PanAfrican Heritage World Museum

Location: Pomadze, Central Region, Ghana
Lead Architects: Unknown

A proposed PanAfrican museum project described as “the brainchild of Honorable Kojo Yankah, founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC)”. The creators of museum envision it as “a uniquely curated virtual and physical space located in Ghana which is dedicated to sharing the true story of Africa and its people under the watchful eye of the world’s most noted scholars from the birth of civilization to present day.” (pahw.org, 2020)

From the PanAfrican Heritage World website:

“The African story has been told for long in a way that has been contested by those whose stories are being told. Imagine a World-Class African Heritage Museum by Africans to tell the true African story.”
“The Pan African world is the Continent of Africa and the Diaspora – our history, ideals, culture, and civilization. The Diaspora includes peoples of African descent in all parts of the world.“
“The vision of the museum is to curate, preserve and communicate the history, ideals, philosophy, and cultural heritage of people of African descent within a 21st century context of social, economic and political development.”

The Museum project was “officially globally” launched on 21st September, 2020 at an event attended by the President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo, and during which an estimated cost of USD 30 million to complete the project was announced. The project website includes links for visitors to donate via gofundme and paypal. (PanAfrican Council, 2020). The president of Ghana pledged government support for the project on 6th May 2021. (Modern Ghana, 2021)

In May 2021, President Akufo-Addo broke ground for the construction of the museum at a sod-cutting ceremony, where he admonished the inhabitants of Pomadze “not to be an impediment to the construction of the museum”. (Modern Ghana, 2021). This is likely because he was thinking of other projects located in other Ghanaian communities which have been protested by local inhabitants because they were sidelined and marginalised in the execution of the projects. In his words:

“I urge you, residents of the area and those within this immediate catchment area to be mindful of the fact that you will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this project, so please, do not put any impediments in the way of investors or contractors. There should be a cordial relationship among you”

While I have not found at who the architects are at this point in time, this is what the reporters at Modern Ghana report on the architecture of the proposed museum which is billed by the creators to be the biggest in Africa: “The design of the Museum is shaped as a Horn. The Horn is synonymous with a trumpet which is a musical instrument often used in religious ceremonies. It is expected to be completed in July 2023.”