.Focus on Anloga , Hohoe, Sekyere-Kumawu & Other Tourism Proactive-conscious Assemblies (1)
METROPLITAN, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are the foremost frontline agents in the national political administrative structure, in the local governance and national political administration.
Whilst tourism has emerged as an important modern and competitive cash-cow, founded on natural, man-made, cultural and heritage resources.
There is a very strong national consensus that MMDAs must be at the forefront of national tourism development and evolution.
Many MMDAs are in difference towards tourism investment and development, as a result of an erratic national tourism development strategy (NTDS) as well as the absence and lack of national tourism legislation (NTL) and policy regime (PR), many assemblies have neglected and relegated tourism to tourism.
However, few assemblies stand tall in tourism development. These few assemblies demonstrated their commitment to tourism development with one unique tourism initiative or the other.
Assemblies
Notable among tourism conscious assemblies in the country include the Hohoe Municipal Assembly (HMA), Kwahu South Municipal Assembly (KSM) and the Ada Eat District Assembly.
The rest are Kommenda-Edina-Egyafo-Abirem Municipal Assembly (KEEA), the Afadzato South District Assembly, (ASDA), Anloga District Assembly (ADA) and the Sekyere- Kumawu District Assembly (SKDA among others).
.Focus on Destination Anloga District
ANLOGA and Skyere-Kumawu District Assemblies (ADA) and (SKDA) are two young but development conscious and proactive assemblies which have identified and added high premium to tourism development as strategic and unique strategy to promote the overall rapid and accelerated socio-economic development and transformation of their areas.
Anloga District
The Anloga District Assembly (ADA) was carved out of Keta Municipality (KMA) in 2018. It is one of the 18 administrative Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) of the Volta Region of the Republic of Ghana.
ADA was established by the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2018, LI 2372 and inaugurated on 19th February, 2019.
DC
Anloga is the district capital (DC) of ADA.
DCE
Mr. Seth Yormewu on the other hand serves as the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the young but development proactive and conscious Anloga District.
Location
The District is located East of the Volta Estuary, about 160km to the East of Accra, off the Accra-Aflao main road and lies within Longitudes 0.53E and 0.89W and Latitudes 5.47N and 5.79S. It shares common borders with Keta Municipality (KMA) to the East, South Tongu District (STDA) to the West, Akatsi South District (ASDA) to the North and the Gulf of Guinea to the South.
Outstanding tourism potential
The Anloga District is blessed with and has a lot of remarkable tourism potential, and attractions including the calm water bodies around the Volta estuary, numerous beautiful creeks, beautiful, clean and attractive sandy beaches, lagoons and many important historic landmarks monuments and properties. Attraction Overview of ADA
Mr. Seth Yormewu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Anloga District Assembly in a district wide tourism attraction register and development concept strategy document observed, “the assembly has unique and attractive competitive tourism resources and potential, when prioritized and strategically harnessed would transform and put the assembly, the region and the country as a whole in the international tourism spotlight as an attractive and competitive cash-cow destination”.
Planning Officer
The Planning Officer (PO), of the Anloga District Assembly Mr. Wisdom Kwame Atitgah in an interview said the DCE is an outstanding tourism sensitive and development conscious leader, who was very keen and instrumental to taking inventory and documentation of all tourism assets and resources of the assembly to package and promotion in a district wide investment roadmap document and marketing to targeted domestic and foreign investments and investors for rapid and accelerated development.
The Planning Officer listed the assembly’s documented tourism resources of the
To assembly to include;
Cultural heritage of Anloga
The Anloga District is largely and virtually an Anlo, a sub-division of the larger Ewe tribe of West Africa, found in the Republic of Ghana, Republic of Benin and beyond, homogenous society, since the district capital (DC) of the Anloga District has a dual role as the traditional capital of the Anlo State (AS), whose traditional custodian and overlord is known as the Awomefia, who is the Paramount Chief of the Anlo State, who also doubled as the President of the Anlo Traditional Council (ATC).
Since the DC is also the traditional capital (TC) of the Anlo State, its inhabitants are predominantly Ewes, whose main occupation is subsistence and commercial fishing and farming, with a very scanty and negligible few other tribes as inhabitants, who are either public and civil servants working with public institutions including teachers, the police and fire service, the courts, health experts and practitioners students and businessmen and women among others.
Hogbetsotso heritage
The Awomefia, his sub-chiefs, elders and subjects have and celebrate Hogbetsotso, a very popular and prominent cultural heritage festival annually with a number of cultural rituals and activities including stool cleansing, community clean-ups, reconciliations and others.
Hogbetsotso is an Ewe cultural heritage, which recalls and re-enacts the great exodus of the Ewe tribe forbearers and ancestors from their ancestral home called Notsie, in the present day Republic of Togo, to their present abode.
During Hogbetsotso celebrations, religious and cultural arts and artefacts, agricultural products and other rare Ewe cultural practices and values are displayed and exhibited.
The Hogbetsotso celebration is crowned with a grand durbar by the Awomefia, his sub-chiefs, queens and queen mothers, their elders and subjects on first Saturday in November at Anloga their traditional capital. The durbar attracts a lot of visitors and tourists from home and abroad.
Atorkor Slave Market
The Atorkor Slave Market in the district is one of the ancient slave markets in the Volta Region and second to Keta, which were the epic centres during the infamous slave trade and slavery era.
A Slavery Monument at the Atorkor Slave Market
The Atorkor Monument also reminds us of the cordial and profitable coastal trade relations between the Anlos the Asantes on the coast as a result of the good historical relations between them and the Ewe. In the during the slave trade era.
Atorkor was an important slave market and link, for human ware from the Asante during the infamous slave trade.
The assembly intends to re-reengineer the existing slavery monument, to upgrade and transform the place into an international UNESCO accredited slavery centre.
Cape St. Paul Light House:
Cape St. Paul Light House, at Woe was an ancient light house which directs ships at night, to Keta, Tema and others in times past.
Ramsar Site
The Anlo- Keta wetlands is designated important national Ramsar Site, it provides sanctuary for several local and migratory birds including water fowls.
The Anlo- Keta Ramsar Site also hosts several migratory birds that fly and patronize the Mediterranean and the South-Atlantic flyway, some of the bird species nest, rest, feed and breed at the site include the various types of terns and gulls.
Seasonal Sea Turtles
According to Mr. W.K. Atitgah the Anlo District Planning Officer, the assembly also records a lot of Seasonal Sea Turtles which come on-shore to lay eggs for hatching specifically at Dakordzi and Akplorwotorkor, annually during the months of August to March are very beautiful attractive scenes to behold.
Mangrove swamps & Water Sports
Mangrove is a fuel wood used for domestic and commercial activities in Ghana and it is common along the coastal areas of the district. The Anloga District is blessed with and has beautiful mangrove swamps, creeks and lagoons including the Keta and Angaw Lagoons. These lagoons provide calm water bodies for cruising and for other water sporting activities including Dragon Boating. There are Water Sport Associations in the District who engage in annual competitions, which markets and attracts tourists and other visitors including prospective and potential investors to the district. The Lagoons have several islands which serve as sanctuary for residents and beautiful migratory birds. Along the main Angaw, Avu and part of Keta lagoon are very extensive stretches of beautiful Mangrove Swamps. The Swamps are very suitable for recreation and research activities.
They are also known to have a significant ecological function including flood control and enhancement of fish production, along the main Anloga-Keta Angaw,-Avu lagoon are very extensive stretches of swamps for fuel wood.
Endangered Water Antelope
Sitatunga (Water antelope), an endangered spice is available, sighted and found in the Avu Lagoon in the District.
Clean & Beautiful Beaches
The District has and boasts of several and long and several stretches of miles and long kilometers of very clean unique, beautiful and attractive golden sandy beach-front and Coastal assets and facilities as part of the country’s Atlantic-Guinea Coast in the country, which are suitable for relaxation and sun bathing for European tourists and locals alike.
The beaches have very clean and beautiful sand, which make Anlo beaches irresistible and attractive and are very synonymous with very beautiful coconut plantations.
A typical clean , beautiful and attractive beach in the Anloga District
Wrestling
The district additionally has Traditional Wrestlers Association (TWA) who engage and participate in wrestling competitions, which also attract and draw visitors and tourist to the district.
Hospitality overview of Anloga District
The Anloga district has quite a remarkable outstanding hospitality stature with a number quality and star rated hospitality facilities to provide and cater for the hospitality, accommodation and gastronomy needs of visitors and tourist to the district and beyond.
Notable among these facilities include, Eli Beach Hotel Max Guest House, Twins Lodge Hotel and Larota Guest House all located at Tegbi, whilst Hotel de White House, Pin Drop, Dzigbordi Lodge and My Lord’s Guesthouse are found at Anloga, the district capital. There is the Chill at Tunu, Meet Me There African lodge at Dzita, Mai Victory GH at Whuti , Mamasay Homestay at Srogbe among others.
Fishing and aquaculture business
The District moreso has numerous water bodies, lagoons and the sea which are very suitable for and support fishing and aquaculture for fisheries development. The District is synonymous with fishing is carried out in the sea, lagoon including marine culture, oyster culture, shrimp culture, brackish water culture, cage culture, pen culture and others.
General EK. Kotoka at Fiaxor
The late General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Ghana Armed Forces, who together with the late William Harley then Commissioner of Police (COP), on 24th February, 1966 led the historic but infamous coup that truncated the government and deposed Osagyefuo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s government ,is a prominent citizen of the Anloga District , from a town called Fiaxor, there is a memorial mausoleum decorated by a statue of Gen. Kotoka at Fiaxor, which attracts lots of curious visitors, researchers and academicians, students of history, with one or the other in Ghana’s political history, the assembly plans to transform the Gen. Kotoka Mausoleum with a modern museum as an international research centre and facility.
Bomigo clay deposit
About 15 million metric tons of clay deposits currently stood on the land of Bomigo which is suitable for hollow bricks, roofing tiles, dinner ware production, and plumbing fixtures and ceramics industries.
Straw weaving
The District moreover has straw in large quantities, which is suitable and is used for the production of a number of straw products such as local mat (Ketsiba) and pouch (Kevi), the straw related products and vocation are very prominent in Alakple, Tregui, Azanu, Agortoe, Agbatsivi, Salo communities in the district. Mats are straw bye-products which are important household articles which are used for variety of purposes such as bedding, covering floors, scatting, and fencing, screening and making ceilings. They vary a great deal in colour, size and texture depending on the type of raw material used and the purpose for which they are intended. The main market for the straw mat is the Cocoa industry in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions where they are used as mats for cocoa beans.
… Destination Sekyere-Kwamawu District
SEKYERE Kumawu District (SKDA) on the other hand was established in 2012 by Legislative Instrument (LI) 2171.
The assembly is located between Latitudes 0° 20 and 1° 20 North and Longitudes 0° 45 and 1° 15 West. It covers an estimated land area of 1,500.6 square kilometres, which is 6.2 % of the total land of Ashanti Region.
DC
Kumawu serves as the district capital (DC) of SKDA, which is the capital is about 54 kilometres north-east of Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti Region.
DCE
SKDA is administered by Mr. Samuel Addai Agyekum, as the District Chief Executive (DCE), who is also spearheading the assembly’s rapid socio-economic transformation, using tourism and agriculture as its frontline transformation vehicle.
It shares boundaries with Sekyere Central District (SCDA) to the West, Sekyere East District to the North, (SEAA), Asante Akim North District (AANDA) to the South-West and the Sekyere Afram Plains District (SAPDA) to the South.
Vision
The vision of the Assembly is to be the number one tourist destination and be a pillar of agriculture production in Ghana.
Mission
The Assembly exists to improve upon the quality of life of the people through effective and efficient mobilization and utilization of resources in partnership with all relevant stakeholders.
Goals
The development goal of the SKDA is to create an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous district, through the creative exploitation of our human and natural resources and operating with a democratic, open and fair society in which mutual trust and economic opportunities exist for all.
Core functions
The Sekyere Kumawu District Assembly performs the under-listed functions as specified in section 12 of the Local Governance Act, 2016, Act 936 and section 245 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, be responsible for the overall development of the district and to ensure the preparation and submission through the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) for the approval of the development plan to the NDPC and budget to the Minister of Finance (MOF), formulate and execute plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of the resources necessary for the overall development of the district, be responsible for the development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment as well as improve electricity and water supply in the district, in co-operation with appropriate national and local security agencies, be responsible for the maintenance of security and public safety in the district, provide technical support services to decentralize departments, responsible for the implementation of government policies at the grassroots level, assist communities to undertake self-help initiated developmental projects, ensure food security and emergency preparedness in the district.
Kumawu Eco-Tourism & District Tourism Project
THE Sekyere- Kumawu District Assembly (KDA) in the Ashanti Region (A/R) has identified and prioritized tourism development as a smart vehicle to promote the area’s rapid socio-economic transformation and development.
The Assembly has accordingly initiated and is implementing the Tweneboa Kodua Kumawu Waterfalls Resort at the Bomfobiri Wild life Sanctuary in the District Eco-Tourism Project (DE-TP) as the lead district wide national tourism integrated national district strategic development project.
Statement
A press statement issued to the media at Kumawu, the district capital (DC) said the assembly has adopted tourism as the core vehicle to promote the area’s rapid socio-economic transformation and development.
The press statement which was signed by Mr. Samuel Addai Agyekum, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the assembly said the assembly has reposed high confidence in tourism and its resilience and has reaffirmed its commitment to holistically harness its district wide potential, to promote the area’s accelerated socio-economy transformation and development.
Mr. Samuel Addai Agyekum, District Chief Executive, (DCE), Sekyere-Kumawu, very tourism development proactive and consciously using his good offices to put Skyere-Kumawu on the national tourism and the nation as a whole on the international tourism stage.
DCE
The District Chief Executive of SKD, said the , ‘SKD is determined harness its natural resources to transform and improve on the socio-cultural and economic circumstances of its residents, its research and investigation has identified tourism as an outstanding modern cash-cow and transformative industry, the assembly therefore drew a very comprehensive district wide tourism strategy which prioritize tourism development as core vehicle to promote the area’s accelerated socio-economic transformation’.
Model destination
The DCE disclosed in the statement that the foremost objective of its tourism development strategy is to holistically harness its tourism resources and potential of natural, man-made, cultural and heritage resources to transform and elevate the area into international fame as prominent international and outstanding model destination, which influence the project design philosophy.
Tweneboa Kodua Waterfalls Resort
The Sekyere-Kumawu tourism project according to the DCE , “as a holistic concept has several components with Tweneboa Kodua Waterfalls Resort, a modern multi-purpose multi-use facility , which seeks to add value and transform the Kumawu Waterfalls in the Bobiri Forest Reserve and Wild life Sanctuary as the lead strategy, whose project components include first class access roads, accommodation, catering/ food/restaurant, arts and artifact shops, health care, children play grounds, parking lots, botany and conservation and security components among others”,.
Nice destination
The other objectives of the project according to the DCE are to transform the area as niche international conservation destination as well as also seek to conserve, protect and promote Asante culture and traditional values, with conscious strategies to minimize destruction of these rare natural resources. Objectives
The DCE named adventure, nature conservation, education, exercising and healthy life style, recreation among others as the overbearing objectives the project.
Background
Mr. Addai Agyekum said the project take conservation inspiration from the 1975 gazette of the Bomfobiri Forest Reserve as protected Wild life Sanctuary, which has protected the reserve and its wildlife which consists of many rare flora and fauna bird and butterfly species, buffaloes, bush dogs, crocodile species, streams, monkeys, many rare tree including rosewood species, medicinal plants, waterfalls among others and is building-on to protect and conserve these rare natural resources for the present and future generations. Investment opportunities
The DCE enumerated endless direct and indirect investment including accommodation, catering, arts and artifacts, car rentals, retailing, banking and fiancé, transport and telecommunication opportunities associated with the project in the area and beyond and according appealed to investors to direct their investments to the area.
Project components
The components of the project available for immediate investment include the project entrance gate, car park, reception facility, lavatory, zip line, canopy walkway, waterfalls enhancement, children play ground, forest hiking trail, bird watching trail, forest hiking and mountain climbing among others.
Let’s realign, rename, rebrand & restructure the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, (MOTAC) as new Ministry of Tourism and Rural Development (MOTOURD), as well as review our national tourism strategy (NTS),to reposition the tourism sector as the foremost Statutory and Strategic Sacred National Cash-Cow for modern inclusive, improved, expanded and diversified competitive economy and economic frontier
RARE natural resources such as bauxite, cocoa, diamond, gold, oil, timber among others do not stand out and or rule any modern competitive and attractive in the current world dispensation as the foremost expensive commodity rather scientific data (SD) and artificial intelligence (AI) are reigning foremost expensive commodity cash-coSws around the world.
Tourism factor
Tourism a very broad socio-economic industry which is founded on natural, man-made, cultural and heritage resources has emerged as very delicate and sensitive but very resilient, robust, competitive and outstanding international peerless cash-cow.
It entrenched itself and also consolidated its standing as the largest, fastest and biggest growing industry around the world, since the turn of the millennium, over the past two decades, consistently, until the corona virus (covid-19) pandemic disruption.
Character
Whilst demand and supply intricacies destabilizes many a natural commodities with price fluctuation challenges, tourism on the other hand is on appreciating charm offensive.
Impact
It has transformed, repositioned and consolidated many economies across the world, from both developing and developing divides.
It contributes and controls over ten percent (10%) to the overall global economy and gross domestic product.
UNWTO
The United Nations World Tourism Organization is a Madrid, Spain based UN specialist agency which champions and promotes responsible and sustainable tourism development around the world.
Forecasts
Researches and studies by the UNWTO and other giant reputable international multilateral and bilateral institutions including the World Tourism and Travel Council, (WTTC ),the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, (WIPO), the World Environment Programme (WEP) among others has concluded firmly that tourism is a very dynamic, robust and flexible resilient industry , as such its impact on the global economy would be bigger and better so long as practitioners, investors, plants and destinations strictly adhere to UNWTO best industry practices, conventions, guidelines , protocols and regulations, as such Ghana cannot afford to miss-out on the tourism evolution, there is the urgent need for the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to established UNWTO directorate to co-ordinate and deepen Ghana’s relationship with the UN Tourism specialist giant.
National Tourism-mix Trajectory
The sector in 1993 had for the first time gained autonomy as a strategic frontline national development catalyst, with the formal creation of the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), which was hitherto clamped and treated as a footnote to such other sectors such as trade, information, education and culture among others.
National Potential & Resource Overview
Ghana Our Homeland has remarkable, outstanding national tourism potential and resources in all four broad resource classification located across the length and breadth of all Sixteen (16) political administrative regions across the country.
Notable among these rare unique and attractive national tourism resources which are found across the length and breadth of the country in the sixteen (16) regions and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are:
Resources
Heritage tourism resources include landmark, historic slavery colonial forts, castles and other related slavery landmarks, including Salaga Slave Markets, Wells, Gwollu Slave Defense Walls, Assin-Fosu Slave Rivers among others.
Natural resources are Afadjato, Wli Waterfalls, West Africa’s tallest waterfall at Wli, in the Hohoe Municipality, Volta Region, the Centre of the World and the Greenwich Meridian at Tema, historic Centre of the Country at Kintampo and West Africa’s Biggest Tree at Espan Forest at Essan, near Asene-Akroso District in the Eastern Region.
Others are Atiwa, Boti, Tinni, Wli, Wadjakli,Ote Waterfalls, miles of beautiful beachfront, historic landmarks and buildings including the centre of the world at Tema, Kintampo, the Akosombo Dam and Volta Hydro-Electric works, Aburi Botanical Gardens and West Africa’s largest tree at Espan Forest at Esspan near Akroso.
Man-made resources consist of the Akosomobo Dam and Volta Hydro-Electrical Works, the Kotoka International Airport, Accra International Conference Centre, the Accra Sports Stadium, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium and the Ladadi Pleasure Beach Hotel. The rest are the Golden Beach Hotel, Kempimski Gold Coast City Hotel, Movempic Ambassador, Accra City, Golden Tulip, Holiday Inn, African Regent and Marriott International, Royal Senchi Resort, Tang Palace, Bojo Beach,Alisa Hotels, La Palm Royal Beach, Peduase Valley hotels, Papaye, KFC, Jofel Catering Services ,the Adomi Bridge at Senchi and Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Museum Farms are among remarkable man-made traffic pulling tourism facilities in the country. The rest include Aim Beach Resorts, Best Western Plus, Royal Senchi, Holiday Inn Hotel, Maha Beach Resorts
Meanwhile the Wli Tinni, Boti, Atiwa Waterfalls, and Forest Reserves Waterfalls are among acknowledged natural national natural tourism sites in the country.
Oku Abena Waterfalls, Oku Abena Caves,Oboor da Oboor So rock,Oworobong Waterfalls,Atia Mframa Natural stone chair are some notable outstanding national tourism resources that are found in the Kwahu South Municipality in the Eastern Region.
National Cultural tourism resources include Agbamevorzaa, Asafotufiam, Akwasidae, Bugum, Gbi-zaa,Fetu Afakye, Hogbetsotso, Homowo, kplejo, Tee-zaa, Odirwa, Kundum, Wli Waterfalls Festival.
Rare feat
The Odweanoma Mountains and its peak now the national hang-paragliding site at Atbie in the Kwahu South Municipality have since 2005 put the area, the region and the country as a whole on the international tourism map.
Competitive edge
Political stability, relative peace, safe and secured characteristics are very synonymous with the Brand Ghana, the country also abound in several colonial and slavery castles and forts along the country’s coast, are strategic and unique national tourism selling points.
National narrative
Our Homeland Ghana has not being left out of the global tourism evolution. The country, has especially from 1993 to date recorded and seen steady consistent and improved tourism growth in both receipts and visitors numbers.
Many industry analysts and experts however, believe firmly that Ghana’s current tourism growth and performance is far below the country’s actual capacity.
Challenges
Poor public funding and budgetary allocation, obsolete and fragmented legal regime , erratic national tourism development strategy as well as lack of and absence of national tourism legislation ( NTL) and policy regime are among a litany of challenges which impede Ghana’s forward tourism development progress.
Ministerial target
Dr. Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed AWAL, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) assumed duty with a firm commitment to ensure and elevate tourism become the foremost contributor to GDP by 2024.
Implications
With national consensus that current and existing national economy and structure is outlived its usefulness and an urgent need to create and reengineer an all new diversified and expanded national economic order , the MOTAC Minister’s emphatic announcement to ensure tourism become the foremost contributor to GDP, is more than government’s confidence and choice of tourism to as the preferred and chosen industry and sector to shape the desired and the needed new national competitive and diversified economic outlook.
Trajectory
The country has since 1993 initiated and implemented commendable and progressive national tourism development policies and programs which have reposition national tourism development and evolution in pool position for rapid development and accelerated growth.
1993 birth of MOT
Key among outstanding and progressive national tourism development efforts include the 1993 historic creation of the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), whose action formally granted autonomy to tourism and repositioned it as strategic and frontline national socio-economic development and transformation catalyst.
1996-2010 Tourism Development Blueprint
After the creation of MOT was the development and the launch of the 1996-2010, 15-year long-term comprehensive integrated national tourism blueprint roadmap document.
2003-2007 Strategic Action Plan
Following on the 1996-2010 roadmap was the 2003-2007 (4)-year National Tourism Strategic Action Plan, which also stood out as a very bold national effort to implement and give effect to the 1996-2010 tourism roadmap.
Commissions & omissions
A number of noted challenges beset, obstruct and stunt the commendable and progressive national tourism development initiatives. Key among these challenges include poor public funding and low national budgetary allocation to the tourism sector and high national ignorance on the multiple benefits and contribution of tourism to socio-economic development and transformation.
Neglected cash-cow
The industry has undergone transformation around the world, especially since the turn of the millennium over twenty (20) years ago and has become strategic and crucial international competitive cash-cow, which has transformed and turned around the fortunes of many economies. It has consistently ranked as the largest, fastest and biggest growing industry, since the turn of the millennium.
Outstanding characteristics
The industry in spite of its unique and great characteristics as pro-poor, pro-women, inclusive and holistic development catalyst and its other multiple contributions to socio- economic development including poverty alleviation, sustainable jobs and job creation for both skilled and unskilled labour, checking rural-urban migration, wealth redistribution, environmental conservation and protection, foreign exchange and balance of foreign trade and exports, women empowerment catalyst, roads infrastructures, technology transfers, telecommunication infrastructures, national cohesion and many others however, remains a neglected cash-cow industry that has not received the needed priority in important national development planning policies, but consigned to the back burner as a footnote by many countries over the years.
Historic 1996-2010 roadmap
The country after the formal creation of MOTI, in 1993 under the capable leadership of the fallen heroine Mrs. Vida Amadi Yeboah, as Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapim and Minister of Tourism, capped the strategic master stroke national act with formulation and the launch a long term 1996-2010, 15-year long-term nationwide national tourism development roadmap strategy, a remarkable document which received high praise and commendation from many strategic industry stakeholders , analysts, researchers, critics and advocates across board.
2003-2007 delivery strategy
President Agyekum Kuffuor’s government in 2003 gave the tourism sector and the ministry another strategic short in the arm by realigning and re-designating the ministry into the Ministry of Tourism & Modernization of the Capital City (MOT& MCC), which was again re-designated as the Ministry of Tourism & Diasporan Relations (MOTDR), at another time, given the sector expanded mandate and its subsequent elevation into cabinet.
Mr. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lampatey, a decorated fallen statesman, a celebrated visionary strategic leader, as Minister of State, responsible for tourism, gave the national tourism development aspiration and vision an upper impetus with the 2003-2007 short term national tourism development delivery strategic plan.
Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey’s leadership brought renewed hope, fresh impetus and vibrancy to national tourism scene, development and promotion, including special national special events as national chocolate day, national hang-paragliding festivals, and receptive facilities among others.
Legislative omission
Legislative enactments and legal regimes are very crucial to the health, growth and evolution of professions and vocations.
Ghana strangely omitted and did not make efforts to enact national tourism legislation, especially from the 80s through 1993 to date, when tourism when brought to the front burner as a strategic socio-economic reformation and reconstruction catalyst and therefore does have any national tourism legislation (NTL) and any suitable policy and legal regime (P&LR), to prosecute and promote initiated national tourism policies and projects (NTPs&Ps).
Legal regime
A number of pieces of decrees, enactments and legislation instruments (LI), which are currently relevant and applicable to our tourism sector include the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Tourism Development Fund Act 2011, Act 817, the National Commission on Culture (NCC) Law 1990, PNDCL 238 and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMBB) Law 1969,NLCD387.
The rest are the Chieftaincy Act 2008, Act 575, the National Culture Policy 2004, the National Film Authority (NFA), the Film Development Fund (FDF) Act 2016, Act 935 as well as the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) Act 2020, Act 1048.
Tourism Act 2011
Act 817, 2011 is undeserving and unfit it’s labelling as National tourism Act but rather suitable as the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Tourism Development Levy (TDL), which transformed then GTB into GTA and also created the TDL not Fund respectively.
Way forward
The tourism evolution has come to stay. Tourism above all is very much relevant and indispensable to our overall national socio-economic transformation and development that we cannot afford to be left out of the global tourism evolution, we need to take pragmatic steps to especially overhaul , restructure, review and amend the entire national tourism nomenclature, including the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and its frontline implementing agencies including the Ghana Tourism Authority, (GTA) the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) among others.
Errors & omissions
It also very incumbent on us to review and amend all obsolete, duplicative and fragmented tourism sub-sectors laws on our statues, and probably harmonize these fragmented pieces of enactments into single national tourism regulatory document.
National Tourism Legislation
It is therefore very important to take urgent steps to enact national tourism legislation (NTL) and policy regime (PR) as well as national hospitality legislation (NHL) and national cultural development legislation (NCDL) including amending and re-structuring the National Commission on Culture and its law1990, PNDCL 238, 1990, the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board Law 1969, NLCD as well as the Tourism ,the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Tourism Development Levy/Fund Act 2011, Act 817, 2011 among others.
Realign & rebrand MOTAC as MOTOURD
Since a lot of undocumented rare national tourism resources are found and located in rural communities, there is an urgent need to according realign the current Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) into the Ministry of Tourism and Rural Development (MOTOURD) to reflect the national tourism and renewed national commitment towards holistic national tourism development.
MOTAC must also take urgent steps to overhaul the national tourism strategy (NTS) within the national tourism legislation (NTL) to designate metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) and local and national traditional authorities and rulers (L&NTAs/Rs) as statutory and strategic tourism custodians (S&STCs) and frontline strategic tourism agents (FLSTA) as well as adopt and integrate tourism proactive assemblies including Ada, Anloga, Hohoe, Kommenda-Edina-Abirem-Eguafo and Sekyere-Kumawu assemblies as pilot national model destination projects (NMDPs).
TOURISM has become modern, crucial and competitive international cash-cow. It is an important and an indispensable international industry. It has also transformed and turn around the fortunes of many economies around, from across both developed and developing economies. It has huge contribution and impact on the overall international economy and contributes huge and high percentage to the gross domestic products (GDPs) of many economies around the world.
National model destinations
MOTAC must also take pragmatic steps to adopt all tourism proactive conscious Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), including the Ada East (AEDA), Anloga District (ADA), the Hohoe Municipal (HMA), Kommenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) and the Sekyere- Kumawu District (SKD) assemblies are designated and rebrand as national model destination and support them with technical expertise to evolve into competitive and attractive prominent destinations.
The Writer is Tourism, Brands, Communication & Marketing Communications Practitioner, Analyst, Advocate & Activist,
Email: [email protected]
