By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Dec. 24, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has hosted a landmark Diaspora Dinner, reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to deepening global Black partnerships, cultural diplomacy, and investment-led tourism as part of the national reset agenda.
The high-level gathering brought together members of the diaspora, creative industry leaders, policymakers, and cultural icons.
It also brought together the Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Ghana and the Chief Executive Officer of the Creative Arts Industry, underscoring the strategic importance the government placed on culture-driven development.
At the Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) Diaspora Dinner, Maame Efua Houadjeto, the Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, described tourism not merely as an industry, but as a national instrument for economic growth, identity, and global influence.
She said Ghana was intentionally repositioning tourism to move beyond seasonal visitation toward year-round cultural, creative, and diaspora-driven engagement, anchored by the vision of “Resetting Tourism: The Black Star Experience.”
“The diaspora is no longer just visiting Ghana, you are partners in our growth, co-creators of our story, and stakeholders in how Ghana presents itself to the world.
“Tourism is how we convert culture into jobs, creativity into capital, and identity into global relevance,” she added.
She highlighted ongoing efforts by GTA to digitise tourism services, improve experience quality, support creatives and hospitality operators, and elevate Ghana as Africa’s cultural capital, particularly as global attention intensified ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and expanding diaspora engagement.
Mr Alex Segbefia, the Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Ghana, reinforced the government’s commitment to leveraging tourism, culture, and the creative economy as engines of national transformation.
He underscored the importance of structured diaspora engagement, noting that the diaspora represented knowledge, capital, networks, and influence that were critical to Ghana’s development agenda.
He said Ghana’s future would be shaped by partnerships between the government and creatives, between institutions and innovators, and between Ghana and her diaspora across the world.
Culture was no longer peripheral to development but central to it, he stressed.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo