Ghana to get 1.5 billion dollars in tourism in 2010
Cocoa farmers call for more time to repay loan
Rural Banks asked to promote economic wellbeing of rural people
Ghana to get 1.5 billion dollars in tourism in 2010
Accra (Greater Accra) 1 Nov. '99
Ghana would receive 1,062,000 tourists in the year 2010, a projection expected to rake in more than 1.5 billion dollars, a tourism statistical fact sheet stated in Accra on Monday.
The figure is nearly three times projections for year 2000, estimated at 399,000 arrivals and expected to accrue 386 million dollars.
Figures for this year are not available. It is however expected that the figures will outnumber provisional estimates for last year because of international events such as the Fifth African-African American Summit, PANAFEST '99, World Tourism Organisation Conference and the Africa Under-17 football championships.
There were 347,952 arrivals last year, fetching about 283.96 million dollars for the country.
According to the fact sheet, the UK topped the number of European tourism generating markets with a figure of 28,177 arrivals in 1997, while Nigeria topped the Africa group with 44,667 arrivals in the same year followed by Cote d'Ivoire with 15,646.
The highest arrivals for the same year was by Ghanaians living overseas, 88,585, while 21,465 tourists came from the United States.
Accommodation topped the average breakdown of tourist expenditure for 1998 with 379.7 million dollars representing 33 percent, followed by food and beverages and recreation with 169.2 million dollars and 118.1 million dollars respectively.
The lowest sector of tourist expenditure for the same year was local transportation, made up of taxis, local flights and car rentals, with 88.6 million dollars while shopping at markets and way side areas accounted for 97.1 million dollars.
In 1998 tourism contributed 3.8 percent to Ghana's Gross Domestic Product.
Figures for 1998 on employment generation are not ready but in 1995 the sector created 17,000 jobs in direct employment and 45,300 jobs in indirect employment.
The fact sheet shows a consistent increase in the number of hotels from 273 in 1989 to 751 in 1997. This number reduced to 730 in 1998, meaning 21 hotels went out of business within the period.
Mr Martin Twum, Chief Officer, Research and Planning of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), explained that the reduction is due to the closure of some hotels by the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) for sub-standard services or facilities while others folded up for their own reasons.
He said the Quality Assurance Department of the GTB and the police carry out periodic inspections of hotels during which the licences of those found not to have satisfied standard requirements were revoked.
GRi../
Cocoa farmers call for more time to repay loan
Adabokrom, (Western Region) 1 Nov '99
Cocoa farmers in and around Sefwi Adabokrom in the Juabeso-Bia district have petitioned the management of SSB Bank Limited to extend the period of repayment of loans it granted them early this year to the 2000/2001 main crop season.
Nana Kwaku Taa, spokesman for the farmers, who is also the Adabokrom district chief farmer, said the request had been necessitated by the fact that the black pod disease had destroyed a greater percentage of their cocoa this season.
The bank must therefore, give the beneficiaries of the loan facility more time to enable them to use the little cash obtained this crop season to pay the school fees of their wards.
Nana Taa also appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to find a lasting solution to the black pod problem, which is adversely affecting farmers' output.
The deputy district chief farmer, Mr Anthony K. Boama, urged the Ghana Cocoa Board to offer scholarships to their children to enable them to pursue their education to tertiary institutions.
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Rural Banks asked to promote economic wellbeing of rural people
Gomoa Dawurampong (Central Region) 1 Nov '99
Mr Raymond Amanfu, a manager of the Banking Supervision Division of the Bank of Ghana, has advised rural banks to initiate programmes that would promote the socio-economic wellbeing of people in the rural areas.
He also asked them to embark on intensive staff training programmes to correct all the bottlenecks militating against their efficient operations.
Mr Amanfu was speaking at the 14th Annual General Meeting of the Akyempen Rural Bank at Gomoa Dawurampong.
Mr E. F. Annor, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana and chairman of the board of directors of the bank, reiterated that loans granted by banks are not gifts.
He therefore called on all beneficiaries of bank loans to repay them promptly to keep the banks in business.
Mr Annor warned loan defaulters that the bank would institute stiffer penalties against then , adding, those concerned should honour their obligations within the next few months.
He said the bank made a net profit of 72.8 million cedis and assisted parents of 238 students in various educational institutions with loans totalling 108 million cedis.
The bank has set aside 38.3 million cedis as dividends for its shareholders and increased its deposit from 18.2 million cedis to 121.1 million cedis during the 1998 operational period.
Nana Obaatan Otu, president of the Central Region branch of the Association of Rural Banks, expressed satisfaction at the performance of the Akyempem Rural Bank and called on all to buy more shares to ensure continued growth.
GRi../