The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, says the government is committed to making the Volta Region one of Ghana’s top tourism destinations by promoting its culture, developing eco-tourism sites, and attracting more private investment.
Speaking at President John Dramani Mahama’s Citizens’ Engagement in Ho on Friday, July 17, the Minister said the Volta Region was the first place she visited after taking office, showing how important the government considers the region’s tourism potential.
She said she had already met with the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, and all Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the region to identify unique tourist attractions in their various districts.
“The responsibility of the assemblies is to identify what is unique and marketable in their districts, while the Ministry provides the technical expertise to package and promote those attractions both locally and internationally,” she said.
The Minister also revealed that, following a directive from President Mahama, she met with the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, to discuss improving roads leading to major tourist sites across the country.
She expressed confidence that the second phase of the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme would make it easier for people to visit tourist attractions in the Volta Region.
Gomashie said the Volta Region has huge eco-tourism potential. She mentioned the Adaklu Mountain Range in the Volta Region and the Likpe–Todome area in the neighbouring Oti Region as ideal locations for adventure tourism activities such as paragliding.
However, she stressed that tourism development depends largely on private investment and encouraged investors to partner with the government to develop these attractions into world-class destinations.
“We provide policy direction, but tourism is driven by private investment. We are inviting investors to work with us to develop these sites and unlock their full economic potential,” she said.
The Minister also highlighted the success of the Vodza Easter Regatta, organised in partnership with the Vodza Eco-Tourism Initiative. She said the event has become an important tourism attraction and gained nationwide attention after Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang attended this year’s Easter celebrations.
She said the government plans to transform the southern coastal areas of the Volta Region into a vibrant cultural and marine tourism hub through partnerships with the private sector.
According to her, tourist attractions such as the Wli and Agumatsa Waterfalls, Avu Lagoon, Hedzranawo Slave Market, Keta, Kedzi, Galosota and other coastal communities have the potential to attract both local and international visitors.
She explained that although some sites, including the Wli Waterfalls, are owned by local communities, the government wants to work closely with traditional leaders and residents to ensure tourism investments benefit everyone.
The Minister announced that the Ghana Tourism Development Company has launched a digital platform to promote tourism businesses and attractions across the country.
She, however, expressed concern that many hotels, restaurants, tour operators and other tourism businesses have not yet registered on the platform, making it difficult to market them internationally.
“If you own a hotel, restaurant or tourism facility and you are not on the platform, it becomes difficult for us to promote your business to the rest of the world,” she said.
Gomashie also praised the people of Keta for keeping their beaches clean. She said maintaining a clean environment is essential if Ghana wants to compete with popular international beach destinations such as Seychelles.
She called on Municipal and District Assemblies to continue protecting the region’s natural environment and tourism sites.
The Minister further disclosed that the government is promoting investment in the Marine Drive Project and has engaged the Agbogbomefia of Asogli to help attract investors, especially from China, into Ghana’s tourism sector.
She added that the Ministry has litigation-free lands available for tourism projects and is ready to partner private investors through Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and other Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.
Gomashie thanked President Mahama for his continued support for the tourism sector, noting that he recently facilitated a meeting between her Ministry and the Ministry of Finance to secure additional funding for tourism development.
She expressed confidence that from 2027, the Volta Region and Ghana as a whole would experience significant growth in tourism, culture and the creative arts sector through increased investment and improved infrastructure.
