The Mole National Park, the country's biggest and most attractive wildlife-based tourist attraction centre has been given a massive facelift with modern infrastructural facilities.The five-year Mole National Park Development Project, which has ended, saw a 7.8 million Euro capital injection, mainly sponsored by the Netherlands Government. It is said to have resulted in an increase in the number of tourists from under 6,000 in 2001 to over 13,700 in 2007.Among the newly constructed tourists" facilities are, game viewing platforms, tree-hides, public camp sites, a new and attractive entrance gate and a tourist information centre, which houses the booking office, conservation and display room, craft shop and a 130-seater conference hall.Other facilities are the construction of two galvanized steel tanks with a total capacity of 67,000 litres of water to ensure efficient water production, storage and distribution to all segments of the Park as well as adequate measures to ensure security of the Park.Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at Mole, near Damongo in the Northern Region, the Executive Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, Nana Kofi Adu Nsiah, mentioned that the improved facilities and services, coupled with the effective management of the Park, had created the enabling environment to attract private sector investment.He disclosed that a Tanzania-based hospitality company had been granted a concession to develop and manage a 60-bed middle class lodge at the Park."The same company has been awarded right to take over the existing Mole Motel and redevelop and expand it into a modern lodge to meet the demand of increasing tourists,” Nana Nsiah added.A Deputy Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, said the Mole National Park is a very important national asset with the potential to drive the cultural and socio-economic development of local communities, districts and regions around it.According to him, government, through the sector ministry, would continue to provide the enabling conditions for partners, entrepreneurs and the private sector to partner the Wildlife Division in the development of the various protected areas across the country to maintain their integrity, enhance tourism, create jobs and ensure flow of benefit to local communities and other stakeholders of the Park.Mr. Adjei-Yeboah observed that the current global challenges facing humanity, including climate change, rising oil and food prices, call for proactive measures to ensure that the country derives optimum benefits from its natural resources.“The resultant extinction of flora and fauna species and erratic rainfall patterns make it imperative to maintain and conserve all life-sustaining systems, especially our protected areas, for watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, ecological stability and sustainable socio-economic development,” the Deputy Minister explained.The Mole National Park, which is 50 years old this year, has an overnight accommodation and other basic facilities for tourists.Source: Statesman