The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has collected more than GH¢39 million under the Tourism Development Levy within the past six years, the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GTA, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, has disclosed.
Subsequently, he said, the GTA had also invested about GH¢18 million of the amount into an investment product, while a loan which was contracted for construction of certain projects had been paid.
Mr Agyeman made this known at the Meet-the-Press Series of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in Accra.
He said the collection of the levy began in 2012 with the GTA collecting GH¢185, 647.00 for that year.
In the year 2013, it collected GH¢3,024, 211 and a total of GH¢5,180,328 in 2014. In 2015, the GTA collected GH¢8,762,349.00, GH¢10,545,633 in 2016 and GH¢11,675,900 in 2017.
The CEO of the GTA said the levy supported four cardinal areas, including marketing, promotion, tourism investment and capacity building within the tourism industry.
He noted that the Kintampo Waterfall renovation works, the Artic Re-development Project and the Highway Project at Gomoa-Assin in the Central Region were all funded under the Tourism Development Fund.
The sector Minister, Madam Catherine Ablema Afeku, earlier in an address, indicated that the ministry had received a US$50 million-dollar grant from the World Bank.
She said the funds would be used in strengthening institutions under the ministry and for women empowerment, as well as building the capacity of the youth, especially in macro and small-scale enterprises, in order to create jobs and wealth.
Madam Afeku said the grant would also support the implementation of the Centre of the World Project in Tema which would be undertaken in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Development Company, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Tema Golf Club.
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