The Tourism Ministry is set to focus on agribusiness as one of the key drivers of growth of the Tourism industry.
The move is to increase the sector’s contribution to GDP from the 6.2 percent recorded in 2017.
Government has over the years used other tools including art and culture, as major drivers of growth of the industry.
But speaking at the maiden edition of Women in Tourism Summit in Accra, Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku said although the current strategies have yielded some results, new tools are needed to boost the sector.
She observed that “When we talk tourism, we leave out the huge value chain of our women, especially those in the rural areas who are in agribusiness. We at the sector depend heavily on fresh food produce.”
According to Madam Afeku, there is the need to find an opportunity to train people, especially women in agribusiness for packaging, good preservation, as well as financial empowerment as part of capacity building to meet the sector’s demand of fresh produce.
Government is projecting an increase in tourism revenue 8.8 billion cedis by 2027.
To this end, the Tourism Ministry is in talks with government to improve other sectors including aviation and roads to make the sector more attractive.
“Working closely with sectors in charge of roads and highways will help address our accessibility challenges. We are also working very closely with the Foreign Affairs Ministry for them to streamline visa processes to enhance our visibility as a sector,” Madam Afeku added.
The maiden edition of the Women in Tourism Summit was on the theme, “Driving Women Empowerment through Tourism Development”.
The event was used to address gender inequality as well as encourage more women to venture into the tourism industry.
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By Nana Oye Ankrah/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana