The inventory, compiled by the World Museum in Leiden, was presented in both digital and printed formats during high-level bilateral talks in Accra between Ghana’s Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, and a Netherlands delegation led by Ambassador Jeroen Verheul.
The document is expected to aid Ghana in identifying artefacts of historical and cultural significance and to support the submission of formal restitution requests, representing a concrete advance in the country’s reparative justice efforts.
Beyond the return of artefacts, discussions also focused on the preservation of Ghana’s forts and castles, including Fort Prinzenstein. Both sides acknowledged a shared international responsibility to protect the sites, with UNESCO-supported mechanisms identified as a key avenue for conservation.
For countries such as Ghana, inventories of this nature provide a critical basis for identifying artefacts taken during colonial rule, warfare or coercive transactions, and for establishing evidence-based claims for their return.
RM*: The news item, published in more Ghanaian sources, does not explain the nature and quantity of the inventory.
