New York State Secretary Walter T. Mosley arrived in Accra on a mission to explore the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan‑African Culture, located on First Circular Road in Cantonments, a short walk from the U.S. Embassy. The centre houses the former home of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, who lived there during the last years of his life and is buried with his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois.
Du Bois, 93, moved to Ghana in 1961 at the invitation of the late President Kwame Nkrumah, who asked him to lead the Encyclopedia Africana project. He became a Ghanaian citizen and continued his work until his death in Accra on 27 August 1963, a day before the March on Washington.
Secretary Mosley’s visit was coordinated by Maurice Cheetham of Diaspora Bridge Consulting, who arranged a private tour of the centre’s photograph exhibit and document preservation lab. The bungalow where Du Bois lived is closed to visitors amid renovation, but the tour highlighted the centre’s efforts to preserve papers, books and records for future scholars.
After the tour, Mosley laid a wreath at the mausoleum and met with Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation. The foundation, formed in 2019, works with the Government of Ghana to convert the memorial into a museum complex with a library, conference centre, art theatre and guest accommodation.
Discussions focused on how Mosley could help connect the foundation with New York philanthropic foundations, business leaders and diaspora investors, and state networks interested in African partnerships. The foundation’s partnership agreement with the Ghanaian government was signed in New York City in 2021, underscoring the deep ties between Du Bois’s legacy and the city.
The centre remains open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., though parts of the campus are under renovation. Visitors are advised to check opening hours before visiting.
