NDC IS ‘VICTIMISING’ THE DEAD AS GOVT CALLS OFF FERDINAND AYIM PARAGLIDING FESTIVAL

Scholastica Nyarko “So the vindictiveness has no bounds? Not even the dead are free?” Such was the accusation from Kofi Peprah, a building material trader at Kantamanto, Accra, who was looking forward to treating his wife and two kids to a paragliding adventure (at least as sightseers) at his hometown this Easter. Now, that family holiday plan has to be called off because the government has refused to fund the festival this year. The Chief Director of the Ministry disclosed yesterday that there was no budget for the festival in the Ministry’s 2009 budget. The national budget is expected to be read next week. The 5th Annual Ferdinand Ayim Paragliding Festival was all set to take place during the Easter weekend from April 10-13 at Atibie, Kwahu. Advertisement for this year’s programme is still on the worldwide web. Also expressing disappointment on Joy FM yesterday was Former Tourism Minister, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey. He has described the cancellation as sad for the development of the country’s tourism. The festival, which in four years has become part of Ghana’s annual tourism calendar, was named after one of the main people who glided its introduction to this country, the journalist and NPP founding member, the late Ferdinand Ayim. Mr Ayim lost his life in March 2006 on his way to Kwahu to organise the second paragliding festival. He was Special Assistant to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Raymond Osafo Djan, former District Chief Executive for Kwahu South, were the two others who led the paragliding festival initiative in 2005. Already speculation is rife as to what has discouraged the Mills administration to deny funding for this year’s festival. Apart from the fact that the annual festival is named after Mr Ayim, a former Chief Correspondent of The Statesman and key member of the NPP until his untimely death at 45, the site of the festival, on the Atibie escarpment is named after veteran politician, Mr Obestebi-Lamptey, who was the Campaign Chairman of Nana Akufo-Addo’s 2008 presidential race.

The suspicion among some staff members at the National Tourism Board is that the NDC only intends to suspend the festival for a year to re-introduce it next year without the names of its two ‘political rivals, Mr Obestebi-Lamptey and the late Freddie.

Kwabena Amoako-Atta, a cousin of Mr Ayim, said, “The family had hoped that the festival, which was growing every year, was a way of immortalising the patriotic service of Freddie. But, what is the use if gratitude for service to nation can be simply taken away by another government? This is a sad decision for Ghana.”

Last year, at least 25 known paragliding pilots from France, Germany, Togo, Canada, South Africa, Togo, United Kingdom and United States of America graced the Kwahu skies.

Paragliding had introduced a whole new growing experience to the traditional Kwahu Easter.

But, speaking to Joy FM yesterday, the Ministry of Tourism said it didn’t have a budget to support this year’s programme. Pepsi had been sponsoring the festival in previous years.

Chief Director, Mrs Brigit Katsriku, expressing regret, told Joy News the Ministry was, nevertheless, “hoping that funding could come from the private sector,” since the direct revenue that the Ministry gets from the festival doesn’t support the expenditure.

She added, “Funding is necessary because the pilots that come from all over the world, especially those who do the tandem flying, who take people along with them, we have to pay for their tickets, put them in accommodation, and provide transportation for them as long as they stay in Ghana. And we thought that it is too much for us this time, especially with a reduction in the budget. It would be too much for us to do this year.”

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But, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey disagreed, seeing it as a flimsy excuse. sees the excuse as not sufficient, especially gauging the sort of returns a sustained activity could generate for the sector and national economy, and the level of awareness it has been creating for domestic tourism.

“I don’t think as a nation we’ve realised the impact that Tourism can have on generating jobs and generating wealth for our nation, so lack of funds is nothing new,” he said.