By Doreen Ampofo
The Osu Castle is to be renovated and modernised into a Presidential Museum. The project, which will start next year, is part of efforts by the government to increase international and domestic tourist visits to two million each by 2025.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dr Ibrahim Awal Mohammed, who announced this at an Editors’ Forum, said the project will also include the Du Bois Center and see the launch of a 100-million-cedi tourism enterprise project to promote innovative ideas in tourism as well as train 6,000 youth in customer care.
The projects are under the Destination Ghana project, which is also seeking to create 150,000 jobs every year in the Tourism, Arts and Culture value chain. These will not only ensure that the country achieves its target for tourist visits but also earn 6 billion dollars every year. To achieve the Ministry’s target of two million international visits and two million domestic tourists, Dr Awal Mohammed said the government will continue modernising very important tourist attractions.
“Kwame Nkrumah Museum has been done; the National Museum has been done. Dubois Center has been done. Osu Castle will be done. You can imagine the huge numbers. One month after opening the Kwame Nkrumah Museum, there is so much happening there. We are going to modernise and build new museums across the country. We are going to build what we call the Heroes Park for the Big Six along Marine Drive and put up a hero’s bust for the Big Six. This will be done according to the regions, Salt Pond, Tamale, and Kyebi. And we are going to modernise Danquah Circle, Nkrumah Circle, and Busia Circle at 37.’
The Osu castle, which has been unoccupied since the seat of government was moved to the Jubilee House in 2013, is one of those projects which will see an upgrade into a Presidential Museum.
The presidential Museum will preserve the work of all presidents and those from the pre-independence period. Bust of all former Presidents as well as those of colonial administrators will be fixed to serve as an attraction for tourists. Architects are still doing some structural work, but the edifice is expected to be the best in West Africa.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dr Ibrahim Awal Mohammed indicated that a large number of tourists who arrive in Ghana come from America, citing last year when about thirty percent of them came from the US. He said since these tourists have a huge interest in knowing about their heritage, the Ministry is focused on investing in and promoting domestic tourism to drive patronage of tourist sites. When the Osu Castle, Du Bois Center are modernised, such tourists will be willing to stay longer and spend not less than $4000 while in Ghana.
While highlighting Ghana’s tourism journey, Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman noted that the Authority has been focused on digitizing the tourism sector so visitors can enjoy seamless experiences. He touched on the launch of a single window platform and the all-in-one “Visit Ghana App” which is on AppStore and Google Play Store.
“There you can see all the various tourists’ sites that we have, a description of them, and then for those who want to book hotels. Time was when it was very difficult to find and even book a hotel in most rural areas. But with the “Visit Ghana App” all these facilities are loaded on there, so you can make bookings even before you get to your destination.”
Mr Akwasi Agyeman added that in the long term, the Ghana Tourism Authority is seeking to diversify the product place. He said the Authority is currently working on improving the slave root experience and working on craft villages such as Bonwire and Ntonso.
Present was the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who underscored the importance of Tourism to the Ghanaian economy, describing it as key to the nation’s development. Mr Oppong Nkrumah said Tourism is about the third largest contributor to GDP, making it the third largest sector in Ghana where there is productive activity, where people find jobs and earn an income to improve their own quality of life. In terms of foreign exchange, it is the second-largest contributor to foreign exchange. He said this makes it a critical sector which deserves attention.
“Until recently, people used to call it the Ministry of enjoyment because it is considered one of those sectors where communities will be having festivals and we will invite some black Americans to come to town. No. It’s a hugely important sector for our economic advancement. And so the kind of interventions that have been going on in recent years are key to helping us move our economy beyond where it is now.”
He called on corporate Ghana, religious leaders, academia, and traditional authorities to support the Government’s drive to boost the tourism sector.
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