Claim: Ghana has 32 out of the 42 globally accredited UNESCO World Heritage sites
Source: Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen (former Trade Minister and Leader of the United Party)
Verdict: False
Researched by Gifty Danso
Former Trade Minister and Leader of the United Party, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has claimed that Ghana owns 32 out of the 42 globally accredited UNESCO World Heritage sites.
He made the claim while speaking at a meeting with the media on September 23, 2026.
“Can you imagine that Ghana has 32 out of the 42 globally accredited UNESCO World Heritage sites? One country, UNESCO heritage sites 42, Ghana has 32 of them. And still you don’t have a tourism industry. Can you imagine this being in Europe alone? So tourism alone can transform our economy, and it’s not just about our heritage sites…,” he said in a 4-minute video clip shared by TV3 on X, which has generated at least 63,000 views, 128 reposts, 916 likes, and 60 comments.
Fig. 1 – Screenshot of TV3’s post on Alan’s claim
What are UNESCO’s World Heritage sites?
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are landmark places with cultural, natural, or mixed significance that are legally protected under the 1972 World Heritage Convention. The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List.
This fact-check will verify the claim.
Fact-check
UNESCO lists 1,273 properties as forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.
“These include 991 cultural, 240 natural and 42 mixed properties in 173 States Parties. As of October 2024, 196 States Parties have ratified the World Heritage Convention,” the UNESCO World Heritage Centre notes.
Ghana has only two sites on the World Heritage List. These include;
1. Forts and Castles (along the Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions).
2. The Asante Traditional Buildings
Fig. 2 – Screenshot of World Heritage List
While Ghana’s heritage sites have been categorised as just 2, UNESCO explains further what makes up these properties – the Forts and Castles consist of three castles and 15 forts, while the Asante Traditional Buildings consist of 10 shrines and fetish houses.
Therefore, based on publicly available information from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre:
- UNESCO has 1273 globally accredited heritage sites, and not 42 as claimed by Alan Kyerematen
- Ghana owns only 2 of the heritage sites which include the forts and castles and the Asante Traditional Buildings.
GhanaFact has reached out to a spokesperson for the United Party with our findings and will update this report when we get a response.
Verdict
The claim is rated false.
