Ghana tourism policy stakeholder engagements held in Tamale, Wa

 The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is actively developing a Ghana tour­ism policy to provide strategic direction for the country’s tourism sector.

This comprehensive policy seeks to position tourism as a significant driver of economic growth and employment oppor­tunities.

It also aims to provide a clear roadmap and philosophical blue­print for the sustainable develop­ment of Ghana’s tourism sector.

The Ag. Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evalua­tion of the Ministry, Dr Alphonse Kumaza, who is the resource person for developing the policy had led a team to the Northern and Upper West regions to meet stakeholders for policy inputs and ownership, after a successful similar stakeholder engagement workshop held in Accra.

The consultative workshop in Tamale and Wa facilitated dis­cussions on the policy draft with participants expressing their satis­faction with the draft document. The process will continue to cover the middle belt of the country to inform the draft Ghana Tourism Policy.

The tourism sector has a huge potential for national economic development, but the absence of a cohesive overarching policy has created a lacuna and a critical concern for the sector, with fragmented policy instruments in successive governments’ policy briefs.

The new policy, therefore, aims to address this gap and provides a framework for a unified approach to tourism production, which includes product development, re­search and development, market­ing and promotion and training, Dr Kumaza said.

Currently, the sector is the fourth highest foreign exchange earner for the country and em­ploys two in 10 persons. It also aims to promote rural tourism and maximise the potential of domestic tourism. Moreover, the policy is set to enhance Ghana’s image on the regional and global stage to leverage the growing inbound travel market.

The Tourism Minister, Dr Ibra­him Mohammed Awal, who is the chairman of the Policy Technical Committee and the brain behind the policy development is an inspiration for the process.

While the workshop served as a platform for participants to share their experiences, identify chal­lenges faced by the tourism sector, and explore ways for the govern­ment to create an environment conducive to tourism growth, issues such as the neglect of various tourist sites in Salaga and many other places in the northern belt were raised, calling for their protection and the completion of abandoned museums.

Furthermore, participants stressed the importance of in­cluding grassroots perspectives in the policy being formulated and ensuring it is locally driven.

Once these consultations are completed, a housekeeping exer­cise will incorporate stakeholders’ suggestions into the policy and critique its suitability and rele­vance for solving the sector’s challenges. The policy draft, at this stage, is then presented for national validation.

Following the above, the Tech­nical Committee will continue with the housekeeping exercise to smoothen rough edges after which the draft policy is forward­ed to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) for assessment.

Ultimately, the policy will then be forwarded to Cabinet for approval through the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture.

 BY TIMES REPORTER

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