News
Tourism sector bags $3.312bn from “Year of Return initiative – Tourism Ministry
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, has stated that the tourism sector as a result of the ‘Year of Return’ initiative has recorded US$3.312 billion in revenue.
“Mr Speaker, by the end of the year [2019], international arrivals reached 1.13 million from 956,372 in 2018; [representing] a 27 per cent growth which was above the global average of five per cent.
“The average expenditure per tourist increased from US$2,708 in 2018 to US$2,931 in 2019.
“The receipt attributed to tourism is therefore US$3.312 billion,” Mrs Oteng-Gyasi, the Member of Parliament for Prestea/Huni-Valley indicated in Parliament in Accra yesterday.
She was responding to a question asked by North Tongu Member, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who sought to know the volume of visitors associated with the Year of Return initiative and its estimated economic impact on the country in the year 2019.
Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said the increased number of travellers to Ghana positively impacted private sector industries including airline companies, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, arts and craft dealers.
As result of the arrivals, she said several hotels in December announced 100 per cent occupancy in the month of December with arts centre merchants doubling their sales.
“In terms of expenditure areas, accommodation, at 41 per cent, was the highest area of expenditure, followed by food and beverages at 21 per cent, shopping at 14 per cent, local transportation at eight per cent, entertainment at five per cent and other spending at 11 per cent.”
Ghana, she reported, became the beacon of the new narrative and was hailed by many as showing leadership leading to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo being honoured by the African Union for the initiative.
During the period, she told the House that 126 diasporans were granted Ghanaian citizenship.
In addition to the economic impact, social such as schools, boreholes, and ICT centres in some selected communities across the countries have become legacies of the year of return, she said.
The minister estimated the media mileage to be in the millions of the U.S dollars with both local and international media organisations dedicating editorial spaces to the initiative.
“Me Speaker, the advertising value equivalence is estimated at US$3.5 million.
“The coverage on the year of return has changed the narrative about Africa and branded Ghana as the gateway to Africa and one of the top tourism and repatriation destinations in the world,” she stated.
To build on the success of the Year of Return, Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said ‘Beyond the Return’ a follow up initiative as initiated would be pursued to boost Ghana’s tourism industry.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
