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Tourism a Key Driver of Economic Growth – GTDC CEO Prof. Kobby Mensah

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), Professor Kobby Mensah, has identified tourism as a key driver of Ghana’s economic growth, calling for a renewed focus on service delivery across the sector.

In an interview with GhanaWeb, Prof. Mensah emphasized the need to appreciate the vast and diverse nature of the tourism and hospitality industry and the significant role it plays in national development.

“We often describe it as a twin sector, tourism and hospitality, or hospitality and tourism. But beyond that, it is a multi-sectoral, highly diverse industry,” he explained. “If you want to understand how big the tourism sector truly is, consider the needs of the citizen alongside those of the visitor. Essentially, they’re the same.”

Prof. Mensah pointed out that both citizens and tourists require access to healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, transportation, and accommodation. These services, he noted, are not exclusive to locals but are equally necessary for visitors, making tourism a reflection of the broader economy.

“If a tourist needs healthcare, they’ll visit the same hospitals and clinics that citizens use. If they need to make financial transactions, they’ll rely on the same banks and mobile money services. This means tourism interacts with almost every other sector,” he said. “In this way, tourism could be considered one of the biggest sectors in any economy.”

However, he lamented that the true scope and economic potential of the tourism sector are not yet fully appreciated in Ghana.

“We’ve yet to grasp just how massive this sector is. That’s why the President’s ‘Black Star Experience’ initiative is so important. It encourages us to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience to visitors not only during the festive seasons but all year round.”

According to Prof. Mensah, delivering this high standard requires a coordinated effort to strengthen all supporting services, financial institutions, telecom providers, accommodation facilities, and transport services. These, he noted, may be incidental to the main reason a tourist visits, but they are crucial to the overall experience.

“A visitor may come primarily to explore or tour, but they will still need quality services along the way. If we fail to provide these essentials, it diminishes the value of the overall experience,” he stressed.

Prof. Mensah concluded by urging stakeholders to recognize the sector’s economic importance and take practical steps to improve service delivery across all areas that impact tourism.

“It’s a large, diverse sector that we’ve yet to fully understand or invest in properly. We need to wake up to its potential and deliver the level of service that makes Ghana a truly competitive destination. If we do that, we’ll start to see the real economic benefits of this powerful industry.”

Writer: Frederick Nortey 

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