INVEST IN PAGA'S HUGE TOURISM POTENTIALS - GTA BOSS 27th SEPTEMBER, 2023

 The Upper East Regional celebration of the World Tourism Day has taken place in Paga, capital of the Kassena-Nankana West District, with a call for appropriate investments in the region’s tourism sector to escalate the attraction thresholds for tourists as this will benefit numerous players in the tourism value chain.

Mr. Ahadzi, GTA Dir., Upper East

Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority [GTA], Mr. Wisdom Ahadzi who made the call, said the region held lots of tourism potentials and that his office, the GTA will continue to collaborate with the various Municipal and District Chief Executives to identify more of such tourism potentials in their respective jurisdictions to hook them with partners who can inject the required investments. This he noted, will then become a catalyst for the economic, social and environmental development that all stand to benefit from.

Mr. Ahadzi explained that commemoration of World Tourism Day was a creation the United Nations World Tourism Organization [UNWTO] to annually showcase the tourism sector’s unique ability to drive economic development, preserve and promote culture and heritage that provide opportunities for all. He added that since Ghana was a good member of the United Nations, it was a responsibility of the Nation to join in the yearly affair and use the platform of the celebrations promote and boost the country’s tourism drive with any available opportunities.

Touching on the theme for the year’s celebration - “Tourism and Green Investments; Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity”, the GTA Boss observed it as “an indication of the symbiotic relationship between tourism, the environment, planet and the people and how tourism could be used as a vehicle to promote through traditional innovative investments, the development of a competitive and sustainable growth for our people and country”.

He revealed that this year’s national event was scheduled to take place at Ada in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana with the same agenda for planting trees just as in the regions, which is a deliberate effort by all stakeholders to mitigate whatever effects tourism may have on the climate change.

Speaking on behalf of the Upper East Regional Minister, District Chief Executive for the Kassena-Nankana West District, Hon. Gerard Ataogye noted that the District was a known tourism hub in Upper East and therefore commended the Ghana Tourism Authority for selecting the Paga Chief Crocodile pond as venue for the celebrations. He said the Pond continues to provide the most conducive natural habitat for the crocodiles and pledged that the Assembly will always all it can to the Traditional authority in improving the facilities at the various attraction sites in the District. 

Hon. Gerard Ataogye, the DCE

 Hon. Ataogye observed the time had arrived for world leaders and industry players to deploy urgent and effective measures to tame emission levels stressing that, “if we are unable to reduce our emissions, scientists believe that climate change could lead to the deaths of more than 250,000 people around the globe every year and force some 100 million people into poverty by 2030”.

According to the DCE, the Paga crocodile pond was facing increasing number of challenges which could undermine the existence of the crocodiles if stakeholders did not take immediate action. He disclosed for instance that, Climate change was one factor that poses a severe predicament to the existence of the crocodiles. This stems from the fact that, the water level in the pond reduces drastically during the long dry season as a result of the poor vegetation cover of the North.

“We therefore owe it a collective responsibility to ensure that, the pond is adequately protected to serve the current generation and generations yet unborn”, he stated. He urged all and sundry to be constantly reminded by the old adage that “when the last tree dies, the last human being equally dies” and see tree planting as a prerequisite for the basic survival of the human race. He was thus excited with the theme for this year’s celebrations that is, “Tourism and Green Investments; Investing in People, Planet and Prosperity” which brought onto the event, a tree planting component.

Hon. Ataogye Just Planted a Tree

Meanwhile in some brief remarks from representatives of the Paga Youth Movement at the event, the group heaped praises on the GTA, the Regional Minister and the DCE for their relentless efforts in championing the tourism developmental agenda in the region, and particularly the Paga area. The group recalled that recently on July 20, 2023 their larger community was privileged to have hosted the regional PANAFEST cum Emancipation Day Celebration at the Pikworo Slave Camp in Paga- Nania and pledged that Paga Youth Movement always stands ready and willing to lend its cooperation and support any moves or interventions geared at bringing development to communities across the district.

However, Mr. Godfred Awampaga who spoke on behalf of managers of the Pond, appealed for support to construct a wall round the pond to keep off stray animals from causing harm to visitors and also to keep rubbish and other pollutants, off the water body.

A students’ tourism club from the Gambibgo Senior High/Technical Shcool, members of the Ghana Hotels’ Association, GTA staff and staff from the District Assembly were among patrons at the event.