The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has expressed appreciation for the World Bank’s continued support to Ghana’s Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts sector while highlighting critical challenges that require urgent intervention.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the World Bank team, the Minister acknowledged their longstanding partnership with the Ministry, noting that she had personally benefited from capacity-building programmes organized by the World Bank. She commended the team for its role in national development and emphasized the need for deeper collaboration to address structural issues within the tourism sector.
Gomashie drew attention to the deteriorating state of parts of the Kwame Nkrumah memorial park infrastructure, recounting a recent incident in which a collapsing section of the building nearly caused damage during an official engagement. She stressed that the physical environment of KNMP should reflect the nation’s commitment to tourism, which she described as “the heartbeat of our image as a country.”
Responding to the Minister, Leonardo Iacovone an Economist with the World Bank’s alongside Andres F. Garcia expressed enthusiasm about strengthening collaboration with the Ministry. The two underscored the growing importance of tourism globally, particularly for Africa, which has a rapidly expanding youth population with skills, energy and entrepreneurial potential. The group noted that the sector provides significant direct and indirect employment opportunities and can play a transformative role in national development.
The World Bank representatives also revealed that the institution is currently conducting a comprehensive global tourism study, which is the first of its kind to integrate various tourism value-chain tools into a single analytical framework. According to them, although the study has faced delays, it will offer strategic insights to help countries like Ghana improve sector competitiveness and long-term planning.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to working together to strengthen infrastructure, enhance sector resilience, and unlock the full economic potential of tourism in Ghana.
The World band delegation included Abu Ahmed, Emmanuel Awuni, Andres Garcia and Leonardo Iacovone while that of Ghana was represented by Prof. Kobby Mensah, Executive Director of the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), Mrs. Kafui Danku Pitcher, Executive Director of the National Film Authority, Mr. Devine Owusu Ansah Directors of Culture and Creative Arts and the Director of Tourism Dr. Geoffery.