Kwahu Easter Paragliding Festival begins amidst tight security

The 11th Kwahu Easter paragliding festival has kicked off in the Kwahu ridge on top of the Odwenanoma Mountain in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region.

A short colourful ceremony was held Friday morning to begin the four-day festival, which has over the years become the flagship Easter holiday programme in the country’s tourism sector.

An initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, this year’s event which is expected to attract between 5000 and 10, 000 people, took off amidst tight security in the wake of possible terrorist threat in the country.

A special team from the counter terrorism unit of the Ghana Police Service has been deployed to the towns within the ridge where activities of the Easter celebrations are concentrated.

Rescue mission from the 64 Military Battalion, Ghana Ambulance Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Disaster Management and Organisation are also on the ground.

A total of 15 paragliders, including a 34-year old Ghanaian, Jonathan Quaye, are are expected to fly hundreds of holiday revellers from on top of the Odweanoma Mountain through the ridge to the Nkawkaw Stadium.

Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong who opened the event assured Ghanaians of government’s continuous investment in paragliding to boost the local economy of Kwahu.

She urged private investors to come on board the paragliding festival, which was the started by the late Jake Obetsebe-Lamptey during his tenure as the Minister for Tourism and Modernisation of the City.