Anomabo Fort Williams, one of the oldest tourist site in Ghana left to crumble

Correspondence from Central Region:

Anomabo Fort Williams, located at Anomabo in the Mfantseman municipality had been left in a dilapidated state which needs renovation.

The Fort which was the centre of slave trade is one of the many tourist sites abandoned, making it difficult to preserve the history and legacy of the country.

GhanaWeb visit to the Fort revealed that the place was destroyed and it needs an urgent revamp to achieve its purpose.

Some of the rooms where the slaves slept which represented history have been destroyed leaving death traps for visitors.

The bookshop where history and documents regarding the Fort are kept were seen scattered on the floor with some torn and damaged.

According to sources, the Fort for some years now had not seen any major renovation except when it was time for the annual celebration of the Okyir festival.

Yawson Attah, the former caretaker of the Fort in an interview with GhanaWeb said the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other agencies had channeled all attention to other castles specifically the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles.

Though the Fort is operational, due to its unattractive nature, he lamented that tourists have been focusing on other castles which in the end affects revenue generation for the government.

He pleaded with the government to prioritize and invest in forts in the country to boost tourism and increase revenue.

"Fort Williams is the Centre of the slave trade in Ghana but had been left to rot due to lack of resources", he said.

Mr. Attah urged castle managers to educate tourists about the other forts to increase their visibility so it can boost tourism in the country.