CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Mawutodzi K.Abissath, Ghana, June 1999
THEME = ECONOMY
An increasing number of African countries are becoming aware
of the importance of tourism as an integral part of their economy
In 1995 a team of Ghanaian tourism officials were in the USA on a tourism promotion campaign. Cities visited included Chicago, New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Vancouver in Canada. On many occasions they came up against the same question: "But, where is Ghana?"
To put it simply, Ghana, with a population of some 18 million people is located on the West Coast of Africa. The first Europeans who set foot in the country called it the "Gold Coast". Why? Because they saw that gold could be panned in rivers and indeed, seemed to be lying all over the place. Ghana became independent from Great Britain on 6 March 1957.
Records show that tourism officially started in Ghana in early the 1950s with the setting up of what used to be known as the State Hotels Corporation. The existence of such an organisation was all- important when Ghana was preparing for its independence. It goes without saying that visiting dignitaries and other visitors expected in the country for the independence celebrations, had to be accommodated adequately. In the same vein, Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President, also saw the need to establish a national carrier, the Ghana Airways Corporation.
Today, Ghana offers five types of tourism: Cultural Heritage, Historical Heritage, Ecological Heritage, Tropical Sunshine Beaches, Conferences and Meetings.
In terms of Cultural Heritage, Ghana is endowed with a system of royalty which is both majestic and fabulous. There's an ancient artistry in fabrics with the colourful and popular kente cloth which has been adopted as a focus of identity by many people of African descent the world over. Then there are Ghana's traditional festivals celebrated with pomp and pageantry with gorgeously dressed royalty riding on gilded palanquins. These traditional festivals are celebrated in various parts of the country during specific seasons and on special occasions such as harvest-time or commemorating specific historical occasions.
For the visitor to Ghana, there's a whole host of colourful traditional open-air markets where appropriate souvenirs such as wood carvings, leatherwork (from the north), Kenti cloth, Krobo beads can be found.
Ghana has a rich historical heritage and here it's relevant to mention the influence of Europeans in Ghana's history, starting with the Portuguese who built Elmina Castle (about 135 km west of Accra) in 1482. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch, Swedes, Danes, Prussians and the British, then the French and the Germans, all looking for gold and ivory.
It's reckoned that from Benin, a small town in the Western Region of Ghana (about 200 km from Accra), to Keta in the Volta Region - a coastline of 500 kms - there are 42 forts and castles and lodges built several centuries ago. From the 15th century, these forts and castles which were used partly as trading centres, turned the Gold Coast into an international market place, where traders from many European countries settled down to sell their manufactured wares in exchange for gold, ivory, cloth, cola nuts and other commodities of commercial value.
Later, this intense commercial rivalry among European powers, developed into the slave trade in which the castles and fortifications were used as dungeons for millions of African slaves. Today, some castles remain as shrines to the memory of man's inhumanity to man. One of these, Cape Coast Castle, about three hours drive from Accra, is one of the best preserved castles and is fast becoming an official Museum of the Slave Trade. The castle forms part of Ghana's historical heritage and is one of the most attractive tourist attractions in the country. There are 42 castles in Ghana recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Monuments.
Ghana can boast of other sites of historical interest. Battlefield sites commemorating the wars fought between the British and the Ashanti people; Mausoleums of great Pan-Africanists like Dr.Kwame Nkrumah and Dr.W.E.B. Du Bois, as well as memorials to the George Padmore and others - all are part of Ghana's historical heritage.
Ghana is endowed with rare dense tropical West African rainforests. Areas of some of these forests have been developed into nature parks for ecology-minded tourists. Of special note is Kakum National Park. Here, visitors survey the forest from a net walkway suspended some 50 metres above the ground. the only one in Africa and the fourth in the whole world. Also, along the coastline there are areas designated as "Coastal Wetlands", where indigenous and migratory birds abound.
There are over 540 kms of pristine beaches being developed for lovers of low density and high quality tourism. Ghana's long coastline and waterway systems provide ample opportunities for fishing.
According to the World Trade and Tourism Council, during 1998, there were 612 million people classified as "tourists". These spent about 448 trillion US dollars. Tourism in Ghana is expected to be the number one foreign exchange earner by the year 2010 - above gold and cocoa which are the traditional foreign exchange earners for the country.
But there must be some control, and Ghanaians certainly don't want the negative aspects of tourism finding their place in Ghana.
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CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1999 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement