‘Establish tourism university to improve service delivery’

Page 13, July 1, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosome-Freho, Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu, has advocated the establishment of a tourism training university to improve service delivery in the country’s tourism industry.
The MP, who was presenting a statement on the floor of Parliament on the organisation of the 2009 PANAFEST and some challenges facing the tourism industry, also called for the establishment of a national tourism policy.
He said if the government wanted to make tourism the country’s number one foreign exchange earner, then there was the need for more capital to be injected into the industry.
He appealed to the Ghana Immigration Service to provide the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) with tourists arrival data regularly to enable the GTB to maintain accurate records for planning and marketing purposes.
Dilating on the organisation of this year’s PANAFEST, Nana Ofori-Kuragu said activities lined up included a wreath-laying ceremony to honour illustrious sons of Pan-Africanism.
There would also be the re-enactment of the crossing of the Pra River at Assin Praso, where captured slaves reached the point of no return.
He added that numerous colourful durbars would also be held at Gwollu, Keta, Peki, Tumu, Nkroful, Paga, Salaga, Bono Manso, Akamu, Kumasi, Osu and Beyin as part of the festival.
The official opening of the festival, according to him, would be done in Cape Coast on July 25, 2009 with a grand durbar of chiefs to be followed by the opening of the PANAFEST village expo/bazaar on July 26.
The high point of the celebrations would be the durbar of chiefs at Assin Manso on Emancipation Day on August 1, 2009.
Nana Ofori-Kuragu noted that the festival helped to re-unite the African and African-American, adding that it was no wonder that President Barrack Obama had decided to lead the way by making Ghana his second destination in Africa.
He said the historic visit would stimulate the tourism industry and Cape Coast as the traditional home of PANAFEST.
“President Obama’s visit will re-affirm Ghana’s position as the gateway to the Homeland, our commitment to the total liberation of our continent and our new role as the masters of democracy in Africa,” he said.
The MP stated that PANAFEST was an essential tool for selling Ghana abroad, especially to the United States of America, which is Ghana’s number one international market segment.
Nana Ofori-Kuragu was, however not happy about challenges confronting the GTB, which had hindered its smooth operation.
He enumerated these problems to include the lack of board of directors; inadequate funding and marketing programmes; inadequate infrastructure, especially receptive facilities, websites and training facilities; inadequate human resource base and high turnover of staff; lack of district tourism offices and overseas tourism offices and old vehicles and inadequate office equipment among others.
He, therefore, called on the government to properly resource the Ministry of Tourism and the GTB to enable them to improve on their operational efficiency.