By Hafsa Obeng, GNA
Accra, March 7, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment to strengthen professional training, certification and occupational health and safety standards in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Mr Seth Ocran, President of the Federation, said the agreement would help establish industry-wide standards for training tourism practitioners across the country.
He explained that the Federation, which serves as the umbrella body for private sector tourism practitioners, had developed industry training models that would be implemented nationwide in collaboration with accredited institutions.
“GHATOF is multisectoral, representing tourism practitioners in Ghana, and we believe the time has come to introduce industry standardisation and certification,” Mr Ocran said.
He noted that the collaboration with the Labour Ministry would help address workforce development challenges, particularly the lack of professional training among many workers operating in tourism-related businesses such as bars, restaurants, car rental services and hospitality establishments.
Mr Ocran observed that unlike countries such as Kenya and South Africa, which had well-established tourism training institutions, Ghana had limited specialised schools dedicated to tourism education.
He said the Federation had, therefore, developed industry standards and would collaborate with technical universities and private institutions already licensed to provide training.
Under the arrangement, those institutions would adopt the agreed industry standards to train tourism practitioners nationwide.
Mr Ocran said the Federation had already signed an MoU with NASFORD University to begin training programmes.
He added that the Kumasi Technical University, the University of Cape Coast and Cape Coast Technical University had also expressed interest in participating in the initiative.
The partnership would complement the regulatory role of the Ghana Tourism Authority, while the Labour Ministry’s inspection teams would help ensure compliance with health, safety and workforce training standards across tourism facilities.
Dr Daniel Ayikwei, Chairman of the Health and Safety Task Force of the Labour Ministry, said the agreement represented a shared commitment to improving workplace safety and professional standards within the tourism industry.
The partnership would bring together the Health and Safety Task Force, the Department of Factory Inspectorate and GHATOF to promote best practices and strengthen compliance with occupational health and safety regulations.
“The tourism industry remains one of the key drivers of national development, creating job opportunities and contributing significantly to the economy,” Dr Ayikwei said.
He emphasised that sustaining the sector’s growth required prioritising the health and safety of workers, visitors and other stakeholders.
The collaboration would promote information sharing, training initiatives and coordinated monitoring to ensure tourism establishments maintained safe and healthy working environments.
Dr Ayikwei said the initiative would also contribute to the government’s 24-hour economy policy by helping create employment opportunities within the tourism and hospitality sector.
It could also support the creation of between 300,000 and 500,000 jobs while boosting revenue generation and sustainable development.
Dr Ayikwei expressed appreciation to GHATOF for its commitment to strengthening safety and professionalism within the industry.
He said the agreement would help build a tourism sector that was not only economically vibrant but also upheld high standards of safety and responsibility.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe