Kakum National Park A Tourist Attraction

The 360sq km Park is fast establishing itself as a leading tourist attraction in Ghana. It was original set aside as a forestressive in 1925. But in 1992 the government realised its immense wild life potential and converted the reserve into a Wildlife Conservation Park. The aim was to help promote tourism in the neighbourhood. One of its main attractions is the walkway campy, or hanging bridge which is said to be the first in Africa and the 4th in the World. The canopy has seven trails. A group of 50 environmentalists and journalists visited the park at the weekend, to see at first hand the wonders that lay in the bossom of the Park. The visitors Relations Officer, Miss Gify Offei who conducted newsmen round the Park said the local people have been encouraged to engage in economic activities like farming, bee-keeping and snail rearing to prevent them from encroaching on the park and poaching the animals there. The park has a large variety of animal species. They include the Diana Monkey, the Bongo and Yellow-back duckers. Ten camps have been built to check encroachers. In 1996 the park generated about ?100 million from tourism. It was also adjudged the best visitor-attraction-site when the tourism Awards ceremony was held about two months ago. The chiefs and people of the area have released about 512 hectares of land to the park for putting up hotels for visitors. The keeper of the park, Mr.. Ishmael Oteng Appau told newsmen that they have not been paid their risk allowances over-time allowances and medical bills. He also complained about the low salaries paid to staff of the park.

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