Ghana to be the centre of fun flying

Accra, April 18, GNA - Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lampety, Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City, on Tuesday said Ghana would be the centre of fun flying in West Africa with the introduction and development of the Hang and Paragliding Festival.

He said more Ghanaians were being trained to be professional gliders and the Sector Ministry in collaboration with other ministries were sourcing sponsorship to make the hang and paragliding sport in Ghana successful.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said this when seven international Para-gliders called on him to discuss future development of the game and to bid him farewell.

Paragliding is a sport patronized by people interested in flying. Gliders use light aircraft and the game is said to be one of the safest forms of aviation He announced the establishment of an institute to train people in Hang Gliding and Paragliding, to establish the safety and security of the sport and make it a regular activity.

The sport, which was developed from skydiving started in the 1980s in France and currently there are about 60,000 Para-gliders around the globe and is said to be one of the safest form of aviation. Training of a pilot, which involves theory and practice, takes about 15 days.

Mr Richard Westgate, a Para-glider from England, described the sport as unique, saying, "the hawks and vultures meet you in the sky and look at you, somehow wondering what bird you are?"

The Para-gliders from France, Australia, America, South Africa and Benin expressed happiness about the promotion of the sport in Ghana.