserving and Preserving Heritage for sustainable Development".

On 23 January 2023, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/34/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

• Collapses occurred at the Fort at British Komenda and Fort Vernon. Emergency funding facilitated repairs at the former. Structural surveys of all property components are to commence in early 2023. Preliminary reports will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• Consolidation works on the south-western section of Fort Amsterdam is ongoing thanks to funding from the Government of France;
• Monitoring only occurs at components staffed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). Expansion is hampered by logistic and staffing constraints;
• The lack of delineated boundaries, combined with urban development pressures is leading to encroachment. Delineation of all the components boundaries and buffer zones to commence in mid-2023;
• The new Integrated Management Plan (IMP) was submitted and reviewed twice by ICOMOS. Finalization was expected in February 2023;
• Signage for improved on-site interpretation is being installed at all components. The IMP includes actions to engender local awareness of the property;
• The statutes for the new National Heritage Committee and Culture and Heritage Development Act were submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review;
• The ‘Elmina Tourism Bay’ project was cancelled. A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) was undertaken on the alternative ‘Elmina Iconic Project’. The ICOMOS Review’s recommendations are being considered by the State Party. The Fort St Anthony at Axim project is being redesigned;
• Work at Victoria Park at Fort Saint Anthony commenced in 2021. The design is under review and will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• The Jamestown Fishing Harbour project has continued despite attempts by GMMB to engage the project sponsors and developers. The State Party seeks the advice of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies on means to retrospectively mitigate this projects’ impact;
• Conformity to the Committee's request to halt the interventions at Fort Fredensborg was unachievable due to the urgent need to address coastal erosion. The remains of this fort will be stabilized after the project;
• The importance of developing an inventory and documentation informing critical maintenance, restoration and interpretation is acknowledged, but the State Party lacks available resources;
• Updates will be provided to the World Heritage Centre on progress made in engaging the UNESCO "Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage" Project.
• Conservation is hampered by funding and personnel limitations and insufficient research and documentation.

The State Party’s continued commitment to the conservation and management of this property, combined with its commitment to communicate with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies is both welcome and commendable. The State Party's reports of further collapses at components of the property are cause for grave concern. Although the quick remedial work undertaken at the Fort at British Komenda highlights that with assistance, the integrity of the property can be improved, it also illustrates the urgency for the State Party to become proactive in order to prevent further decay of the property's components. The intervention at Fort Amsterdam can serve as a positive example, yet still far too rare.

Indeed, the draft IMP notes that the property suffers from “insufficient coordination”, which leads to “non-cooperation of projects and cumbersome administration impeding project implementation”. This certainly explains why the harbour projects at Jamestown and Fort Fredensborg at Old Ningo have continued despite the Committee's or the Secretariat's request and the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission’s recommendation to halt them. While consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies is sought for the redesigned project at Elmina, this has not yet taken place regarding the project at Fort Anthony, and the State Party is to be reminded of the importance to ensure consultation prior to all major interventions at the property's components, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

The completion of the new IMP is an important step towards improving this situation. Implementation of impact assessment procedures for projects is likewise significant. The initiatives to undertake a structural assessment of all built components of the property and to define boundaries and buffer zones are welcome.

However, it should be noted in this context that the need to define the boundaries of each component and delineate the buffer zone for each one was already identified in 1996 (CONF 202 IV.7) and 1998 (CONF 203 VII.35). Also, the State Party reported in 2019 that it was initiating a process to survey all components of the property, delineate boundaries and buffer zones, create a Heritage Fund and appoint 60 new members of staff for the GMMB. Therefore, the State Party’s current report of human resource limitations and its inability to timely implement some Committee requests, are a great cause for concern.

The 2020 mission reported that components of the property are continuously decaying and highlighted the urgency of securing them and implementing immediate remedial actions for the structurally weak elements. The State Party has not responded to the Committee's request to invite a new Reactive Monitoring mission to the property. The Committee may wish to reiterate this request, and also request that the State Party provide an update on all projects at all components of the property in advance of any Reactive Monitoring mission taking place. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review, full details of the development projects at any component of the property, and in particular those at Elmina, Jamestown, Old Ningo and Axim, including the timelines for their further implementation and indicate opportunities for mitigation of possible impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

The State Party should also be invited to provide a report on the implementation of the IMP, further development of a disaster risk management plan, provide details on the establishment of the Heritage Fund, or other funding for each Fort and Castle, creation of a scientific and technical committee, plan for stabilization and restoration of the attributes, implementation of development authorizations, urban encroachment management and expedite the development of an inventory that contains documentation and information critical to the maintenance, restoration, and interpretation of the property.

As the State Party needs to meet several significant challenges, the Committee may wish to invite the international community to assist the State Party in achieving improved protection and management of this property.