An Associate Professor of the School of Business in Kenya, Jonathan Annan, says the tourism sector can be a vital 24-hour industry for the country.

According to him, the destruction of Ghana’s environment has led to a heavy reliance on a few areas, such as waterfalls and the hotel industry, for tourism.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show on September 20, he said, “The tourism sector can be operated 24/7. I think we have a problem with our environment. We have destroyed our environment. We don’t have any animals for foreigners to come and see. We are only relying on a few areas like the waterfalls and the hostel industry."

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“Tourism is a sector we have to look at. We have people coming into the country day and night and we have hotels operating day and night,” he said.

His comments come after the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, stated that a 24-hour economy initiative is the solution to addressing Ghana’s financial and economic challenges. 

Mr Mahama explained that the 24-hour economy would create an enabling environment for businesses, companies, and government agencies, leading to increased job creation and higher employment rates. 

According to him, this initiative would be instrumental in boosting economic activity and fostering growth across various sectors.

In addition to tourism, Prof Annan suggested that the service sector, such as banking, retail shops and other service sectors should be explored as they contribute heavily to the country's GDP.

“The banking facilities, the restaurants, retail shops. In fact, in the night you can go out at any time to these restaurants. All these sectors contribute to the country’s GDP and very important for us to look at,” he said.