Ho, Nov. 19, GNA – Mr Daniel Noble Awumey, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has outlined the economic potentials of the tourism, agricultural and industrial sectors of the Municipality.
He noted that the Assembly had been the best performing Assembly in the Volta region from 2018 to 2020.
Mr Awumey was speaking at the 2021 Volta Trade and Investment Fair in Ho when he took his turn during the District Assembly Day programme of the event, described the Municipality as the “hub of tourism in the Volta Region.”
He noted that the Municipality had untapped tourism potentials capable of transforming its economy, as well as its overall contribution to national income when fully developed.
“The beautiful landscapes, clean environment of the towns, and numerous eco-tourism sites make it one of the most important tourism destinations in the country.”
He said Mountain Afadjato, Wli Waterfalls, Tsatsadu Waterfalls and Dam, Talking River at Gbi-Wegbe, Old German House at Wli, and the Art Centre at Hohoe were some tourist features the Municipality could boast of.
Mr Awumey said the Municipality was the destination for tourists, holiday makers and sightseers, adding that the people in the communities were more than willing to express their hospitality to all visitors.
He noted that despite the fact that only few tourist attractions had been marketed, the currently Wli Waterfalls and Mountain Afadjato were being patronised by not less than 30,000 visitors making up 60% of domestic and 40 per cent foreign tourists per annum.
“This is an indication that there is a need for more investment in the hospitality industry in the Municipality.”
Mr Awumey said although the main agricultural products included rice, cassava and oil palm, the Municipality was endowed with numerous valley fields conservatively estimated at over 4,500 hectares of land for commercial exploitation of the products.
Mr Awumey noted the construction of a rice processing factory under the Enable Youth programme was ongoing at the Gbi Godenu industrial site and its completion would process and package most of the rice produced in the Municipality.
He said a light industrial area had been developed at Gbi Godenu along the Eastern Corridor Road with a Technology Solution Centre, the first of its kind in the region, equipped with modern equipment for fabrication of machine and vehicle parts to feed various industries in the Municipality and beyond.
He said it was anticipated that there will be an increase in traffic flow, when the Eastern corridor road was fully completed.
Mr Awumey said the Assembly had earmarked the construction of 50 garages, 35 machines shops, restaurant, police, fire and health posts,10-unit shops and other facilities at the industrial site to support the project.
He said the Assembly had initiated programmes aimed at impacting knowledge and skills and creating income generating opportunities for the Municipal’s population being youthful, adventurous and hardworking.
Mr Awumey said the Assembly was running a three-year apprenticeship training programme known as Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship Programme aimed at equipping the youth with employable skills.
He said programmes aimed at reducing youth unemployment included hairdressing, dressmaking, carpentry, auto mechanics, leather works, fridge and air condition repairs, masonry and electronics.
Mr Awumey said apprentices would be supported with start-up kits after their training to enable them set up a venture on their own, adding that over 300 youth had successfully completed their training and had graduated.
He assured that the Assembly was ready to partner any prospective investors to any of the numerous investment opportunities available in the Municipality.
Mr Eliphas Barine, Kenyan High Commissioner to Ghana, called on residents in the Municipality to be active and not always ask what the government or the Assembly was doing for them, but also ask what they were doing since they were all partners of development.
He urged them to support their leaders to ensure growth and development.
The Fair on the theme: “Promoting Sustainable Trade and Investment” and will focus on agribusiness, tourism and ICT”, began on Monday, November 15 and will end on Sunday, November 28, 2021.
GNA