Fifteen companies have benefited from the Small and Medium Enterprises and Site Development Fund set up by the government to expand the operations of businesses in the tourism sub-sector.
These 15 companies which were the first beneficiaries of the Fund received a total of $1.4 million to grow their businesses.
Ms Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Accra, said the amount was part of funds given to the country by the World Bank under the Ghana Tourism Development Project to build the capacity of players in the hospitality sector.
She said over 1,400 entities and individuals submitted their applications to benefit from the fund but only 15 met the criteria after a competitive selection process by the management of the Fund and officials of the World Bank.
She hinted that the next beneficiaries of the first batch would be announced soon and nominations for consideration of the second batch would be opened on 26 October 2020.
She said the government was optimistic that beneficiaries would utilise the fund for the intended purpose to achieve the desired objective of the project, adding that the government believes that the participation of the private sector in the tourism sector would yield the needed results to foster Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
She said her Ministry has started renovating some selected tourism sites such as Jambiri Waterfalls, Tafi Atome Sanctuary, Paga Crocodile Pond, Nzulenzu Village among others to attract tourists.
“The Ministry under tourism development project has begun an aggressive marketing of the country, locally and internationally, through various partnership activities undertaken by the Ghana Tourism Authority”, she added.
Doreen Tekyi & Suzzy Johnson, ISD
