The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has commissioned the redeveloped Pikworo Heritage and Slave Camp at Nania near Paga in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region to attract tourists and boost the local economy.  

The project comprises the construction of a periphery wall, frontage, summer huts, washrooms and administration block, which has a waiting area, reception, manager’s room and souvenirs display room.  

The remaining work to be done includes fencing, a graveyard, and landscaping.  

The redevelopment forms part of beautifying tourist sites across the country, particularly slave routes, being undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture through the GTA with funding from the Tourism Development Fund.  

The idea is to preserve the history and heritage of the people, attract more visitors and serve as a catalyst for job creation and socioeconomic development, particularly the local economies.  

At a brief ceremony to commission the facilities, Mr Benjamin Anane, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of General Services, GTA, said the Government was working on redeveloping all the country’s tourist sites to improve visitation and revenue mobilisation.  

Tourism is one of the major foreign exchange earners of countries globally due to its value chain linkages, he said, and called for a strategic investment to develop the sector sustainably.  

“Ghana is the leading tourist destination in West Africa but on the global scale, it is not particularly exciting because we are number eight in Sub Saharan Africa and our target is to get to the top-five in the next five years,” Mr Anane said.  

That required collective efforts among communities, traditional authorities, local governance structures and the GTA to identify potential tourist sites and products and invest sustainably to develop them.  

“Every country has a strong point…in Ghana it is a mix-bag of many things but strong among them is our connection to the African diaspora through the Atlantic slave trade,” he said.  

“So, heritage sites such as this become important to sustain the diversity of interest in our tourism but to also keep domestic tourists to actively engage and move around the country.”  

Mr Wisdom Ahadzi, the Upper East Regional Director, GTA, said tourism development was a collective approach and urged the community to own the camp and contribute towards realising the needed benefits.  

Mr Gerard Ataogye, the District Chief Executive, Kassena-Nankana West, lauded the government for investing in the tourist site, which would increase visitation, boost the local economy and create jobs for the youth.  

He said tourism is good business and called for private partnerships to develop sites such as the crocodile ponds and the kukla shrine to improve the economy.  

Pe Asangchera Thomas Aluah, the Divisional Chief of Kazigu, speaking on behalf of Pe Pwanalonga Charles Awiah Awampaga II, Paramount Chief of the Paga Traditional Area, said the Pikworo Slave and Heritage Camp is an embodiment of history and urged the public to visit the place and learn more about the slave trade.  

A five-member committee was inaugurated to oversee the operations of the site.