New Northern tourism development document unveiled
The Northern Development Authority (NDA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and other relevant agencies in the tourism sector, has put into motion a five-year strategic document to help develop a comprehensive tourism sector for northern Ghana.
The document, drafted between 2016 and 2017 by the then Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), now NDA, is aimed at developing a vibrant tourism industry to create jobs, reduce poverty and increase per capita income in the Northern Development Zone.
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The overall objective of the document titled: “Northern Ghana Tourism Development Strategy" is to leverage the rich tourism and cultural resources in the zone to competitively position northern Ghana as a preferred tourist destination in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The implementation of the document has become necessary at a time the tourism potentials of the zone have been neglected for a very long time and stakeholders in the tourism industry have realised that when well packaged and marketed, it will attract the much-desired foreign exchange earnings for the zone.
This came to light at a two-day workshop which ended last Thursday in Tamale to validate the drafted strategic document for implementation.
The strategy is northern Ghana-focused and outlines specific actions and targets.
Validation workshop
At the workshop, the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NDA, Mr Boniface A. Gambila, said the zone was endowed with a lot of scenic natural tourist attractions, rich diverse culture and indigenous creative arts which if well harnessed and nurtured, would bring in the needed foreign exchange for the speedy development of the area.
He explained that one of the mandatory activities of the NDA was to support the development of tourism, arts and cultural infrastructure in northern Ghana. He said the NDA would, therefore, leverage that mandate to develop the tourism potential to an appreciable level to attract both domestic and foreign tourists.
To that end, he pledged the commitment of the NDA to a collaborative and constructive dialogue to push forward a collective agenda of developing a comprehensive sector for northern Ghana.
Study, iconic attractions
Mr Gambila noted that in recent times, there had been an increase in air travels to northern Ghana.
In view of the latest development, he said the NDA would commission a study into the push factors influencing the continuous increase of visits into northern Ghana.
That, he said, would generate accurate and relevant data to enrich the strategy document going forward.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, in a speech read on his behalf by the Head, Monitoring and Evaluation at the ministry, Dr Alphonse Kumaza, said the document would provide the basis for concrete implementation plans and various assessment procedures towards the realisation of the Northern Ghana Tourism Development goals.
Those goals, Dr Awal said, were achievable because northern Ghana abounded in diverse rich tourism attractions which needed to be harnessed and packaged for enhanced marketing and promotion within and outside Ghana.