vol. XVI no. 2

				If You Build It, continued The TCDI team knows it is on a fast track. According to Weinstein, Ghana today draws about 450,000 tourists annually. Officials hope to increase that number to one million by the year 2007. In late June of this year, Obetsebi-Lamptey hosted a workshop on tourism designed to address the major issues facing the country, but also to assure that all the various agencies work together to meet the ambitious one million tourism goal. He noted that "it's like the soil and the plant. The soil makes the plant grow and the plant enriches the soil. The spirit of cooperation will feed itself, and we will be very successful." Among those attending the workshop were Bertha Amegfavie and Emanuel Apreku, owners of a "chop bar" on a busy street on the outskirts of Accra. A chop bar can be likened to a convenience store by American standards. These establishments are considered another key to the future of tourism. Strategically located on highways such as that running from Accra to Cape Coast and Elmina, chop bars can provide a place for visitors to stop while taking the 90-mile trek from the capital to one of its most desirable destinations. No such rest stops exist now ­ at least any that the typical tourist would feel comfortable visiting. Amegfavie and Apreku as entrepreneurs see the importance of this as well, but feel that unless tourists stay awhile, they will find it difficult to raise their standards and prosper. Now, many of the tourists who do come are taken by bus to specific destinations. They arrive in the morning, they depart before dark and, although they may have the will, do not have the opportunity to spend much money on food, lodging and souvenirs. Said Amegfavie, "We want them to feel safe and free and stay awhile." While safety is not as big an issue as portrayed in the international media, and even AIDS is being controlled in Ghana more so than in many other African countries, the fear factor is still there. Obviously, Robinson and the TCDI are relying on the local educational community to make the tourism initiative effective. Several Ghanaian institutions are important strategic partners. Robinson is partnering with the University of Cape Coast in providing internships for students in the area of food service contracting, convention facility operations and special events. Faculty at the Cape Coast school were leaders in teaching tourism in their Geography and Tourism Department. Joseph Abenga has been at the school since 1996 and has been teaching tourism strategy since 2000. He remarked, "Today's students are more interested than ever in the field of tourism." He noted that "they see tourism as something that will benefit the country and themselves as well." Cape Coast also has instructors such as Eric Amuquandoh who specialize in ecotourism or nature-based tourism, which Ghana has in abundance, and other instructors who teach special events and marketing. Students at Cape Coast who have interned understand well the value of the experience and the importance of tourism. Ishmel Mensah, a third-year student at the school, interned with the Tourism Host Counsel, and Kwaku Boakye, also a third-year student at Cape Coast, interned with the Ghana Tourism Board. Mensha said putting theory into practice was the most valuable part of the experience, while Boakye said that "learning the relationship between the service provider and the customer was the best part of the internship." Also studying at Cape Coast is Victor McCarthy, human resources manager at the Elmina Beach Resort. He is one of the students who will be coming to Robinson as part of the TCDI initiative and will return with knowledge he can impart to others. In Accra, another institution that will share the load in expanding Ghana tourist capacity is the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. Known as GIMPA, this school offers executive education for the public and private sectors, including an EMBA. The school is also building a 100-room hotel with such amenities as a conference center and presidential suite that will be used as a training ground for hotel managers and other hotel and restaurant personnel. The Robinson College is also excited about the prospect of partnering with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. KNUST has a clear vision of the proposed relationship. Here the mission is even more fundamental. "We are looking to Georgia State to collaborate in helping develop our business school," said KNUST Vice Chancellor Kwesi Andam, whose institution now numbers 13,500 students but "should be capable of handling 50,000." This pent-up demand is largely because of the way things have changed in Ghana over the years. Much like the rest of the world, Ghana has become more reliant upon business than government to make it work. Said Andam, "Historically, universities in Ghana were looked upon as privileged entities funded by the government. Most graduates would then go to work for the government. This has changed. We have 19 million people - a huge population with huge needs for such things as security, communications, agriculture and much more. Also, our students graduate into a very competitive world. We must have entrepreneurship infused in them when they leave." As in any marketing effort, product is key, and Ghana has much to tout. The rain forest is only one of the high spots. A fishing village and market in Elmina features hundreds of merchants hawking their wares ­ anything from food to cameras and clothing. Cape Coast is also one of the homes of the slave castles, which offer an eerie peek into the past. Of the 40 slave castles in all of Africa, 27 are in Ghana. Kumasi is another very attractive tourist stop. Also known as the Garden City, Kumasi is capital of the Ashanti region, home of the Ashanti people, the richest and most powerful tribe in Ghana. The people are surrounded by legends and colorful traditions. Today, it has the biggest market in West Africa and is an area rich in gold and timber. Kumasi, too, was a slave-trading mecca. Obetsebi-Lamptey said that among those he hopes will return to Ghana are the sons and daughters of slaves "who acquitted themselves proudly and who should celebrate Ghana's true transition to democracy and its emergence as a shining light in Africa." The movie "Field of Dreams," a mythic tale of a baseball field in Iowa, gave rise to the now-familiar line, "If you build it, they will come." The same could be said of Ghana. Ghanaian officials and others familiar with the African continent believe the country can become a major tourist destination. They are counting on Robinson to help make that happen. Top | Previous Page

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