News
‘Make yourselves marketable to attract customers’
• Resource persons and the caterers.
A one-day stakeholder engagement and customer service training for the informal caterers also called traditional caterers has taken place at Takoradi in the Western Region.
The workshop is to sensitise the caterers on how to prepare their locations, the servers and the food to meet the demands of foreign tourists who will travel to Ghana during the Christmas and New Year and will like to taste Ghanaian dishes.
Addressing the caterers, the Deputy Chief Executive of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Ekow Sampson said that in 2019 over one million tourists visited Ghana and also in the year of Beyond the Return celebration.
He said these tourists spent GH¢3.3 billion in the Ghanaian drinking and chop bars and some attractive areas like the forts, castles, beaches and places of interest among others.
He told them that Christmas was fast approaching and the tourists would visit Ghana and other African countries to dodge the cold in their countries.
He said all informal caterers must adequately renovate their bars, customise uniforms for their workers and brand their locations to attract the tourists who would be visiting Ghana.
Mr Sampson said these tourists would visit places of interest but would also like to taste the Ghanaian foods by coming to the local bars instead.
A resource person, Yvonne Ohui MacCharthy said five basic services were needed to make their places attractive for the tourists to call on them for their services.
She said the tourists must look and feel the caterers, attitude of the caterers must be accommodating, their knowledge in the business must be current without any doubts, processing and procedures must be up to date and lastly sales techniques.
She told the caterers to clean cobwebs hanging in the windows, ceiling fans and the walls because these marks would be a minus for them.
The Western Regional Director of GTA, Mr Henry Yeleduor said that a series of programmes and activities had been organised by the “Beyond the Return” Secretariat under GTA to prepare them and sharpen their knowledge and skills in the hospitality industry.
He said the main objective was to prepare caterers to receive visitors, guests and revellers to their facilities as part of the “December-in-GH” activities organised by the GTA.
He said these programmes were to give them some skills on how to attract, satisfy, maintain and keep their guests as they come into their facilities and to return during the next visit looking for the same bar because the services were so nicely delivered.
He said there was absolutely no way that one could divorce successful business practices from quality services adding “it is common cause that good customer service surely builds enduring customer loyalty which is an important element for sustainable development and success in business”.
He asked the caterers to become ambassadors of excellent service in their areas of operation through skills transfer and mentoring other similar establishments especially the emerging businesses.
From Peter Gbambila-Takoradi
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee and the member of parliament for Bolgotanga Constituency , Isaac Adongo, has defended the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama, describing him as the right person to manage the country’s central bank.
According to Mr. Adongo, Ghana would have faced a difficult situation if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not won the 2024 elections and Dr. Asiama had not been appointed governor.
Speaking in an interview with Edem Mensah-Tsotorme, Online Editor for ghanaiantimes.com.gh, Mr.Adongo said the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), including Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, only wanted to remain relevant within their party.
“Well, the NPP and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah have a job to do. They want to remain relevant in their party. I don’t begrudge them,” he said.
Mr. Adongo praised President John Dramani Mahama for appointing Dr. Asiama as Governor of the Central Bank after returning to power.
He explained that the President carefully assessed the country’s economic challenges while in opposition and chose Dr. Asiama as the best person for the role.
According to him, the governor has so far shown strong leadership at the central bank.
“I’m not saying this because I work closely with him, but sitting on the board with him, his leadership is on par,” he stated.
The lawmaker further noted that the governor understands the concerns of Ghanaians, especially regarding the rising cost of living and economic pressures.
He said government had already done the “heavy lifting” in stabilizing the economy and would now reassess some of its policies to reduce pressure on public finances.
Mr. Adongo expressed optimism that the country would not witness the same level of government expenditure from 2026 onwards.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and consider the fiscal implications of some of the actions we have taken. I believe that from 2026, we will not see the same magnitude of expenditures,” he added.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts has clarified that it did not approve or endorse the recent Karnival Kingdom Festival held in Accra.
In a statement issued on May 7, 2026, the ministry said it did not receive any proposal, request for approval or official communication concerning the organisation of the event.
According to the ministry, it was also unaware of the processes through which the festival was allegedly approved to take place in Ghana.
“The Ministry wishes to state unequivocally that it neither endorsed, sanctioned nor authorised the staging of the event,” the statement said.
The clarification follows public criticism and discussions on social media over activities associated with the festival, including the circulation of what many described as culturally unacceptable content.
The ministry acknowledged concerns raised by sections of the public and various stakeholders regarding the conduct and nature of the event.
It explained that as the supervisory institution for the tourism, culture and creative arts sector, it expects all organisers of public festivals and entertainment events to follow established regulatory procedures and engage the relevant state institutions before holding such activities.
The ministry therefore urged organisers of tourism, cultural, entertainment and recreational events to obtain the necessary approvals before staging programmes in the country.
According to the statement, the ministry remains committed to promoting tourism and cultural activities that respect Ghana’s laws, values and cultural identity.
It added that the country’s reputation as a safe and culturally respectful destination must be protected at all times.
By: Jacob Aggrey
