By Lucy Mawufemor Kpeglo
President John Dramani Mahama has raised concerns about poor service delivery in Ghana’s tourism sector, saying it is one of the main reasons why the country is struggling to attract more tourists.
Speaking during a presidential media encounter, Mr. Mahama said that although Ghana is a beautiful country with a lot to offer, bad customer service is giving visitors a negative experience.
“One of the things that affects tourism in Ghana and West Africa is that our service is poor. You go to a restaurant, and they think that they are doing you a favor. You go to eat, and they think that you owe them, you know, to serve you,” he said.
He compared the situation in Ghana to other parts of the world where service providers are eager to please customers and make them spend more.
“If you go to other parts of the world, it’s completely different. They are compelled to spend your money because they are all over you. Even before you finish the drink that they have given you, you are halfway, and they ask, ‘Can I bring you another drink?’ And if you are the shy type and things you always say, ‘oh yes, yes,’ you forget that you have to pay for it,” Mr. Mahama added.
He also criticized business owners in the tourism and hospitality industry for hiring untrained staff, sometimes just relatives, instead of professionals who understand how to serve customers properly.
“You spend so much money to set up an establishment, and instead of going for professionals, you call your relatives from the village to come and serve people. They pay, and they can’t even get their change. You can’t find the waiter who took your money. And when you find him, he says, ‘oh, we have no change.’ I mean, they have a certain sense of entitlement,” he said.
The president said that until there is a change in attitude and better training in customer service, Ghana will continue to struggle in its efforts to grow the tourism sector.
“We have a beautiful country. People come, and I mean, they just say, this country is good, but if you hear a lot of the feedback and you ask, what is negative about it? They say, oh, your service is not the best. Always, I mean, that’s the feedback that comes,” he said.
He added that while the government has a role to play, business owners must also take responsibility for improving service quality.
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