UNESCO pledges support for PAHW Museum project

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNSECO) has pledged its support to the construction of the Pan African Heritage World (PAHW) Museum at Pomadze in the Central Region.

At the sod-cutting ceremony at Pomadze, Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, the UNESCO Representative in Ghana, congratulated the Executive Chairman of PAHW and his team for pioneering the historic museum.

He indicated that though there had been an increase in the number of museums globally, Africa had less than 1000 of them.

The UNESCO Representative said the PAHW museum project was a unique addition to the cultural heritage of Africa, a statement signed by Dr Akwasi Bosompem Boateng, the Director of Communication, PAHW, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said on Friday.

“I am confident the PAHW museum will not only serve as a reminder of diverse shared heritage of Africa and the Diasporas, but a major actor in telling the African story,” he said.

“It is commendable to know that in addition to showcasing artefacts looted during the colonization in Africa, this monumental PAHW museum will provide business, recreational and other facilities.”

“This indicates that museums are not just about buildings and artifacts.”

Mr Diallo expressed optimism that the museum would add the missing pages of the African story, and take over the narration of the history and civilization of Africans and Black people.

“Therefore, UNESCO promises to support this African heritage project for its successful completion in 2023. I am particularly looking forward to the official opening of the PAHW museum in 2023,” Mr Diallo said.

He said UNESCO had been involved in monumental projects in Africa since 1964, and remained committed to promoting Pan African initiatives.

Mr Kojo Yankah, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the PAHW museum project, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for supporting the project since its inauguration in 2020.

“We are grateful to UNESCO for the partnership and collaboration with PAHW to ensure that this museum for Africans and people of African Descent to tell our own story and shape our future is successfully completed in time,” he said.

The project has received endorsements from the Government, African Union Commission, Association of African Universities (AAU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

It is an international non-governmental organisation, 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, serving as an inspiration for generations to come.