Ecofest to be celebrated in October

Accra, Jan 21, GNA - Ecological tourism could be used to alleviate poverty and help improve incomes of rural communities. Mr Kofi Asamoa-Boateng, Director of Administration and Finance, Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City who announced this on Wednesday said the potentials could be realised if only the private sector was willing to invest.

Mr Asamoa-Boateng was speaking on behalf of Mr Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the Deputy Minister at the launch of this year's International Ecological festival (Eco-Fest) under the theme: "Water for Life" in Accra.

The festival, the third in a series would be celebrated in October under the auspices of the Ecofest Foundation, an Accra-based NGO in tourism.

He said Eco-tourism, a new phenomenon in Ghana, had the potentials of making tourism a major foreign earner when co-ordinated with other tourists potentials of the country.

Mr Asamoa-Boateng said hitherto, all efforts had been directed to other forms of tourism, including historical, cultural and leisure tourism to the neglect of eco-tourism.

"Eco-Tourism on the other hand serves as a means for conservation and preservation of the natural environment to encourage the growth and improvement of fauna and flora," he said.

Mr Asamoa-Boateng said the Ministry, in collaboration with Eco-Fest Foundation had began identifying Eco-tourism sites in the rural areas in order to use tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation. He said government was conscious that it could not develop tourism alone, and had therefore, initiated policies that would challenge the private sector to take advantage of the enabling environment. Mr Asamoa-Boateng praised the Foundation for responding to government's challenge to develop eco-tourism by promoting and raising awareness about environmental degradation and the reckless utilization of natural resources.

He urged the Foundation to use the celebrations to create awareness in the immense importance of eco-tourism and its socio-economic benefits such as income generation, employment creation, rejuvenation of community-based small and micro-enterprises. Dr Nana Baa Wiredu, Co-ordinator of Programmes of the Foundation said the celebration would be held in the Western Region, the watershed of three major rivers in Ghana--, Ankobra, Pra and the Tano. He said the Region being the nation's main water reservoir, it was important Ghanaians attention was drawn to this fact and educated on the need to conserve water resources for posterity.