Menu

Ghana Tourism in Fiasco

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 Source: --

Efforts of the Minstry of Tourism,

Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) and donor funded projects (such as SNV JICA, and

SPEED) at promoting private sector development in the Tourism industry in Ghana

and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are at a crossroads as the Ghana Tourism

Federation (GHATOF) shamefully gambles its leadership into the hands of power

brokers.

After narrowly escaping a court

injunction filed against him by a member of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA)

for unconstitutionally overstaying his term of office, the life president of

GHA, Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I, Akyempemhene

of Kwabeng and Managing Director of Mac-Dic Hotel Koforidua, was elected by an

unrepresentative 20% (4 out of 21) of Member Associations as the new president

for GHATOF at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Golden Tulip Hotel on

Thursday, February 24 2010.

The Electoral Commissioner, Dr

Nana BaahWiredu, issued a post-election report indicating flaws in the

elections but the power brokers unconstitutionally called subsequent a meeting

to sweep everything under the carpet and let sleeping dogs lie. Only an

Emergency Governing Council Meeting could constitutionally be called at this

stage to deliberate on the report and there are plans to defy the GHATOF

constitution and swear in the new executives with the misleading participation

of the Ministry of Tourism, GTB and donor-funded projects.

To the amazement of the rest of

the membership Dr Nana BaahWiredu, who was also hired to finalise the draft GHATOF

constitution by SPEED Ghana, looked on with his team whilst the mockery of an

election went on. He was deemed to have commented afterwards that he prays this

shameful act does not get to the press. Mrs Stella W. Appenteng, immediate past

president of GHATOF, was in a hurry to hand over power and so was in no

position to drag this further. However, the positions of both Nana Baah Wiredu

and Stella Appenteng were compromised as lobbyists and Board Members of Mac–Dic

Hotel, Koforidua, owned by Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I.

Unhappy GHATOF members have resolved

to seek a court injunction once again against the adamant double offender

President or withdraw their membership from the only umbrella association for

the Tourism private sector.

Some of the fateful GHATOF

members are asking the Minister of Tourism and the Executive Director of the

Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) to intervene as it puts the tourism industry in bad

shape. This situation, however, has confirmed existing doubts of SPEED, SNV, staff of the Ministry of Tourism and GTB about

the pursuit of personal interests by power brokers within GHATOF at the expense

of the tourism industry.

Contacts

New Unrepresentative GHATOF President

Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I

Tel: 0244 785 616; 0275 529

232

Immediate Past President

Stella W. Appenteng

Tel: 0244318 278; 0208 184

633

Chairman, Elections Committee

Dr Nana BaahWiredu

Tel: 0242 033 564

Other GHATOF Members

Mr Nkunu Akyea

Tel: 0249 482 104

Jean Yaw Twum Lukaz MIH MSc MA/LLM BA(Hons)

Source: --