Abeiku Santana sees SADC heads of mission off to South Africa

Ghana’s Tourism ambassador Abeiku Aggrey Santana was at the airport on Saturday night to see off the delegation made up of a team of foreign diplomats led by the Dean of the diplomatic corps of Ghana Her Excellency the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Ghana Pavelyn Tendai Musaka to South Africa to participate in the SADC conference.

Among the dignitaries were the Namibian Ambassador to Ghana, HE Charles B. Josob, the Deputy High Commissioner of Zambia H.E Mwansa S Rowland, High Commissioner of the Republic of Tanzania H.E Daniel Ole Njoolay.

The team was accompanied by Mrs. Nancy Sam, President of the Tour Operators Asscociation of Ghana and Ahmed Naaman, Ashanti regional president of the Ghana Tourism Federation.

SADC heads of mission accredited to Ghana is embarking on an intra African tourism trade and investment promotion mission to the SADC region beginning with South Africa, the objective is to also promote the travel of the Ghanaian tourists to multiple destinations in the SADC region.

Speaking to the media in Accra before their departure at the Kotoka International Airport, The High Commissioner of Zimbabwe who also doubles as the dean of the missions of SADC in Ghana disclosed that the conference is to review the progress made with the implementation of the regional tourism programme in the SADC region and exchange views on topical issues relating to or impacting on tourism, trade and economic activities in the SADC region.

She mentioned that “the older generation of Southern African leaders in the likes of Kenneth Kaunda, Julius Nyerere, Sam Nujoma, Nelson Madiba Mandela, Robert Mugabe and the likes have made massive contributions in the liberation of Afrisca politically and the current Heads of mission are economic diplomats and it is our turn to drive the integration of Africa through tourism, trade and investment promotion and we are going to master the products of the various countries especially in the area of tourism as well as the existing economic opportunities and return to market these opportunities in our various stations in West Africa”.

She challenged the heads of missions in the ECOWAS region to also engage and attract the citizens of the SADC member countries to the ECOWAS region to sample tourism products and eventually market the tourism products in Africa to the rest of the world through the various ambassadors across the globe.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is the body that facilitates the implementation of SADC programs and activities to meet its objectives and overall goal of poverty eradication and regional integration.

This is the first trip of its kind gathering many ambassadors of the continent not for an official meeting but for them to experience the tourism sector in a bid to ease the travel procedures in Africa for Africans.