The Ladies Club of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has mentored students of the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School on career opportunities in the tourism sector.
The mentorship programme, held on the school’s premises at Aburi in the Eastern Region, on Thursday formed part of efforts by the GTA to inculcate tourism consciousness among young Ghanaians while celebrating and empowering young women.
Mrs Maame Efua Houadjeto, Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, said the Ladies Club chose Aburi Girls’ SHS to engage the students on the impact of tourism and the opportunities the sector offered, particularly in shaping their career choices.
She said Ghana was endowed with rich cultural and heritage resources, offering numerous opportunities in areas such as culture, storytelling, fashion, arts and heritage.
“What identifies us as Ghanaians is what we should market. Our clothing, our accessories, our jewellery, our beads. We believe that it’s time to take it onto the international platform,” she said.
Mrs Houadjeto said the team was at the school to encourage the students to develop a strong sense of pride in Ghana and contribute to taking the country’s tourism story to the international stage.
She explained that tourism went beyond attracting people into Ghana to experience the country but also involved promoting Ghana’s unique cultural identity and heritage globally.
“Tourism is not only about inviting people into Ghana to learn about the country, but also about going out onto the international stage and letting people understand that Ghana has a unique niche and is rich in culture,” she said.
“We want these young ladies to understand that Ghana is their future,” she added.
Mrs Houadjeto said digital marketing had become an important tool for promoting tourism, particularly through content creation, and encouraged the students to use digital platforms to showcase Ghanaian culture.
She cited Ghanaian personalities such as Chef Abby and fashion designer Christie Brown as examples of people using their creativity to market Ghana on the international platform.
Mr Jones Aruna Nelson, Eastern Regional Director of the GTA, said the Authority had established Tourism Clubs in various schools to mentor students and introduce them to the tourism business.
He said the tourism sector was thriving and offered lucrative opportunities, adding that although it was public-sector-led, it was largely private-sector-driven.
He said the initiative was aimed at equipping students with tourism knowledge so that they could, in future, become ambassadors who would promote and market Ghana.
Madam Ophelia Nana Yaa Ankrah, Eastern Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), advised the students to be mindful of their activities online, reminding them that “the internet does not forget.”
She said content posted online could affect their future, particularly when they rose to occupy higher positions, and urged them to use digital platforms positively to promote tourism and generate income.
Mr Raphael Otu, Clubs Coordinator at Aburi Girls’ SHS, stressed the importance of co-curricular activities in the development of students.
He said such activities formed an important aspect of students’ development and should therefore be encouraged.
Some of the students commended the GTA for the initiative, saying it would expose them to Ghana’s tourism attractions and enable them to appreciate, patronise and promote the country’s tourism resources effectively to the international community.