News
Ghana’s tourism sector to fully recover in 3 yrs —Prof. Mensah
Ghana’s tourism sector will take between two to three years to fully recover from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic,an Associate Professor at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Ishmael Mensah has predicted.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times in an interview yesterday, Prof. Mensahwho is also the Ghana Director of the Confucius Institute, UCC said that the International Tourism Organisation (ITO) projected a decline of international tourist arrival between 20 and 30 percent for the year due to the impact of COVID-19.
This he explained would impact Ghana’s tourism sector extensively due to the fact that the domestic tourism industry had not been developed.
He has, therefore, asked players within the sector to brace themselves up for the setback and innovate to ensure they survived the scourge even as steps were taken to ease the restrictions.
In addition, he has urgedthe government to lead the way in the recovery processes since it was one of the critical sectors of the Ghanaian Economy, stressing that”We should not leave the recovery efforts in the hands of hotels, airlines and other organisations within the value chain” he said.
Tourism until the discovery of oil in commercial quantities was the third highest foreign exchange earner for the country, however, with the discovery, it has been dislodged.
Currently, it is the fourth largest foreign exchange earner with more than $1.7billion, representing about six per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product for 2019.
Prof. Mensah said the sector had globally declined due to the pandemic; however, the impact of the decline at the local level would differ depending on individual countries.
“The tourism sector globally has declined due to the pandemic; however, the impact at the local level can be even more devastating unless some innovative ways are adopted to prop up the sector.
“I see, a number of hotels have shut down whiles other agencies within the industry are facing challenges of eminent collapse,” he said.
The average occupancy rate before COVID-19, he said, was 70 percent but the emergence of the virus had slashed the average occupancy ratio to 30 percent with others registering as low as five percent and below, saying, “Our hotels are in serious distress”.
However, he said the domestic market even though not well developed, would commence with the recovery processes first and then that of inbound tourism would pick up gradually, adding that, “the road to recovery will be a long while.”
Prof. indicated that the tourism sector was a resilient one, saying, “We have to understand that all is not lost but the state needsto put in adequate measures to ensure the sector gets out of the current challenges quickly”.
As part of the recovery processes, he called for the state to put up an intensified promotional and marketing campaign, adding that “such a campaign may enable the country discover new markets.”
He commended government for showing leadership with the GH¢600 million stimuluspackages for businesses and urged those in the industry to apply for funds to address their challenges.
However, he said there would be the need for the “Beyond the Return” project which was supposed to have commenced this year to be re-launched when things normalised in about two to three years time to enable the sector to take full advantage of the diasporan market.
On a possible slump of tourism from being the fourth foreign exchange earner in the country, Prof. Mensah said, that would not materialise with a decline in the other entire sectors due to the pandemic.
“Tourism will continue to be the fourth exchange ex-change earner despite the challenges the sector is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic” he said.
From David O Yarboi-Tetteh, Cape Coast
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
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