By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Oct. 14, GNA – The Service Excellence Foundation (SEF), under the auspices of the Ghana Tourism Federation, has organised the fourth NAKOFEST edition of the industry hospitality leadership breakfast summit in Accra.
The event also in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture brought together key captains of industry from the public and private sector institutions such as Mental Health Authority (MHA), Ghana Health Service, tourism and hospitality trade associations, members from the diplomatic missions, academia and traditional rulers.
It was on the theme: “The role of mental health and wellbeing; a catalyst to an enhanced work environment for business growth in the hospitality industry’’ coincided with the World Mental Health Day and the National Customer Service Week celebration observed yearly by the tourism and the hospitality industry of Ghana in October.
Mr Andrew Agyapa Mercer, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, said, “We need to encourage open dialogue about mental health and wellbeing in our workplaces without fear or stigma which starts with our leaders.”
He urged industry players to work together to create a hospitality industry where every employee felt valued, supported and empowered to thrive.
“By prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, we can build a stronger, more resilient, and more sustainable tourism sector in Ghana.”
Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, MHA said the Mental Health Authority was set up to formulate and implement national mental health advocacy policy programmes across all the regions of Ghana and this aligned with the focus of the summit.
She congratulated the SEF for demonstrating a laudable strong advocacy leadership initiative, saying “as leaders in the hospitality sector, you have a unique opportunity to set the standard for mental health and wellbeing advocacy by implementing training programmes that seek to educate employees about mental wellness, offering flexible work schedules and creating safe places which promotes open dialogue to enhance productivity”.
Mr. Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer, GTA said as the sector worked to position Ghana as a premier tourism destination, the mental health and wellbeing of employees could not be overlooked as their contributions could directly impact quality of service delivery to visitors and business bottom lines.
He stated that GTA recognized the role of mental health and wellbeing in driving business growth in the tourism and hospitality sector hence the Authority would continue to collaborate with the private sector to promote such laudable initiatives.
Mr Caleb Kofie, President, Service Excellence Foundation and National Tourism Customer Service Brand Ambassador for Ghana, said NAKOFEST, a yearly commemorative event to appreciate industry employees and customers, also help to take stock of service delivery challenges and work in partnership with business stakeholders to enhance customer satisfaction.
He said the theme for this year was to highlight the role of mental health and wellbeing and its impact on employees engagement within the workplace and relation to customer satisfaction.
He stated that if the challenges of mental health and wellbeing were not addressed adequately by managers of business organisations, the motivation of employees to serve customers or guests better within the industry could greatly diminish.
There was a special panel session with representation from the United Kingdom, USA and Ghana engaging audience with key focus on the theme for the occasion.
The foundation also donated a Wheelchair, food items and some cash amount to Madam Paula Mensah, a person with disability from Ashiaman, in the Greater Accra, as part of the Foundation’s commitment to support the less privileged in society.
GNA