Tourism Ministry holds Ghana’s maiden carnival

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in its bid to boost tourism in Ghana at the weekend organised Ghana’s maiden edition of street carnival in Accra.

The carnival, which was interlaced with cultural displays and food bazaar from all the ten regions of Ghana, was under the theme: “Carnival – Promoting Cultural Diversity and National Cohesion” and attracted participants from Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, among others.

Speaking during the opening of the programme, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, who is the sector minister, lauded the role played by carnivals in the economies of countries, saying “carnivals generate revenue and boost tourism.

“It is for this reason that carnivals have become popular events in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago among others”.

“We in Ghana perceive carnivals as one of the diverse cultural products which when properly developed and promoted could help make the country the fast emerging preferred tourism destination in Africa,” she added.

She expressed satisfaction with the attendance of the programme, which attracted about 2,000 participants and called on all to take part in the event next year because it had become an annual affair.

Mr Nyahuma Mentuhotep Obika, High Commissioner of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to Ghana and Nigeria, assured the Ministry of his readiness to mobilize more people to partake in the programme next year.

He said in an effort to let Ghana learn more about the carnival, the Minister of Arts and Multi Culturalism of Trinidad and Tobago, had invited Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare as a guest in this year’s celebration, which would take place later in the year.

He said Trinidad and Tobago would also support Ghana’s 2014 edition of the carnival by bringing in special carnival costumes from Trinidad and Tobago.

“Carnival is a big industry in Trinidad and Tobago, which rakes in millions of dollars to support our economy and the same could be said of Ghana if it is taken seriously,” he stated.

Source: GNA