The University of Ghana-Legon’s Archaeology, Ceramics and Photogrammetry Lab in the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies has seen a €26,000 renovation and refurbishment funded by the French Embassy in Ghana, through its Sankofa Project for Higher Education and Research.
The aim of this initiative is to help strengthen the skills of cultural heritage and tourism professionals in Ghana.
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Anne Sophie Ave, speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony to hand over the facility said: “The University of Ghana through the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies plays a huge role in preserving Ghana’s heritage and culture, and this is why the French Embassy is committed in supporting their good work”.
In attendance at the sod-cutting ceremony were the Vice-Chancellor of Legon, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu; Provost of College of Humanities’, Professor Daniel Frimpong Ofori; the Head of Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, Prof. Fritz Beveridge; and other dignitaries from both the university and the embassy.
Prof. Beveridge emphasised that the refurbished laboratory will go a long way to empower young, brilliant and promising scholars of the department to be properly equipped for training experiments and noteworthy research.
This, he said, will enable the publication of journals and findings meant to contribute immensely toward the preservation and development of Ghana’s heritage and culture.
“The Department of Archaeology and heritage studies, one of the oldest departments in the University of Ghana, continues to provide teaching, research, mentorship and extension services to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing archaeology.
“The training we give our students instils in them research skills and deeper knowledge about our Ghanaian and African cultural heritage. We believe that such knowledge and ability to research and document them provide us with a safety net in terms of their susceptibility to being lost in the face of globalisation and modernisation of our culturescapes,” he stated.
He further added that archaeologists are needed because of their superior competencies and knowledge in appraising the human cultural past as heritage professionals.
