Government has announced that it will be upgrading two of Ghana’s historic tourist sites, Aburi Botanical Gardens, and the Yaa Asantewaa Mausoleum, an initiative to help improve the quality of tourism assets in Ghana.
This was disclosed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, during the 2022 budget presentation on 17th October 2021. According to the Finance Minister, the contracts for these works have been awarded and the projects are expected to be completed by end of March 2022.
The project is expected to be done in phases, according to the Finance Minister. Touching on what will be done during the first phase, he said: “The main components of Phase I of the upgrade in Aburi include works to enhance the entry and exit gates, visitor receptive facilities, washrooms, a car park, playgrounds, and an event centre”. Government
Meanwhile, construction works on tourism projects are ongoing at the Axim Receptive Facility and the Bonwire Kente Museum. That notwithstanding, two regional offices for the Ghana Tourism Authority have been established at Damongo and Techiman. According to the Minister, the Wa and Tamale regional offices were also rehabilitated. He noted that in 2022, the Ministry will continue with the construction of the Axim Receptive Facility and the Bonwire Kente Museum as well as the rehabilitation of the regional offices.
Touching on licensed tourist sites in the country, Honorable Ken Ofori-Atta stated that the Ministry, in collaboration with Ghana Tourism Authority, embarked on a “Seek and Find” exercise on illegal tourism enterprises in the Greater Accra Region. Government
The Finance Minister disclosed that the Authority was able to identify 289 establishments that were operating without license. According to him, the Authority and the Ministry are not yet done as they will further embark on “Seek and Find” exercises to search for illegal tourist enterprise operators to register and formalize their businesses with the sector accordingly in 2022.
Speaking on promoting Ghana through the “See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana” agenda, Honorable Ken Ofori-Atta revealed that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has drawn up a proposal for the celebration of a “National Kente and Smock Day”. According to him, this is to promote the use of Kente and Smock across the globe. The inaugural edition of this laudable program is expected to be held in 2022 by the Ministry.
Honorable Ken Ofori-Atta noted that based on the medium-term goals set out in the National Tourism Plan, accelerated development of tourism has been prioritized under CARES- a three-year program to support the recovery of the economy. Government is
According to him, this is to “ensure investment and development of infrastructure, marketing, and supply-chain links, enhanced capacity of key tourism institutions, and improved coordination with the private sector for job creation and economic expansion”.
The Finance Minister pointed out that the interventions are specifically expected to increase tourist arrivals in 2021 by 50 percent over the 2020 outcome; and by 2023 increase jobs in the tourism, arts, and culture sector by 5 percent and increase the sector’s contribution to GDP by 2 percent.
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