By Omotayo Edubi
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has said his administration is on a mission to enhance and reposition some of the West African country’s most historic tourist attractions.
Speaking in London during the launch of a campaign themed “Destination Ghana”, on Sunday, Akuffo-Addo extolled the immense tourism potentials of his country, whilst highlighting other attractions.
The move is aimed at attracting more global tourists to Ghana, thus speeding up recovery from the pandemic-induced crunch the sector has suffered over the past few years.
“Ghana is not only gifted with a rich culture, but is also the best place for doing business in West Africa, as well as the safest and most stable country in the Region, with a governance system that rests on the separation of powers, with an independent Judiciary promoting accountability in public life, and that respects the rule of law, human rights and the principles of democratic accountability. Indeed, she has been for several years the recipient of the largest foreign direct investments in West Africa,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He disclosed that the sum of $25 million would be invested towards improving and upgrading some of the country’s most historic tourist attractions. Some these are: the Elmina and Cape Coast Castles, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the Mole and the Kakum Parks, and several cultural museums across the country which would witness infrastructural upgrades.
The investment campaign is being supported by the World Bank.
Recall that Ghana recently lifted all COVID-19 restrictions and opened its land and sea borders in a bid to stimulate a post-COVID economic recovery. The decision to lift all COVID-19 protocols came at the right time when the West African country is interested in welcoming more tourists.
Note that travel and tourism contributed about $1.9 billion to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2019 and 2020, according to Statista.