The Paramount Chief of Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, has announced his readiness to transform Akwamuman and the entire Asuogyaman District into a tourist hub in Africa.
“Our doors are open to receive and provide lands for businessmen and other tourism investors who are prepared to develop comprehensive tourism packages that would make Akwamuman the tourism destination of Africa.
“We have vast land from Akrade through to Awurahae ready for tourist developers. All investors and businessmen who are into tourism are warmly welcome to negotiate with us so we give them the land to enable them to develop their tourist initiatives,” he stated.
The Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III was speaking at the celebration of this year’s OdwiraAkyiAdaekese on the theme “Capacity building in tourism, the Akwamu perspective,” held at the forecourt of the Bogyawe Palace- Akwamufie in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region.
Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III indicated that the tourism industry in Ghana which is known for the promotion of sustainable tourism, includes cultural tourism, heritage tourism, and recreational tourism, among others.
He said the beautiful landmark including the river, the mountainous landscape, and the green nature of the environment at all times as well as the historical-cultural attraction of Akwamu are a living testimony that Asuogyaman, when developed into a world-class tourist centre would attract more tourists to the area to not only boost the economic growth, but also create jobs for the people of Akwamu and the country as a whole.
Statistics from the 2019 tourism report by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) indicate that the country earned over 3.312 billion dollars from tourism.
However, the country lost billions of dollars in revenue as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 in the year 2020.To ensure one billion domestic tourists each year, the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture is poised to generate about five billion dollars from the tourism industry by December 2022.
Also on education, the Paramount Chief has launched an Odeneho educational fund to provide financial support for brilliant but needy students from the traditional area to enable them to acquire formal, vocational, and technical education.
Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III indicated that for every community to develop, education plays an important role, adding that, the students when given financial support to further their education would not only benefit the Akwamu Traditional Area but Ghana at large.
For his part, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius BaffourAwuah, commended Odeneho for the establishment of peace and unity among his sub-chiefs and the people of Akwamu Traditional Area.
He assured Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III that the Ghana Education Service through the Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVET) would fast track efforts for a government takeover of the Nana Afrakoma Vocational School which was started by the Paramount Queen mother, Nana Afrakoma I, and provide the needed infrastructure to enable the students to enjoy the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
FROM DAVID KODJO, AKWAMUFIE
