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Mr Andy Murphy (middle) CEO of Zaina Lodge welcoming the entourage
Mr Andy Murphy (middle) CEO of Zaina Lodge welcoming the entourage

Mole National Park enhanced by Zaina

The Mole National Park, the nation’s premier park located 135 kilometres west of the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, is arguably the most attractive tourist site for strolls and relaxation.

This is because an American investor has established a unique resort, “the Zaina Lodge”, through a public-private partnership (PPP), which caters for the pleasures of visitors to the park. Zaina means “beauty” in Arabic.

The Zaina Lodge started operation in October 2015. It is situated on a range of hills and has eight chalets which can accommodate visitors who want to sleep over.

The chalets consist of a typical rural house with large rooms and compounds of complex architectural designs, which blend with the cultural environment of the Gonja people. The paintings and designs on the stone slabs make the whole place look very artful and as they are interspersed with historical scenes such as Gonja spears and arrows with modern ones which make them appealing and beautiful. 

The ‘Infinity swimming pool’ is a sight to behold as the water drips over and re-cycles into the pool located beside the central facility. It is attached to a spacious restaurant, which serves both local and foreign dishes and drinks to whet the appetite of visitors after their exhaustive trek of game viewing at the park below.

The Graphic Showbiz  accompanied a group of tourists to the park on Founder’s Day, September 21, 2016. The tour formed part of activities to commemorate this year’s national celebration of the International Tourism Day scheduled for Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region on September 27, 2016. It is on the theme, “Tourism for All; Promoting Universal Accessibility”.

The trip by an entourage, made up of 80 participants, including hoteliers, head of departments, disabled persons and tourist clubs, was organised jointly by the Northern and Upper West regional branches of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA).

The Mole National Park encompasses 4,577 square kilometres of land, which spans the three northern regions. Established in 1971 by the government, it has flora and fauna to be admired by visitors. It has elephants, lions, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes, primate species, hyenas, different species of birds and dams.

The Lodge is the brainchild of Mr Andy Murphy, who came to the country as a Peace-Corps person in 1998 and worked in the Upper East Region. But seeing the beauty of the park, he decided to explore and invest in the resort to open the area up to tourists.

 He now employs 60 workers mostly from the area. Apart from the employment opportunities to the local natives, Mr Murphy has undertaken a lot of social responsibility projects in various communities within the catchment area. Currently, he has sponsored five persons, including two females to pursue tertiary courses in the hospitality industry, Eco-tourism and Natural resource management for the realisation of a long- term dream. 

According to Mr Murphy, his ambition is to replicate such investment in most of the tourist sites and make Zaina a brand name in the country.

 Other tourist sites that the entourage visited were the Larabanga Ancient Mosque, which is the oldest in the country, and Mystic Stone, located about five kilometres away from Mole. It is a dynamic Muslim community with great historical and religious significance.

The Upper West Regional Branch Manager of GTA, Mr Henry Yeleduor, said the fusion of cultural sensitivity and technology provided a meaningful blend to enhance tourism potential and development, adding, “good things are not far from us”. He cited for instance, the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary along the Black Volta River and urged the government and other organisations to provide opportunities for increased spending in the rural areas which would go a long way to reduce poverty and enhance the economic fortunes of the country. About 18,000 tourists visit the site annually. 

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