Ghana opened its national museum the same week it became independent. The building on Barnes Road in Accra opened in March 1957, part of the celebrations that marked the end of colonial rule.
The museum was meant to show a new country its own past: archaeology, ethnography, art and the history of the kingdoms that became Ghana. It came under the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, the body that also looks after the forts, castles and historic sites along the coast.
The building
The museum is a round, domed building set in gardens a short walk from the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Its collections have included stools, regalia, textiles, pottery, beads and archaeological finds from across the country.
The building has struggled with age. It has been closed for renovation for long spells in recent years, and staff, historians and visitors have complained about leaking roofs, poor storage and a lack of money. The condition of the museum has become a symbol of how little Ghana has invested in its own heritage institutions.
The return of the gold
The debate about museums changed in 2024. The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London agreed to lend 32 gold and silver objects from the Asante royal court back to Ghana. Many had been taken by British troops in the 1874 war on Kumasi and the 1895 to 1896 expedition. The items went on display at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, where the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, welcomed them.
The loan came as long-term arrangements, since British law restricts the national museums from giving objects away. Many Ghanaians argued that a loan of stolen property was not enough; others saw it as a first step.
Why this matters for Accra
Every argument for returning objects to Africa runs into the same question: where will they go? Critics of restitution have long pointed to the state of museums in Africa. Supporters answer that the objects belong to the communities they came from, and that funding problems are for Ghana to solve, not a reason to keep them in London.
A well kept national museum in Accra would weaken the critics’ argument. A museum with a leaking roof strengthens it.
Visiting
When it is open, the museum makes a good half day, especially combined with the Nkrumah park and the Arts Centre nearby. Check before going, as opening hours have changed often.
The building was opened for a country that was a few days old. Nearly seventy years on, it is still waiting for the investment that its founders assumed would follow.
