Armah Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, has tasked the tourism sector to take advantage of the numerous oil and gas projects to strengthen its position as a critical sector of the economy.

He said the hospitality industry could take advantage of the oil and gas projects to expand and create jobs for the country’s teeming youth. Mr. Buah made this known at a durbar to celebrate this year’s World and National Tourism Day at Nkroful in the Ellembele District of the Western Region.

He said three Members of Parliament (MPs) from Nzema had formed a committee to join forces to develop tourist sites in the area. Mr. Buah said government intends to use the energy sector as a springboard to develop other sectors of the economy.

“The energy sector needs to be expanded to serve as the backbone of the country’s industrialization process,” he said. Ebenezer Teye Addo, Western Regional Minister, expressed concern about the use of chemicals for fishing in the region.

He said ‘Galamsey’ operators had polluted major river bodies in the region, including the Ankobra, Pra, Bonsa and Tano rivers. Teye Addo said, “It is the duty of everybody, therefore, to act and prevent all these happenings in order to protect these endowments for posterity and to preserve them as tourist sites.”

He said, “We must not look on unconcerned and allow few people and their collaborators to hold all of us to ransom.” Teye Addo advised the people of Nzulezo to adopt good sanitation practices to prevent the outbreak of diseases.