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GTA partners with VISA to promote digital payments at tourist sites and events in Ghana
Accra, March 8, 2023
Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Visa have announced a strategic collaboration that will see the world leader in digital payments become an official payment partner at national tourism sites under GTA’s control, including all GTA-hosted events.
Following this agreement, Visa will serve as one of the accepted forms of payment by patrons at certain tourist sites throughout Ghana including the Kintampo Waterfalls, Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, the Bunso Eco park, Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, Assin Manso, Anomabo Memorial Garden of Return, Bonwire Kente Museum, and several other tourist locations in the country
This partnership is significant ahead of the Kwahu Easter festivities in April 2023 and the much anticipated call for entries for “December In GH,” 2023. Both are a special bundle of activities and programmes designed to make Ghana a top travel destination over holiday periods and beyond.
Commenting on the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, said: “We have been looking for ways to adopt digital innovation to make lives simple and transform the economy. The decision to partner with Visa aims to drive our financial inclusion agenda while making payments at the various tourist sites and events safer, easier, and more convenient. Travellers and tourists will avoid the trouble of carrying cash by using their Visa cards.”
Adoma Owusu, the Country Manager of Visa Ghana, said: “Ghana is becoming increasingly renowned as a global cultural destination with the onset of cultural events and activities under the “December in GH” brand and amazing tourist sites and attractions. At Visa, we remain resolute in our quest to transform the way Ghanaians pay and get paid by offering them the most secure and reliable way. We are excited about our partnership with GTA as we know most people have a lot of plans lined up to enjoy Ghana. We are happy to be their payment enabler.
GTA is also working with event organisers to offer discounts and incentives to those who purchase tickets with visa cards. These will be announced on a rolling basis.
Digital payments have been demonstrated to be a robust and incredibly adaptable solution for the travel and tourism industry. The partnership with Visa will help to improve domestic revenue collection as shown by the electronic payment system pilot programme that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture launched in 2019, which led to a significant increase in revenue.
Ghana expects to welcome one million visitors into the country in 2023 with several activities lined up including concerts, fashion shows, traditional cultural events, and much more.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories.
Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
About the Ghana Tourism Authority
The Ghana Tourism Authority is a state agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture responsible for the regulation of tourism in Ghana by marketing, promoting, licensing, classifying, researching and developing tourism facilities and services in the country.
Procurement – Electronic Visa Solution (eVisa) for the Ghana Immigration Service (GTDP) – (P164211)
Design, Supply, Install, Build Capacity, and Deploy Electronic Visa Solution (eVisa) for the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) as Part of the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) – (P164211)
(Without Prequalification)
Purchaser: Ghana Immigration Service
Project: Tourism Development Project
Contract title: Design, Supply, Install, Build Capacity, and Deploy Electronic Visa Solution (eVisa) for the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)
Country: Ghana
Loan No. /Credit No. / Grant No.: Tourism Development Project (TDP) – (P164211)
RFB No: GH-TOURISM-186837-GO-RFB
Issued on: 19th October, 2020
- The Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Tourism Development, and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract for the Design, Supply, Install, Build Capacity, and Deploy Electronic Visa Solution (eVisa) for the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS)]
- The Ghana Tourism Development Project under the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for the Design, Supply, Install, Build Capacity, and Deploy Electronic Visa Solution (eVisa) for the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), from 1st January, 2021 to 31st May, 2021, in Ghana with services available at Kotoka International Airport, Paga, Elubo, Aflao, Takoradi, Tema, any location around the world from where a visitor wants to travel to Ghana.
Specifically, the Bidder will be required to:
Undertake the tasks as documented in Section VII – Requirements of the Information System.
- Bidding will be conducted through international competitive procurement using Request for Bids (RFB) as specified in the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016, revised November 2017 and August 2018 (“Procurement Regulations”), and is open to all eligible Bidders as defined in the Procurement Regulations and is open to all Bidders eligible as defined in these Guidelines that meet the following minimum qualification criteria
- Experience
- The Service Providing Firm must be a reputable ICT firm with international experience and shall have qualified personnel with demonstrated experience in the successful design, installation and management of similar projects. The Firm will be selected based on experience and capacity to carry out this type of work. The firm must have at least 5 years of practice in Ghana.
- The vendor must have been in software integration business for over 5 years and must be ready to develop systems or other line of business applications that can interface with Government of Ghana payment systems and eServices.
- Vendor must have experience as Systems Integrator and demonstrate its ability to help develop skills and build capacity of GIS technical team to be able to reuse the platform for future projects. The Systems Integrator must have a support and maintenance capability in Ghana to be able to provide backstopping support to GIS.
- Technical Capacity
- The Bidder shall have experience in Development, Customization, Configuration and Integration to Government of Ghana’s ePayment platform and eServices.
- Shall have offices in Ghana or should furnish an undertaking that in case of being selected and awarded the contract it will set-up an operational office in Ghana after award of contract.
- Financial Capacity
- Minimum average annual turnover of US$500,000.00 calculated as total certified payments received for contracts in progress or completed within the last five (5) years. Bidders are required to submit audited balance sheets and income statements for the last five (5) years as part of their financial statements.
- Demonstrate evidence of the firm’s liquidity in the form of cash flow, liquid assets and/or credit lines net of other ongoing commitments at the minimum required amount of USD 1 million.
- Each joint venture member or sub-contractor undertaking a significant portion of work under this contract (20% or greater of the estimated value of the contract) must be financially stable, with gross revenue base of at least US$200,000.00 annually over the last three (3) years, and liquid assets of at least US $0.5 million.
- Interested eligible Bidders may obtain further information from The Ghana Tourism Development Project, Ag Project Coordinator, e-mail: procurementwborg@gmail.com and inspect the bidding document during office hours of 09:00am to 5:00pm at the address given below.
- The bidding document in English may be purchased by interested eligible Bidders upon the submission of a written application to the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee of One Thousand Two Hundred Ghana Cedis. The method of payment will be Bankers Draft made payable to the Tourism Development Project. The documents will be available for pick up only at the Tourism Development Project.
- Bids must be delivered to the address below
The Ag. Project Coordinator
Tourism Development Project
Bureau of Ghana Languages
Kawukudi Accra
Ghana Post GPS – GA-019-2774
Tell: 0541587658
On or before Friday, 4th December, 2020 at 11:00am. Electronic Bidding will not be permitted. Late Bids will be rejected. Bids will be publicly opened in the presence of the Bidders’ designated representatives and anyone who chooses to attend at the address below
The Project Coordinator
Tourism Development Project
Bureau of Ghana Languages
Kawukudi Accra
Ghana Post GPS – GA-019-2774
Tell: 0541587658
on Friday, 4th December, 2020 at 11:00am.
- All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid-Securing Declaration.
- Attention is drawn to the Procurement Regulations requiring the Borrower to disclose information on the successful bidder’s beneficial ownership, as part of the Contract Award Notice, using the Beneficial Ownership Disclosure Form as included in the bidding document.
- The address (es) referred to above is (are):
The Project Coordinator
Tourism Development Project
Bureau of Ghana Languages
Kawukudi Accra
Ghana Post GPS – GA-019-2774
Tell: 0541587658