BY VALENTIA TETTEH
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has welcomed plans to redevelop the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, describing the initiative as a landmark project that will reposition Ghana as the global home of Pan-Africanism.
The proposed redevelopment, estimated at 200 million dollars, follows an announcement by the Centre’s management on February 9. The project is scheduled to commence on April 1, 2026, and is expected to transform the historic facility into a world-class hub for Pan-African research, education, tourism and cultural exchange.
Speaking during a familiarisation visit to the Centre, the Executive Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, Japhet Aryiku, outlined details of the ambitious project.
“The project will start around April 1, and we believe that by the 23rd of February 2027 it will have been completed and the new restored bungalow will be dedicated. We are concurrently working on the fundraising effort, because the project involves building a new museum that will exhibit the 95-year life of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois,” he stated.
Mr. Aryiku explained that the redevelopment will include a new museum complex, an expanded library housing the works and writings of Du Bois, a scholars’ residence and a new tomb to honour the remains of W.E.B. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois.
“We are going to have a new library that will contain all the books everything you want to know about Du Bois and his fight for human rights and social justice. We are also going to have what we call a scholars’ residence, and we are going to have a new tomb, a museum that will honour the remains of Du Bois and his wife as well. So it’s a monumental project. For the brick and mortar we are looking at 60 million dollars, and for the entire endowment and all that, we are looking at 200 million dollars,” he added.
Located in Accra, the Centre serves as the final resting place of Dr. Du Bois, the renowned African-American scholar, activist and intellectual widely regarded as a founding figure of Pan-Africanism. Over the years, it has attracted scholars, students, activists and tourists from across the globe.
Speaker Bagbin acknowledged the scale of the undertaking but expressed confidence in its long-term impact.
“It is a huge task. It is not going to be easy, but I can tell you that it is going to be the world of Pan-Africanism after this project is completed. Because everybody in the world knows that the founding father of Pan-Africanism is W.E.B. Du Bois. Nobody doubts that one,” he said.
He urged Ghanaians to rally behind the initiative to ensure its successful execution.
“There’s a lot that we have to do to support this initiative and to make sure that it becomes a blessing to all of us. If you don’t know history, you will never be wise. The lessons that we learn from history are valueless you can never measure the value,” Mr. Bagbin stated.
He further encouraged citizens to safeguard Africa’s identity and cultural heritage. “We are being told that the future is Africa. But please, don’t just be happy. Whether at that time it will be for Africans, will it be controlled by Africans? We have to keep the spirit. We have to keep our identity. We have to keep our culture,” he stressed.
The redevelopment is expected to strengthen Ghana’s position as a leading destination for heritage and diaspora tourism while deepening its role in advancing the ideals of Pan-African unity and cultural preservation.
