The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has recently launched one of his government’s main tourist projects, branded “Destination Ghana,” in London, United Kingdom.
The “Destination Ghana” London event is the first of a series of activities organized by the “Destination Ghana” project, which aims to invite and welcome the rest of the world to Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo noted that interest in nature-based adventure and leisure tourism has grown, offering new opportunities to visitors, building on the successes of the Year of Return and the slow but steady recovery being witnessed in the tourism sector following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have an abundance of these offerings in Ghana, and that is what we are here to showcase to the world, utilizing our historical connection with the United Kingdom as a launchpad,” the President added.
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He believes that the tourism industry provides an excellent opportunity to deepen Ghana-Britain relations for the mutual benefit of both countries, adding that “we can turn the tourism and hospitality industry into a major tool for the positive transformation of the Ghanaian economy, and into a win-win situation for investors.”
According to President Akufo-Addo, “Ghana is not only endowed with a rich culture, but it is also the best place in West Africa for doing business, as well as the safest and most stable country in the region, with a governance system based on the separation of powers, an independent judiciary promoting accountability in public life, and that respects the rule of law, human rights, and democratic accountability principles.” Indeed, she has received the most foreign direct investment in West Africa for some years.”
To that end, President Akufo-Addo stated that Ghana, in addition to its abundant natural resources, has embarked on a product improvement strategy in recent years, with several tourist destinations in the country currently undergoing site improvements.
He mentioned the Aburi Botanical Gardens, which are fashioned after the famed Kew Botanical Gardens in London, as well as the Yaa Asantewaa Memorial Museum and the Kente Museum, both in Kumasi.
“Furthermore, an aggressive sector skills development process is currently underway, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and its implementing agency, the Ghana Tourism Authority, under Ghana CARES Obaatanpa Programme, the one hundred billion cedis (GH100 billion) post-COVID economic recovery program of the country,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo announced this year that $25 million would be spent to upgrade some of our iconic sites, including the famous Elmina and Cape Coast Castles, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the Mole and Kakum Parks, and cultural Museums in Yendi in the Northern Region, Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, Akropong in the Eastern Region, and Ho in the Volta Region, as part of the Ghana Tourism Development Project, which is supported by the
Furthermore, the President stated that monies will be immediately pumped into aiding SMEs in the hospitality and beverage sectors, with negotiations with the World Bank now underway.
“The tourism and hospitality sectors are intended to be significant drivers of social and economic growth as a result of this forty-million-dollar ($40 million) project.” Some of the predicted benefits of the project include “improved access to Ghana’s tourism market, greater provision of tourism products and services, and the upgrading of labor force skills in the tourism, arts, and culture sector,” he noted.
Ghana, the President said, needs the support of business partners all over the world, and he challenged the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and its agencies to ride on the back of the “Destination Ghana” project to help attract one million tourists from the United Kingdom and Europe each year by 2024.
