Three-Week Skills Training Begins for 20 Welders in Sierra Leone for Heritage Preservation

The Commonwealth Heritage Skills Training Program is an intiative supported by World Monuments Fund in concert with the West African Heritage Consultants SL Ltd. that would offer hands-on experience in cast- iron restoration.

Commissioned by the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Nabeela Farida Tunis at the Old Fourah Bay College, the training program draws 20 participants from within the community who were seasoned welders, Freetown Polytechnic’s Welding Department, the Ministry of Works and Public Assets’ Public Works Department and Architecture Graduates from FBC.

The Managing Director West African Heritage Consultants SL Ltd. Isatu Smith noted that Old Fourah Bay College is one of the sites identified by the World Heritage Forum for heritage preservation.

Highlighting the importance of the training, the trainer, Alex Coode emphasized that the project is integrative and cooperative, in that it encompasses all the roles in an architectural preservation project.

In her keynote address, the Minister reflected on the historical significance of Building, reinforcing the need to reverse its deterioration and to restore its architectural integrity. She also expressed her profound excitement over the fact that the trainees will not only contribute to ongoing restoration efforts, but will also obtain the expertise necessary for conservation of other heritage structures – the railway relics in former station towns, for instance.

Reaffirming her Ministry’s commitment to collaborating with key stakeholders, the Minister expressed the government’s appreciation to the partners for their dedication to restoring the nation’s heritage.

Old Fourah Bay College, erected in 1848, is a reminder of a time when Sierra Leone stood as a bastion of academic excellence. It is, therefore, a thing of delight that work is underway to redeem its architectural and historical significance.

Also in attendance was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Edward Kwame Yankson, who doubled as the Master of Ceremonies.