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introduction The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) is the legal custodian of Ghana’s material cultural heritage, both movable and immovable ones. It was established in March 1957 before the independence of Ghana’s  because of the merger of the then interim Council of the National Museum of the Gold Coast and the Monuments and Relics Commission. The GMMB is governed by the National Liberation Council Decree (NLCD) 387 of 1969, currently known as Act 387 of 1969, which was further strengthened by the Executive Instrument (E.I.) 29 of 1973.

History The history of GMMB can be traced to the establishment of an Ethnographic Museum at Achimota College in 1929. That museum was transferred to the Department of Archaeology at the University of the Gold Coast (now the University of Ghana), when the university was created in 1948.

In 1952, there was the awareness of the need to conserve the past. The British Colonial government then put in place an ‘Interim Council of the National Museum of the Gold Coast’ to facilitate the creation of a national museum.

The Interim Council of the National Museum of the Gold Coast and the Monuments and Relics Commission merged, and this led to the passing of the Museum and Monuments Board Ordinance (GOLD COAST No. 20 of 1957), which established the GMMB.

Heritage of Ghana
The material cultural heritage of Ghana comprises monuments which include buildings of traditional Ghanaian architecture and decor, such as the Asante Traditional Buildings, the European-built Forts and Castles, and other colonial-era buildings. The movable cultural heritage includes artefacts such as pots, stools, musical instruments, textiles, clothing, leather works, weapons, tools, carvings, masks, jewellery, and ritual dolls. The material cultural heritage of Ghana also includes several archaeological finds.

Key elements of Ghana’s Cultural Heritage
Key elements of Ghana’s Cultural Heritage under GMMB include the following:
 * A varied collection of Forts and Castles, built and occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, Danes, Swedes, Germans, French, British and Brandenburg-Prussians between the 15th and 20th Centuries
 * Ten ancient Asante Traditional Buildings dating from the 17th Century to the early 20th Century
 * Mosques in Northern Ghana
 * Artefacts such as pots, stools, musical instruments, textiles, clothing, leather works, weapons, tools, carvings, masks, jewellery, ritual dolls.
 * All of the Forts and Castles and the Asante Traditional Buildings are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Other Cultural Heritage
Other elements of the Ghana Cultural Heritage include: Adinkra symbols Carved wooden stools Festivals of the various ethnic groups Gold weights Kente cloth Musical genres such as highlife and hiplife Traditional and contemporary musical instruments Traditional dances Traditional ethnic music.

Mission and Vision
The mission of the GMMB is to acquire, protect, conserve and document the Nation’s movable and immovable material cultural heritage for posterity, for the purposes of research and education of the public.

To be an effective, efficient and focused institution in the preservation of the material cultural heritage of Ghana and West Africa.

Legal and Administrative Framework
GMMB derives its powers from National Liberation Council Decree (NLCD) 387 of 1969, now known as Act 387 of 1969, which was further strengthened by the Executive Instrument (E.I.) 29 of 1973.

Ghana ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1975. Therefore, GMMB is guided by the operational guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. GMMB is also guided by international guidelines, recommendations and charters.

Function of the GMMB
The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board undertakes the following functions/activities:

Equipping and managing all material cultural (movable and immovable) heritage of the nation Establishing, equipping and managing new museums Controlling the export, import, sale and change of ownerships of material cultural property through licensing and issuance of permits Establishing a National Register and keeping inventory of all material cultural (movable and immovable) heritage of Ghana Identifying and recommending for declaration as national monuments, structures, objects and sites of historical and cultural significance Undertaking research and publication of all matters relating to material cultural (movable and immovable) heritage.

Board of Directors
The GMMB is governed by a Board of Directors, which is responsible for the strategic policies of the Institution.

The current Governing Board, composed of eight members including the GMMB’s Acting Director, was inaugurated in February 2010. Members of the Board of Directors are:

Hon. Fritz Baffour, MP (Chairman) Hon. Dr. Francis Dakura, MP Professor James R. Anquandah Frederick Gyeke Mancka Esq. Mr. Johnson Daah Ms. Gladys Boateng Mrs. Bernice Deh-Kumah Dr.Zagba Narh Oyortey