The Konor of Manya Krobo, Nene Sakite II, has called on traditional rulers to continue to work with law makers to come out with the appropriate legislation to identify and protect the country’s heritage sites.
Nene Sakite, who made the call when he addressed the 2nd Conference on Archaeology and Heritage Management in Ghana, indicated that such legislation apart from saving such sites from destruction by developers, would also make it possible for planners to explore and harness them for sustainable development.
The two-day conference, on the theme: “Harnessing Ghana’s Heritage Resources for Sustainable Development,” was organised by the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies of the University of Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
In attendance were traditional rulers, other dignitaries and the deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Dzifa Gomashie.
According to Nene Sakite, Ghana had a lot of heritage sites that must be protected by a legislation otherwise such sites which portrayed the rich culture of the people would be lost.
“Countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have such laws so it is a crime to develop any land without conducting a cultural resources survey to identify and access any cultural sites that may be affected, he said.”
Nene Sakite stressed the need for the various stakeholders to be mobilised to increase research, information dissemination and knowledge about the relevance of the country’s heritage.
He said it was, therefore, inspiring that an increasing number of Ghanaian archaeologists and heritage management professionals were courageously digging deep into Ghana’s rich historical landscape and cultural resource reservoir as a way of mainstreaming the sector.
Manya Krobo, Nene Sakite indicated, had welcomed that initiative and that of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies of the Museums and Monuments Board, adding that as a custodian of the Krobo Mountain site, the ancestral home of the Krobos, he was delighted to be part of the event.
Others who addressed the gathering included Ms Dzifa Abla Gomashie, Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, and Prof. Kodzo Gavua, of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies.
By A. Kofoya-Tetteh/Daily Graphic/Ghana
