Tourism hold key to economic transformation - Tourism Minister

Mrs Catherine Abelema Afeku, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has called for increased support and investments to grow the sector.

She indicated that the Ministry was working to develop appropriate policies and administrative structures that can propel the growth of the industry as a major pillar for socio-economic advancement.

That, she said, was the way forward to grow the buoyant sector to lift the people out of poverty.

This was contained in a speech read on her behalf at the Central Regional Pre-durbar of the Festival of Arts and Culture (Pre-NAFAC) held at Kasoa last Saturday.

Mrs Afeku said "the Creative Arts industry as a platform for national development forms an integral part towards generating employment and wealth creation."

The industry had long ceased to be a field for anybody as it required a high sense of intelligence, technology and combination of multi-skills to sustain businesses.

Investments in the sector, according to the Minister must be based on the nation's cultural values and modern technology to promote development in rural and urban areas to stabilize the economy.

She underscored the immeasurable contributions of the annual Pre-durbar festival as the rallying point for arts enthusiasts to exhibit artistic peculiarities.

It also unearths the tourism potentials, new and existing dance forms, traditional cuisines, technology interventions, educational tourism, glamour and regalia of customs and traditional governance.

Mr Kwamena Duncan, the Regional Minister who could not hide his cultural antics and felicitations joined the celebrants and lauded the stakeholders for excellent Initiative.

He described culture as “an incontestable bedrock of the existence of every society" and praised the Minister for her indefatigable role to bringing it up-to-speed with modern trends.

Mr Duncan recounted the various magnificent historical monuments, cultural artefacts, festivals and international eco-tourism sites dotted across the Region and urged all to support.