By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Aug. 11, GNA – The Hotel, Catering and Tourism Training Institute (HOTCATT) is targeting at least 5,000 trainees and personnel annually from 2026 to strengthen skills in Ghana’s hospitality and tourism sector.
The target is part of efforts to improve service quality, expand industry-based training and enhance employment opportunities for young people in the sector.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, disclosed this on Monday in Accra when she took her turn at the Government Accountability Series to account for the performance of the Ministry and its agencies.
She said more than 4,000 trainees and professionals had been trained by HOTCATT between 2020 and 2026, following the relaunch of the institution.
Madam Gomashie said the institute had expanded Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-aligned programmes, industry-based training and internships across the country.
She said in 2025 alone, dozens of trainees benefited from certificate courses, short courses and structured industrial attachments, contributing to improved service quality and youth employability in the hospitality and tourism sector.
The Minister said HOTCATT had also been accredited by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) to offer proficiency and certificate programmes, with preparations underway for their rollout.
She said HOTCATT had launched partnership programmes with ABE Global, a UK-accredited training institution, to train Ghanaian professionals through professional certificate programmes for frontline staff and advanced diploma programmes for supervisors.
Madam Gomashie said the institute was also preparing to sign Memoranda of Understanding with all technical universities in Ghana and key universities in the regions.
She said the partnerships would enable the institutions to serve as regional training centres and bring skills development closer to communities through mobile training programmes.
The Minister said the initiatives formed part of efforts to improve professionalism and service quality while creating employment opportunities for young people in the tourism and hospitality sector.
On gender and social inclusion, Madam Gomashie said the Ministry had taken deliberate steps to promote gender equality and inclusion across sector programmes.
She said the Ministry had supported women-owned tourism enterprises, promoted gender-sensitive training and encouraged broader participation of persons with disabilities.
Madam Gomashie said the Ministry’s workforce also reflected its commitment to gender inclusion, with women accounting for a significant proportion of its staff.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng