President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo travelled to Barbados in June this year as part of Year of Return to reconnect Ghana with Caribean nations.  On his trip, he invited the leaders of the countries he visited to make a trip to Ghana and encouraged discussions on how their countries can form strategic partnerships. 

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, accepted his invitation and arrived in Ghana Thursday morning with a delegation for a 3-day visit.  This trip is significant because not only is the Prime Minister exploring possible business opportunities and ways our two countries can build together, she is also visiting historical sites and Thursday witnessed the burial of the remains of an unknown enslaved African from Barbados. 

Shortly after arrival, she and her delegation travelled to the Central Region to visit Cape Coast Castle before making the journey to Assin Manso for the burial. “We are home and we thank God for giving us the strength and resilience as a people to be able to make this journey today,” she said to the crowd in Assin Manso.  “It is not a coincidence that this is the ‘Year of Return’ …we have come to declare too, that we want to close the circle and we want to build the Atlantic bridge,” she declared.

It was an emotional ceremony that represented the coming together of the past, present and building toward the future.  The local Chiefs poured libations to honour the ancestors and they greeted and welcomed the Prime Minister to their town.  “We have to pay homage and to give thanks for centuries of resilience of those who were able to withstand the cruelest indignities in humanity…thanks for the ability to keep faith and keep hope alive,” Mottley said.

The casket holding the remains was draped with kente and the Barbados flag.  It was carried to the gravesite and wreaths were laid in honour of this unknown soul.  After burial, the Prime Minister and her delegation were taken on a private tour of the Slave River where captured Africans were bathed for the last time before being taken to the dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina through the ‘door of no return.

Mottley is hopeful and positive for the future relationship Barbados will have with Ghana. “You must know that we have come here with love in our heart…with a determination that we will always be stronger working together.”

Veteran American comedian and actor Steve Harvey has commended Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo for the ‘Year of Return’ initiative.

According to the radio personality, the year of return has brought a lot of African–Americans to Ghana to witness on firsthand basis the struggles blacks went through during the slave trade era.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Star Thursday, the Comedian expressed gratitude to the president for the move.

“We have been once called Negros, blacks and finally to African–Americans and this has been our journey so far,” he said.

He said he will use all platforms available to him to enlighten Blacks about Ghana’s significance in the dark history of the slave trade and urge all to travel to Ghana.

“We would never be the same after the year the president opened the year of return”.

“My mission now is to get tourism board of Ghana, South Africa and Botswana to work as a unit to bring more African-Americans first to Ghana,” he added.

He noted a visit to the slave Castle will make African-Americans unravel the full truth of their history and appreciate the struggles of their grandparents.

Source: Akessesemonline

Yesterday, the remains of an unknown enslaved African which was brought by the Prime Minister of Barbados was buried at the Assin Manso River Site, making it the third remains of enslaved Africans to be buried at the site.

The Prime Minister,  who arrived on Thursday would be in the country for three days and would hold bilateral discussions with the President.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley and her business delegation will meet President Akufo Addo as well as tour Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The trip is to deepen ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Mottley will also participate in the Damba Festival to be held in Yendi over the weekend.

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA – As part of the Year of Return and visit of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Barbabos in June, Her Excellency Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados has arrived for a visit to Ghana.

The Prime Minister who arrived on Thursday would be in the country for three days and would hold bilateral discussions with the President.

She would also be in Assin Manso to witness a durbar of chiefs to be held in her honour at the forecourt of the Assin Manso Ancestral River Site.

Prime Minister Mottley shall also visit the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and participate in the Damba Festival to be held in Yendi over the weekend.

Remains of an unknown enslaved African she brought with her would be buried at the Assin Manso River Site, and this would be the third remains of enslaved Africans buried at the site.

The Prime Minister’s delegation also includes business leaders who are expected to meet their Ghanaian counterparts.

Mrs Barbara Oteng -Gyasi, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, welcomed the Prime Minister saying the nation’s tourism sector seeks to deepen its activities in the Carribean with Barbados as the gateway.

Mr Akwasi Agyeman, the Coordinator of the Year of Return and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, said the visit highlighted the importance of the Year of Return in the global African discussion.

Source: GNA

With less than two months to wrap up the year, there are still so many anticipated events for the Year of Return.  We are well into November and there are a few important events to note that are still coming up.  The National Festival of Arts and Culture starts on 8th November and the program goes until 15th November.  Taking place in Koforidua at Jubilee Park, there are several activities planned for the week-long event. 

There will be several exhibitions celebrating the art and culture of all 16 regions of Ghana.  The regional ministers and paramount chiefs of each region will also be in attendance so it promises to be a beautiful display of culture.  The theme of the event is Empowering Youth Through Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts for Employment and Wealth Creation.

The Ministry of Tourism Art and Culture recognises how important it is to give a voice to the youth and to encourage them to engage in tourism, arts and cultural activities.  This month there is also the Kids in Tourism Funfair from 28th – 30th November at Efua Sutherland Park.  There will be several activities to engage young people and teach them the value of tourism.

The Acces Music in Africa Conference at the end of the month from 28th-30th November is an important pan-African event for the music industry.  It gives a platform for key industry players to network, exchange ideas and even discover new and emerging talent.  Every year this event is held in a different African city and this year, during the Year of Return, they have selected Accra as the host city.

For anyone interested in the creative arts and the music industry, this is a great place to come and meet local, regional and international professionals in the business.  Several international speakers have been confirmed for the event including award-winning musician, producer and entrepreneur, Akon, CEO and Founder of Paradise Entertainment & Distribution, Ralph Boege from Germany and Executive Vice-President of Chocolate City Group, Aibee Abidoye from Nigeria.

There are also local industry players scheduled to speak including award-winning artist Sarkodie, award-winning singer-songwriter Efya, multi-award winning musician Ebo Taylor, hip-life music pioneer Obrafuor and more. For more details on attending this conference visit their website on www.musicinafrica.net.

Just like every nation, Ghana’s greatest asset is its people. The country is regarded as one of the friendliest countries in the world. The former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Taleb Rifai, after visiting Ghana noted, “there is nothing like the experience of being with wonderful, beautiful, warm and hospitable people of Ghana, if you haven’t visited Ghana yet then you don’t know what you are missing”.

It is satisfying to note that the tourism industry in Ghana continues to experience steady growth, despite the challenging conditions.

Through private investors, Ghana has experienced an upsurge of investments in tourism facilities such as Marine Drive, international hotel chains, local accommodation facilities, restaurants and transport services among others.

However, being recognised as the warmest people and investing in infrastructure is only one side of the equation to make Ghana the destination of choice.

The most important investment that would project us as the preferred destination is what we pay little attention to. This is the area of Quality Service Delivery. Quality service delivery continues to be the neglected factor in Ghana’s tourism and hospitality industry. Quality service must go with the employment of qualified personnel and or equipping them with relevant skills to meet and ‘wow’ customers in terms of their expectations.

Tourists who travel to Ghana receive the warmest welcome but are met with the poor services rendered by the hospitality agencies. Whilst we are selling destination Ghana as a place with interesting tourist sites, hospitable people, good food and music, we must be able to also sell it as a place with best service providers.

It is a plus for us as a country to be rated as the warmest destination, but let’s not forget that once the service provided is not to the satisfaction of the visitor, they tend to concentrate more on the poor service rendered than the good reception they received.

In marketing, it is often said that ‘if a customer is satisfied, he introduces ten more customers to a product or service’, on the other hand, ‘if a customer is dissatisfied he takes five customers away from the product or service’.

Tourists all over the world including domestic ones are discerning. The industry therefore thrives on quality service as these attract repeat visits which generate positive referrals and endorsements. Quality services also serves as a marketing tool that creates positive impression to visitors, thereby ultimately reflecting our image of being a “Uniquely Welcoming” destination.

As a tourism destination, there is the need to improve on the service delivery, that is the smiles, welcoming guest as they arrive, looking sharp and serving them on time as well as providing them with the basic needs they request for on arrival.

To achieve our aim as a tourism destination in West Africa and the World as a whole, our tourist sites should be well managed. We must protect and build on our natural and man-made resources and again maintain our friendliness to be in harmony with the service delivery.

The Ghana Tourism Authority must be commended for their recent initiative which was in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Federation to train, educate and sensitize the for informal catering sector, with the objective to improve the quality of service delivery within the informal catering sector and also to equip operators with requisite skills in order to render professional catering services.

We must work for God and the country

Darling Asieduwaa Ntiamoah

Ghana Tourism Authority.