Tourism plays a key role in Ghana’s economy – Bawumia

The vice president of the republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday, 16th November, 2024 joined the people of Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region when they descended on the newly paved Akutunya Lorry Park to showcase what defines them as a unique people during the celebrations of this year’s annual Kloyosikplemi festival.

The NPP Presidential Candidate for the upcoming elections speaking as special guest of honour at the event, identified tourism as a key driver of Ghana’s economy, positing that the sector plays a pivotal role in the country’s development and conscious efforts must be made towards its promotion.

Dr. Bawumia’s comments fall in line with the theme for the festival, ‘Redefining tourism, the story of Yilo Klo State for infrastructural development.’

“Tourism is key in terms of the economy of Ghana and we want to promote it and we should promote it very very seriously,” said the Veep.

Highlighting the positive impacts of the sector in the country’s development, Dr. Bawumia asserted: “Over the past years, the tourism industry in Ghana has positively impacted the economy through initiatives such as the year of return and beyond the return. These initiatives have placed Ghana on the global tourism map and made the country a preferred destination for holiday makers especially Africans and people of African descent tracing their roots back to the African continent.”

According to him, there are other interventions being rolled out by the tourism sector to enhance tourism in the country over the next few years.

Other government programs

The Veep also noted that Yilo Krobo had equally benefited from other government flagship programs. He mentioned that tens of thousands of seedlings of various crops had been distributed to farmers in the area under government’s planting for food and jobs program and gave assurances of supplying a further 15,000 bags of fertilizer to boost crop production.

Additionally, he said government, through the ministry of trade has, under the one district, one factory initiative, completed the infrastructure for a mango processing factory in Somanya which is a known mango hub. He also mentioned other projects such a community warehouse in New Somanya, road infrastructure, education, among others.

Paramount chief of the Yilo Krobo Traditional Area, Oklepeme Nuer Anorbaa Sasraku II stressed that tourism remains a key area which if well harnessed, could help boost the development of the area. “We have a lot of tourism, things that we can leverage on to develop this State,” he remarked.

While noting that Yilo Krobo was committed and contributing its part in national development, the chief charged the vice president to ensure that the gesture is returned to the people by ensuring that they receive their fair share of national development.

The traditional leader while expressing gratitude to government for ensuring the provision of a district hospital, a University, a TVET school, upgrading its senior high school to a class ‘B’ school, however appealed to Dr. Bawumia to ensure the provision of buses for the SHSs and a vehicle for the Yilo Krobo District Hospital and an extension of the Adenta-Dodowa road currently under construction to Somanya.

Oklepeme Nuer Anorbaa Sasraku urged the NPP presidential candidate to facilitate the release of Krobo lands forcibly taken by the colonial government which he said were being mismanaged by the lands commission, to the chiefs and people.

The chief also accused the mineral commission of issuing permits to various organisations to mine Yilo Krobo lands at will without recourse to the chiefs and people.

In response to the appeal for a vehicle for the Yilo Krobo hospital, Dr. Bawumia promised to present a pickup to the facility within the week to facilitate the transportation needs of the facility. He added that consideration would be given to the extension of the Adenta-Dodowa road to Somanya as well as plans for a comprehensive supply of buses to all schools in the country.

Festival celebrations

Hundreds of people wearing beads with matching African apparels filled the newly paved vast lorry square at Somanya with some scouring for space at near-by buildings. By mid-day the Chiefs of the various divisions of the Yilo State started arriving in well-ornamented regalia to the applause of the crowd.

The place went into frenzy when the overlord of the area, Oklepeme Nuer Anorbaa Sasraku II, arrived.

The occasion was graced by the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional area, Nana Kwaku Boateng III as well as Omanhene of the Anum Traditional Area, Akusiaku Brempong Kumi Sasraku VIII whose intricate walk onto the grounds was another sight to behold as the two accompanied by several minders generated their own brand of excitement with heavy throbbing of drums amidst firing of musketry.

Various divisional chiefs representing the six divisions of Yilo Krobo including Okper, Bornya, Nyewer, Ogome, Plau and Bunase fully adorned in royal regalia were in full attendance.