The Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN), an international community tourism organisation, is to establish physical and digital identity centres in Paga in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.
It is intended to promote tourism, preserve cultural heritage and create economic opportunities for residents.
The initiative, dubbed ‘’Royal Community Tourism Development Initiative’’, was launched in Paga on October 20, 2026 and is expected to document the community’s history, traditions, natural resources and historical sites while providing recreational facilities and creating platforms for cultural exchange and tourism development.
The project, championed by the CCTN Chairman, Jamaican tourism entrepreneur Roy Page, in collaboration with Dr Prince Tengol K. Kplemani, the network’s Ambassador for Africa, and the Paga Youth Movement, seeks to transform Paga into a community tourism hub capable of attracting visitors and investors from Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and the African diaspora.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Kplemani said the proposed identity centres would serve as museums and recreational facilities where residents and visitors could learn about Paga’s history, culture, traditional practices and natural resources.
He said the centres would be developed through collective community participation, with residents and traditional authorities contributing to decisions on their establishment and operation.
He explained that the facilities would bring together cultural displays, historical documentation and recreational activities, providing visitors with a comprehensive experience of the community’s heritage.
“The identity centres will be more like museums and recreational centres for all of us.
Whatever we are showcasing today will be brought together there so that anyone who visits Paga can experience and understand our identity and culture,” he said.
Dr Kplemani said the initiative would also incorporate the proposed Know Thyself Africa-Caribbean Connectivity Initiative to strengthen historical and cultural connections between African communities and their descendants in the diaspora.
Investors to fly into Paga
Mr Page said plans were underway to organise a chartered flight from Jamaica to Paga in March 2027 to bring tourists, businesspeople and potential investors to explore the community’s tourism attractions and establish business partnerships.
He said the visit would be part of efforts to attract investment into local enterprises, create employment and ensure that tourism generated sustainable income for residents.
“We are planning a chartered flight from Jamaica to Paga in March next year, bringing Jamaican visitors, tourists and businesspeople to experience the community’s rich cultural heritage, explore its tourism potential and establish business partnerships,” he said.
Mr Page said the programme would go beyond creating jobs by exploring community ownership of businesses, under which residents could benefit from the profits generated by participating enterprises.
GTA pledges support
The Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Joseph Appiagyei, commended the Paga Youth Movement and traditional leaders for promoting unity and hospitality, which he described as essential to the success of tourism.
He said Paga’s friendly crocodiles, historical slave trade sites, cultural attractions and strategic location near Burkina Faso gave it considerable potential to attract domestic and international visitors.
Mr Appiagyei said the GTA was prepared to collaborate with the initiative’s proponents by providing the necessary regulatory guidance and facilitating engagement with relevant authorities to support its implementation.
“Tourism thrives in a peaceful environment.
No matter the resources a community possesses, if the place is not peaceful, nobody will come there.
The unity and peace in Paga are what we must build on, and the Paga Youth Movement must be applauded for its great work that has led to this initiative here today,” he said.
Commitment
The Chairman of the Paga Youth Movement (PAYOM), Wenawome Aborah Duriyem, said the youth were committed to working with traditional authorities, businesses and development partners to ensure the success of the initiative.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, expressed the government’s willingness to explore possible avenues of support to help the network achieve its objectives.
