GTA handles regulation while GTDC focuses on commercialisation – Prof Mensah

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company, Prof Kobby Mensah, has clarified the difference between the roles of the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ghana Tourism Development Company.

Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM on March 10, 2026, Prof Mensah explained that the Ghana Tourism Authority serves as the main regulatory and compliance body within Ghana’s tourism sector.

According to him, the authority functions as the `mother agency’ responsible for ensuring that tourism operators meet the required standards and regulations.

“I call the authority the mother agency. Obviously, it was the board that translated into the authority, and before the ministry, there was the board, which is the Ghana authority board that became the authority,” he said.

He further explained that the authority is responsible for certification, compliance, regulation, and the promotion of Ghana as a tourism destination.

“The authority is what we call the compliant agency. They’re responsible for certification, compliance, regulatory frameworks, and promotion, which is the bigger picture of attracting people to the country. They also ensure that they comply with the regulations, in terms of quality, your responsibility towards the state,” he stated.

Prof Mensah indicated that the Ghana Tourism Development Company, on the other hand, focuses mainly on the commercialization aspect of the tourism sector.

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“GTDC, which is my office, is responsible for commercialization. We are supposed to go into the market with the product and services and sell them to the people,” he noted.

He shared that the company is also tasked with attracting investments into Ghana’s tourism industry.

“We are also responsible for investment. Attracting investment to the tourism space and that side of the agency has somehow reduced a little bit over time,” he explained.

Prof Mensah, however, stressed that due to the changing dynamics in the sector, there may be a need to redefine some aspects of the company’s mandate.

“I keep telling my team that because of the peculiarity of the time, we probably have to reframe what we say is our mandate,” he said.

He added that the development and investment role of the Ghana Tourism Development Company should position the institution as a trendsetter within the tourism and hospitality industry.

“For me, I see the GTDC’s development and investment role as being a trend setter. What is new in tourism and hospitality? We can actually show the private sector to then come on board,” he added.

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Did you know that there is a fort in Ghana that was not built for slavery? And did you know that it is in Elmina? Watch the story about Fort Jago here: