Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr Abeiku Aggrey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA,) has said the GTA will leverage on the production of leather in the Northern Region for tourism development.
He explained that while there were several local producers of bags, belts, and shoes, many including those in the diaspora, were unaware that the region was the historical centre for leather craftsmanship.
He said this when he led a delegation from the GTA and the PANAFEST Secretariat to pay a courtesy call on the Gulkpe-Naa Alhassan Abdulai, Paramount Chief of Gulkpegu Traditional Area (Tamale) in Tamale.
The visit formed part of a five-day working tour of the Northern Parts of the country in connection with this year’s PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebrations.
The delegation also visited Red Clay Studios, an innovative art hub in Tamale, and held a public lecture and symposium at the University for Development Studies.
Mr Aggrey said the GTA planned to spotlight the region as the country’s premier destination for leather production to boost the local economy as well as attract foreign investors to the sector.
He said the move was to encourage importers of leather products to consider sourcing them from the northern part of the country to boost tourism and enhance local revenue generation.
He said it was also to attract investors to support the local leather industry with modern technology and equipment to enhance efficiency and meet international standards.
He mentioned some key tourist attractions in the region including the Yendi Greenwich Meridian, the Saakpuli Slave Site amongst others as major assets for enhancing tourism revenue.
He said “Plans are also underway to revamp the Gushegu Smock Market to showcase our traditional fabrics to the diaspora and open up more trade and tourism opportunities.”
Mr Angelo Dogbe, Northern Regional Director of GTA said the PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebrations sought to promote tourism and expose the untapped cultural and historical wealth of northern Ghana to the global community.
Mr Taqiyy Saleem, a member of the diaspora delegation, expressed excitement about the tourism and investment potential in the region saying the team was interested in investing in sectors such as real estate and agriculture.
Naa Alhassan Zakaria, a sub-chief under the Gulkpegu paramountcy, who represented the paramount chief, appealed to the diaspora team to take advantage of the vast and fertile farmlands in the region to invest in agriculture and create jobs for the youth.
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