Former Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku, has called for substantial government investment in tourism, arguing that targeted development—particularly in the Volta Region—could generate billions of dollars for the national economy and significantly reduce unemployment.

Speaking on JoyNews’ NewsDesk on Friday, December 19, Ms Afeku said Ghana continues to overlook tourism as a priority sector, despite its vast potential to drive economic growth and create jobs.

“I don’t mean to highlight one region,” she clarified. “But I have the experience, and I know that the Volta Region, though not a stronghold of the NPP, has enormous tourism potential. If the government were to invest a billion dollars or more into tourism development there, Ghana could make up to ten billion dollars in tourism revenue.”

She explained that the Volta Region possesses a unique mix of natural assets, including lakes, beaches, forests and mountains, as well as a welcoming local population.

Ms Afeku cited coastal towns such as Denu and Keta, describing their beaches as exceptionally clean and underutilised.

“In the Volta Region, you have the lake, you have the sea, and the beaches are beautiful,” she said. “You also have the forests, the mountains and the people.”

The former minister also stressed the need for structured, high-quality skills development in the hospitality sector.

She criticised the reliance on temporary and informal training programmes, calling instead for the establishment of a world-class hotel and hospitality management training school in the region.

“We don’t have a proper hotel training school in this country,” she noted. “These ad hoc training schools are not what we need. A top-notch management training school should be established in the Volta Region, which would also attract patronage from Francophone countries.”

According to Ms Afeku, tourism offers long-term benefits beyond local employment, as skilled labour in the hospitality industry can be exported internationally.

“The beauty of this industry is that once you train a skilled labour pool, you can export it,” she said. “Tourism can address Ghana’s unemployment quagmire if we take it seriously.”

She lamented that despite these advantages, tourism continues to receive limited attention at the highest levels of governance.

“But overall, we are still not seeing tourism treated as a priority sector,” she concluded.