President Akufo-Addo cuts sod for the construction of the Pan African Heritage World Museum

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut sod for the construction of the Pan African Heritage World Museum at Pomadze Hills, near Winneba in the Central Region.

The sod-cutting ceremony on May 5, 2021, was attended by high-profile personalities including ministers of state, traditional and religious leaders, members of parliament, diplomats, statesmen and PAHW executive members, among others. The sod-cutting ceremony coincided with the celebration of the African World Heritage Day which was marked on May 5, 2021.

In his speech at the sod-cutting ceremony, the founder and executive chairman of PAHW, Hon. Kojo Yankah, expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for his determination and commitment to ensuring the successful completion of the museum project. The PAHW museum was inaugurated in September 2021 in a global virtual ceremony addressed by President Akufo-Addo.

Hon. Yankah said the rationale behind the construction of the museum, which is envisaged to be the biggest and first of its kind in Africa, will bridge the gap between Africans and peoples of African descent who have been separated for too long to teach, heal and inspire. “As peoples of African Descent, we have an obligation to unite and share a common place to bridge the wide gap that has existed among Africans through deliberate mis-education and historical suppression,” he stressed.

The executive chairman indicated that the PAHW museum project is for the entire world dedicated to the youth who need to learn, relearn and inspire themselves with the rich history, achievements and civilization of Africa from stories written by black people, which will be exhibited in the monumental museum at Pomadze. Hon. Yankah said Ghana was chosen for the location of the Pan African Heritage Museum because of its leadership role as a beacon of liberation on the continent as well as its historical association with the diasporas.

The executive president highlighted that the over 50-million-dollar museum complex will host galleries and theatre, heroes/heroines park, African herbal plant farm with chalets, international community center for concerts, festivals, youth meetings and games, palace of African kingdoms, residential accommodation, helicopter landing pad, parking and other facilities.

Hon. Yankah thanked various organizations for the incredible support to the construction, especially UNESCO, African Union Commission, Association of African Universities, international board of trustees, academic council, executive and curatorial board of PAHW, and called on all Africans and people of African descent to contribute to this important monument.

President Akufo-Addo, who cut the sod for the beginning of construction, was grateful to PAHW for siting the monumental museum in Ghana. He said he pledged his support and commitment to the museum after launching it in September 2020 because it is a remarkable project with numerous benefits to Africans and Ghanaians in particular.

On behalf of the people of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated the founder and executive chairman, Hon. Kojo Yankah, for bringing the museum project to fruition. The president said PAHW’s museum is in line with the government of Ghana’s efforts at identifying innovative pan African initiatives for development, which has come at a better time to promote the study of Africa and African history. “I am therefore glad that when this monumental project is completed it will enable people to learn about our cultures and history as Africans by seeing replicas and artefacts that that were taken away from the continent and kept in museums outside of Africa”, President Akufo-Addo stated.

Nana Akufo-Addo stressed that the PAHW museum project will play a key role in the “Beyond the Return Initiative” by the government of Ghana to encourage many Africans in the Diasporas to return home. He called on the traditional leaders and people of the Pomadze community to support the project because it will create many opportunities and jobs for the youth and development in the area.

For his part, the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Awal Mohamed, said the project is timely as Ghana seeks to be the hub of tourism in Africa and beyond. He stressed that the museum will not only add to the cultural and artistic assets of the country but create more jobs and contribute tremendously to the country’s development and revenue in the tourism and arts sector. Dr. Ahmed, therefore, assured PAHW’s executive chairman and his team of the continuous support of the ministry for the successful completion of the project in time.

The Pan African Heritage World Museum project has received endorsements from the African Union (AU) Commission, Government of Ghana (GOG), Association of African Universities (AAU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), among others.

The Pan African Heritage World Museum is an international non-governmental organization which seeks to create an environment for people of African descent and all others to discover and experience the true history of the Origins of Humanity, the Development of Cultures and the Great Civilizations of the Nile Valley up to the present that influenced the past, informs the present and will shape the future, serving as an inspiration for generations to come.

For more information, visit www.pahw.org.