Ghana Tourism in Fiasco

Efforts of the Minstry of Tourism,
Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) and donor funded projects (such as SNV JICA, and
SPEED) at promoting private sector development in the Tourism industry in Ghana
and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are at a crossroads as the Ghana Tourism
Federation (GHATOF) shamefully gambles its leadership into the hands of power
brokers.

After narrowly escaping a court
injunction filed against him by a member of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA)
for unconstitutionally overstaying his term of office, the life president of
GHA, Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I, Akyempemhene
of Kwabeng and Managing Director of Mac-Dic Hotel Koforidua, was elected by an
unrepresentative 20% (4 out of 21) of Member Associations as the new president
for GHATOF at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Golden Tulip Hotel on
Thursday, February 24 2010.

The Electoral Commissioner, Dr
Nana BaahWiredu, issued a post-election report indicating flaws in the
elections but the power brokers unconstitutionally called subsequent a meeting
to sweep everything under the carpet and let sleeping dogs lie. Only an
Emergency Governing Council Meeting could constitutionally be called at this
stage to deliberate on the report and there are plans to defy the GHATOF
constitution and swear in the new executives with the misleading participation
of the Ministry of Tourism, GTB and donor-funded projects.

To the amazement of the rest of
the membership Dr Nana BaahWiredu, who was also hired to finalise the draft GHATOF
constitution by SPEED Ghana, looked on with his team whilst the mockery of an
election went on. He was deemed to have commented afterwards that he prays this
shameful act does not get to the press. Mrs Stella W. Appenteng, immediate past
president of GHATOF, was in a hurry to hand over power and so was in no
position to drag this further. However, the positions of both Nana Baah Wiredu
and Stella Appenteng were compromised as lobbyists and Board Members of Mac–Dic
Hotel, Koforidua, owned by Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I.

Unhappy GHATOF members have resolved
to seek a court injunction once again against the adamant double offender
President or withdraw their membership from the only umbrella association for
the Tourism private sector.

Some of the fateful GHATOF
members are asking the Minister of Tourism and the Executive Director of the
Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) to intervene as it puts the tourism industry in bad
shape. This situation, however, has confirmed existing doubts of SPEED, SNV, staff of the Ministry of Tourism and GTB about
the pursuit of personal interests by power brokers within GHATOF at the expense
of the tourism industry.

Contacts

New Unrepresentative GHATOF President
Nana Kofi Adjei Twinin I
Tel: 0244 785 616; 0275 529
232

Immediate Past President
Stella W. Appenteng
Tel: 0244318 278; 0208 184
633

Chairman, Elections Committee
Dr Nana BaahWiredu
Tel: 0242 033 564

Other GHATOF Members
Mr Nkunu Akyea
Tel: 0249 482 104

Jean Yaw Twum Lukaz MIH MSc MA/LLM BA(Hons)