Nkawkaw roads need facelift to boost tourist activities - MP

Mr Kwabena Darfour, Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkawkaw Constituency has called for the rehabilitation of roads in the Nkwakwa Township to enhance tourist activities in the area.

“The roads leading to the Kwahu Enclave with its enviable tourists sites is really in a bad shape and impedes Ghana’s approach to developing tourism potentials in the country”, he said.

Mr Darfour made the call in a statement read on the floor of Parliament on this year’s Easter festivities which commences on March 29 to April 3.

He noted that the Kwahu Easter has become more pronounced than ever and that calls for a more pragmatic approach in developing the Kwahu Enclave into a 21st Century tourism site.

“The road is rough, not motorable, steep, and dangerous and sometimes an anti-climax to revelers who throng the Festival grounds”, the law maker said.

Mr Darfour said the area serves as the gateway to the Kwahu Mountain and a starting point of the Festival, but many a time, the Ghana Tourist Authority gloss over the Nkawkaw Township in the branding strategy of the Festival.

He said the fact is that the people of Nkawkaw are Kwahu's and must be included in the sharing of the tourism cake for the people of Kwahu.

The MP said another challenge that undermines the smooth celebration of the Festival is the lack of hotels to accommodate the anticipated ever increasing patronage of the Festival.

He called on the private sector especially estate developers to venture into building such facilities to accommodate tourists who patronize the festival.

The lawmaker added that the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism must work closely to make sure the defect is rectified.

“Mr. Speaker, there is the need for the Ministry of Tourism and the Ghana Tourism Authority to continue to expand their hold in searching for more tourism potential in the Kwahu enclave.

“So far, the paragliding is the only event that has taken monopoly as a side attraction during this festive occasion, but there are others too that can be harnessed to boost tourism in the area”, he added.