The Ghana Tourists Board has started a training programme for food vendors and chop bar operators ahead of the Ghana 2008 Football tournament to enable them to provide quality and efficient services to tourists who would visit the country. The training programme which started on January 7, 2008 is expected to end on January 17 and would attract about 5000 vendors and chop bar operators, including waakye, koko and kenkey sellers. Mr. Ben Ohene-Ayeh, Public Relations Manager at the Ghana Tourists Board told the GNA that the programme would take place in eight out of the ten regions, especially those along the routes leading to the venue of the matches. Regions to benefit from the training are: Greater Accra, Volta, Central, Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Northern regions, Mr Ohene-Ayeh said, adding that, participants had been grouped into four and would be trained by Cook Art Company. Participants would be taken trough topics like food hygiene, customer care, food production, and facility management among other topics related to catering. Mr Ohene-Ayeh pointed out that participants had expressed high interest in the training programme and expressed the hope that it would make an impact by ensuring food safety. "We have had massive representation so far at all the places where the training had been held," he said and added that the food sector in the tourism industry was important to the growth of the industry in the country. Participants would also receive certificates of participation and a Ghana Tourists Board apron. The Ghana Tourists Board prior to this exercise had held training programmes for front staff officers at hotels, hotel managers and the owners. Source: GNA