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Ghana’s Tourism Minister commends Emirates at grand opening of store in Accra
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Ghana’s Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ketu South Constituency has lauded Emirates for its continued investment in Ghana’s aviation and tourism sectors.
Speaking at the grand opening of the Emirates Travel Store in Accra on Wednesday, the Minister praised the airline’s commitment to service excellence and its growing footprint in the West African market.
The Emirates Travel Store, designed as a one-stop hub, offers a modern and inspiring space where customers can plan their trips, book Emirates experiences, and receive expert travel advice.
The facility aims to enhance convenience for travellers and boost Ghana’s appeal as a regional tourism and business destination.
“I am excited that you have been able to upgrade your service to our country,” Hon. Gomashie said. “Our customers and compatriots, as well as the West African hub as a whole, stand to benefit significantly from this,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of learning from Emirates’ globally recognized service standards, adding that Ghana’s own tourism and hospitality industries must adopt similar best practices.
“Those of us who have had the privilege of flying with many airlines know that the service on Emirates is not what you typically find elsewhere. People don’t just pay for cake, they pay for how it is served. And that’s something Emirates does exceptionally well,” she noted.
Reflecting on recent national efforts to develop Ghana’s aviation industry, the Minister referenced a presidential task force commissioned last week by H.E. President John Dramami Mahama to explore the re-establishment of a national airline.
She remarked that Emirates’ success offers valuable lessons for Ghana as it seeks to build a competitive and service-oriented airline.
“We should not only experience Emirates but learn from the quality of service they provide. If we want to position Ghana as a destination of choice, it’s not just about flying, it’s about how we serve, how we welcome, how we treat others. That warmth is our competitive edge,” Gomashie said.
She also shared a personal reflection, expressing admiration for the Emirates team and encouraging staff to take pride in their roles.
She noted “Working with an airline was something I aspired to as a child, so make it count. Let it reflect in the service we offer not just here, but across all sectors in Ghana.”
Ghana’s Minister of Transport and a member of parliament for Saboba Constituency, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, expressed gratitude to Emirates for its role in connecting Ghana to the global network and investing in local infrastructure.
“Emirates has carried passengers from Ghana to the rest of the world. The comfort and convenience we see here today is not just for workers but for all passengers and business travellers. We hope Ghana, as a growing connectivity hub, can someday play the same role through our own national carrier,” he said.
The launch of the Emirates Travel Store marks another breakthrough in the airline’s engagement with Ghana and reinforces its role as a major partner in the country’s tourism and aviation development.
Management of Emirates, led by Mr. Saood Al Aqili – Country Manager, and Mr. Adil Al-Ghaith – Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre both emphasized the airline’s commitment to fostering deliberate and strategic dialogue with the Government of Ghana.
The objective, they noted, is to explore areas of mutual interest where both parties can exchange knowledge, align activities, and work together to support the sustainable growth of Ghana’s aviation and tourism sectors.
Emirates expressed a strong desire to share its global expertise with Ghanaian stakeholders.
This includes initiating collaborative efforts with Ghana’s tourism board to engage more actively with the Arabian travel market.
The airline also proposed the introduction of joint promotional campaigns, the organization of industry workshops, and the involvement of leading international partners to help position Ghana as a key travel destination in the region.
Management reiterated that such partnerships would not only boost tourist arrivals but also contribute meaningfully to building Ghana’s reputation as a premier tourism and connectivity hub in West Africa
In other jurisdictions, the commencement of a new football season was one soccer fans would party about.
Having endured about a three-month period without action, fans become anxious about what the new season brings and how their respective teams would perform.
But that is not the case in Ghana, especially where the current Ghana Premier League (GPL) football season is expected to get underway today.
Unlike other places where fans would be fantasising and visualising about the new players and what they bring on board, Ghanaian fans have been occupied with discussions about the present state of infrastructure.
Obviously, the game thrives when stadia appear in good condition. When the pitches are in perfect shapes, it enhances play and brings out the best from the players.
Sadly, the state of the pitches in the country have left many questioning the preparedness for the season that also coincides with the start of AFCON qualifiers.
Currently, the pitch at the Accra Sports Stadium is closed for Premier League matches in readiness for the qualifiers.
Alternative ones like the University of Ghana Stadium is also not in the best of shape.
The Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi is also a concern despite hosting the Democracy Cup. As a result, teams to be affected in the southern and northern sectors would turn their attention to the Abramkese and UG stadia, a situation that would take a toll on the surfaces.
The situation, therefore, raises questions over the country’s direction regarding the provision of sports infrastructure.
Apart from the Borteyman Sports Complex, which was constructed for the Africa Games, none of the facilities scattered across the country can be said to be in good shape to host local games; not to talk about high profile competitions.
This should be a wakeup call on the government to start initiating processes to ensure modern infrastructure were erected to put Ghana in a good position to host games without the unwarranted scrutiny of CAF.
This would come at a huge cost to the taxpayer but when the business aspect of that expenditure in considered, it should be a worthy outlay.
But the infrastructure challenges notwithstanding, the competition will kick start at Tema where Vision FC engages Young Apostles FC.
The Hearts of Oak versus Berekum Chelsea clash will lead tomorrow’s games pack that also sees debutants Debibi United and Port City FC engaged in battles against Asante Kotoko and FC Ashantigold, respectively.
In other games, Basake Holy Stars will welcome Swedru All Blacks; FC Samartex against Karela United; Heart of Lions versus Aduana FC and Bechem United against Goldstars.
Dreams FC will face Medeama SC at the Tuba astro turf on Monday.
By Andrew Nortey
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The 2026 Idea Challenge Pitch and media launch was held last Saturday at the Pentecost University in Accra.
It brought together innovators, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to promote creative ideas and solutions aimed at addressing societal challenges.
The initiative, organised by the Visionary Organisation Development and Entrepreneurial Club (VODEC) and National Emerging Leaders Economic Forum (NELEF) provided a platform for participants to showcase their ideas and highlight how innovation and creativity could be transformed into practical solutions.
The programme also sought to encourage young people to develop ideas that could contribute to national development and create opportunities for entrepreneurship.
Held on the theme: ‘building Africa’s future, emerging leaders driving inclusive growth and regional transformation,’ the event sought to serve as a strategic platform to transition youth talent from mere concepts into investable enterprises.
During the pitch session, shortlisted entrepreneurs presented viable business ideas which spanned critical sectors, including climate-smart agribusiness, sustainable waste management, digital technology, and assistive tech for persons with disabilities.
A member of the judging panel, Mr Blessed Amonoo, an Investment Analyst at the Ghana Amalgamated Trust Plc., praised the technical depth of the presentations.
“We are looking for scalability, market readiness, and projects that directly answer local problems,“ Mr Amonoo noted during the evaluation.
“The level of innovation displayed here proves that African youth possesses the answers to the continent’s economic riddles, provided they receive the right structural refinement.”
Finalists selected from this rigorous process will be officially announced and paired with corporate mentors at the flagship forum in September.
Speaking at the event, the Founder and Chief Executive of VODEC Africa, Mr. Daniel Asomani, urged African governments and financial institutions to systematically secure capital for youth-led startups.
Mr Asomani emphasised that Africa’s persistent brain drain can only be reversed if young minds find fertile ground to scale their enterprises locally.
“Our brilliant minds are leaving the shores of Africa not because they want to, but because the local ecosystem suffocates their dreams.”
“The Idea Challenge is our contribution to keeping this talent home but VODEC cannot do it alone. We need policy interventions, tax incentives for startups, and deliberate venture funding to turn these ideas into multi-million-dollarcorporations,” Mr Asomani stated.
By Desmond Aidoo
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