Ghana Tourist Board to launch Tourism project on Cocoa

Mampong-Akuapem(E/R), Oct.06, GNA - The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) is to launch an international tourism project 'Cocoa Tour' to trace the history of Cocoa from the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm at Mampong-Akuapem through towns and communities that had supported the industry. This was announced by the Eastern Regional Manager of the GTB Mr Sampson Donkor at the presentation of the land use plan of the Farm at Mampong-Akuapem in the Eastern Region. The land use plan is to present a project for the effective development of the Farm into a major tourist centre.

Mr Donkor called on stakeholders with ideas to contribute towards the project to make it a unique annual tourist programme for the region. The Akuapem North District Chief Executive, Mr Edward Adu-Aboagye said it was the determination of the Assembly to develop the Farm into one of the major tourist sites in the country. He said it was with this vision that two years ago, the Assembly in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the Modernization of the Capital City provided 330 million cedis for the construction of a reception centre for the farm.

Mr Adu-Aboagye said this year, the Assembly would allocate 25 million cedis for the maintenance of the Farm. He said the Assembly had realised that tourism was the engine of growth to propel the economic development of the District.

Mr William Evans-Anfom of Emellord Associates, Consultants on the land use plan called for the provision of a statue or bust of Tetteh Quarshie on the farm. He said the development of the farm as a potential tourist attraction should be linked to the development of other tourist attractions in the region.

Mr Evans-Anfom stressed the need for the preservation of the houses where Tetteh Quarshie and other personalities who played important role in the development of the Industry lived as part of the development of the tourism potential of the farm. He called for the provision of ecologies, catering services and bigger car parks that could accommodate large tourist buses.