On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten, the leader of the United Party (UP) and former Minister of Trade and Industry, claimed that Ghana has 32 out of 42 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage sites in the world but does not have a tourism industry. He made the claim while highlighting challenges in the tourism sector during a media engagement.

According to him, tourism alone can transform Ghana’s economy but stakeholders do not adequately fund tourist sites or brand the country as a tourist destination to attract visitors from other countries. He added that, for Ghana to transform its tourism industry, the country needs an airline and must also build the capacity of its human resources in the hospitality industry.

The Fourth Estate has verified the claim and presents the details below

Claim: “Can you imagine that Ghana has 32 out of the 42 globally accredited UNESCO heritage sites? One country, UNESCO heritage sites 42, Ghana has 32 of them, and still we don’t have a tourist industry.”

Verdict: False

Explanation: To verify this claim, Fact-Check Ghana visited UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention website and other related sources.

On its website, UNESCO has listed 1,273 heritage sites worldwide and not 42 as Alan Kyeremanten claimed. Of these, 991 are cultural heritage sites, 240 of them are natural sites, and 42 are both cultural and natural heritage sites. Italy has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world with 62 sites, followed by China with 61. France ranks third with 56 sites, followed by Germany with 55, India with 45, and Mexico with 36.

In Ghana, UNESCO’s World Heritage sites fall into two main categories. These are Asante Traditional Buildings and the Forts and Castles in the Volta Region, Greater Accra Region, Central and Western Regions.

The Asante Traditional Buildings are part of Ghana’s World Heritage sites

The Asante Traditional Buildings comprise 10 shrines or fetish houses, while the Forts and Castles comprise three castles, 15 forts, four forts in partial ruins, and the remains of two forts. These bring the total number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Ghana to 34.

The Elmina Castle, one of three castles in Ghana, is also part of UNESCO World Heritage sites

Additionally,  the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board data show that six other sites are on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are the Kakum National Park, the Mole National Park, the Navrongo Catholic Cathedral, Nzulezu Stilt Settlement, Tengzug-Tallensi Settlements and the Trade Pilgrimage Routes of North-Western Ghana.

What are UNESCO Heritage sites?

In November 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage to promote the identification and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world.

Once a World Heritage status is conferred on a site, the country in which it is located must commit to protecting it. The United Nation’s member states who are signatories to the treaty are also required to assist, where possible, in the event that a site loses its value or is threatened by natural disaster, war, pollution or inadequate funding.

Presently, 196 countries have signed the treaty.

World Heritage sites are selected based on a set of ten criteria contained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

Based on the explanation above, Alan Kyeremanten’s assertion that Ghana has 32 out of 42 UNESCO Heritage sites in the world is inaccurate. There are a total of 34 UNESCO Heritage Sites in Ghana and six others on a tentative list. Additionally, the number of UNESCO Heritage Sites in the world currently stands at 1,273, not 42 as claimed by the former minister.