The government has allocated GHS22 million for the renovation of six forts and castles across the country.

Among the six selected out of the 28 forts and castles across the various regions of Ghana is Fort Orange, located in Sekondi.

The other four forts and castles are expected to be selected from the Volta, Greater Accra, Central, and Western Regions.

It was built as a trading post on the Dutch Gold Coast in 1642, near Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana.

Fort Orange used to be a trading post until it was turned into a lodge for a while in the 1670s. It was enlarged into a fort in 1690.

Speaking to the media, the Executive Director of the Ghana Museums and Monument Board, Kwesi Essel Blankson, projected that the rehabilitation works on Fort Orange will be completed within a year.

According to him, portions of the fort and castle's facilities will be transformed into museums and tourism sites after the renovation works.

“This project focuses on protecting these historically significant structures, which played a role in the gold trade and later the slave trade.”

He called on residents to maintain the structures after the rehabilitation to ensure they're attractive and appealing to tourists.

“After all is said and done, if the city is not clean, it will be very difficult to attract tourists because no tourist would want to spend on a dirty environment.”

Developing the tourism sector is a part of the ruling National Democratic Congress' (NDC) agenda.

During the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, February 27, President John Dramani Mahama committed to developing Osu Castle into an appealing tourist site.

Earlier this year, the government launched its flagship initiative, The Black Star Experience.

According to President Mahama, “Our goal is to establish the Blackstar Experience as a distinctively Ghanaian travel brand by offering carefully chosen cultural, historic, and creative arts experiences in partnership with the private sector, diplomatic missions, ministries, departments, and agencies.”