The Ghana Hotels Association is calling for a fair disbursement of the US$10 million tourism grant provided by the International Development Association of the World Bank Group to the tourism sector.

This comes after President Nana Akufo-Addo launched the project meant to cushion Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to transform the sector and stimulate economic growth.

Speaking to Joy Business, President of the association Dr. Edward Ackah-Nyamikeh indicated that members of the association were gravely affected by the pandemic hence the need for transparency in the disbursement of the funds.

The project, he indicated should be seen as a perfect vehicle through which Ghana can grow its economy in the face of the global recession.

“The tourism sector is very large, so we are hoping that all members will benefit from this. It is necessary we have a fair disbursement of the funds that is what we are looking for”, he said.

He called on industry players to take advantage of the grant, access it and use the funds judiciously to grow their businesses.

“I charge the grant recipients to apply the funds wisely and make good use of it in times like this “he maintained.

The grant is to revitalize the tourism sector which was heavily hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 1,500 SMEs are expected to benefit from the arrangement, which will target mostly women who are the majority of the operators in the sector

The hospitality and creative arts sectors were a significant part of the national economy adversely affected by the pandemic, resulting in a 75 percent decline in international tourism arrivals in 2020 and a 45 percent reduction in 2021.