President Akufo-Addo has revealed that government is undertaking a comprehensive renovation and modernisation of tourist attractions across the country.

According to him, this decision enables Ghana to position itself as the preferred tourism destination in West Africa after attracting visitors to the country every December following the Year of Return initiative.

Speaking in Parliament at the State of the Nation's Address, President Akufo-Addo stated that some of the sites to go through these renovations and modernisation are the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castles, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and many others.

“I recall, with nostalgia, the end of the year 2019, just before the onset of Covid, when the world came to Ghana in that “December to Remember”, and we were the happy place to be at the end of our Year of Return,” he said.

“Government is, therefore, undertaking a comprehensive renovation and modernisation of tourist attractions across the country, such as the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, which will enable us to position Ghana as the preferred tourism destination in West Africa,” he continued.

The President revealed that the country recorded some 623,523 in December 2021 and 355,108 in 2020.

He stated that the numbers signify a rebound and growth of Ghana’s tourism sector, and hence there is a need to modernise and revamp the industry to see to its continuous development.

He added that this would also help Ghana continue to lead the push for an African renaissance through the decade-long ‘Beyond the Return Project’. 

“The “December in GH” component of this project has positioned Ghana as the destination to visit every December. We should recapture those glorious moments and build on them as we work hard to reclaim what we lost to the Covid years,” President Akufo-Addo noted.