Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Media Alliance (GMA), Mr. Ernest Boateng, has charged government to intensify its efforts in growing Ghana’s tourism and creative industry.
Per his observation, one of the biggest challenges the industry suffers is funding and sustenance, hence its seeming failure.
Speaking on the second day of a 2-day Presidential Summit on Tourism on the theme “Rethinking Tourism for economic growth and job creation,” he noted that, “Although we need financial support, I believe there also has to be a way for us to get funding in a very subsidized manner or in a way where if government is supporting they get their returns”.
He advised government to devise ways to go with the bank of industry model where the money invested is not free but rather, has low interest rate to make sure the industry grows.
Comparing the Nigerian creative industry to Ghana’s, he believes the Nigerian creative industry has grown immensely because of how much their government invested in the industry making them preferred by international organizations than Ghana.
“When it comes to other collaborations, countries like Dubai, India, South Africa and other places have really advanced their tourism primarily through healthcare. Ghana has a lot of rich cultural sites however, when it comes to coming in, people come in and enjoy the Afrochella’s and the Afronations without even going to the Monkey Sanctuary and other places and it’s there,” he said.
He emphasized that, if Ghana finds ways to keep people in the country, then they will also be forced to go to “some of our local destinations which we will benefit from.”
