The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has received the “Outstanding Tourism Event in Africa” award for its “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” initiatives at the 25th-anniversary celebration of the GOGE Africa Festival in Nigeria.
The award was presented on October 27, 2024, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena (Onikan Stadium) in Lagos, Nigeria. Representing GTA’s CEO, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, were Mr. Moses Ndewin Ndebugri, Director of the Upper West Region, and Mr. Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, Deputy Director of Domestic Marketing.
This recognition is a testament to GTA’s commitment to promoting tourism’s transformative impact. It also underscores the profound influence of Ghana’s “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” programs in celebrating African heritage, uniting the African diaspora, and establishing Ghana as a premier cultural tourism destination. These initiatives have fostered pan-African unity and strengthened cultural ties worldwide.
The GOGE Africa Festival, themed “Symphony of Cultures,” welcomed over 20,000 attendees from 32 countries, who celebrated African heritage through exhibitions, parades, music, dance, and culinary competitions. The celebrations perfectly aligned with this year’s theme, “Our Shared Heritage,” duly expressing the shared history and cultural unity among African nations.
GTA’s Deputy Director of Domestic Marketing, Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, acknowledged Nigeria as Africa’s largest market, and described it of strategic importance for GTA to extend the prospects of Ghana’s tourism into the robust market. He expressed appreciation for GTA’s leadership and various stakeholders, whose vision has propelled Ghana’s tourism agenda forward.
GOGE Africa founders, Isaac Moses and Nneka Moses, praised Ghana’s dedication to positioning Africa as a premier tourism destination through the “Beyond the Return” initiative.
Launched by GTA in 2019, the “Year of Return” initiative has attracted over 1.18 million visitors from the African diaspora and beyond and currently anchors the “Beyond the Return” initiative. This program is driven by seven strategic pillars—Experience Ghana, Invest in Ghana, Diaspora Pathways to Ghana, Celebrate Ghana, Brand Ghana, Give Back to Ghana, and Promote Pan-African Heritage and Innovation—all aimed at unlocking Ghana’s tourism potential, building lasting connections, and establishing groundbreaking economic and cultural partnerships.
By: Kobina Baidoo