The Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, has officially commissioned the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC) Campus Office at the University of Ghana, Legon. The initiative, a collaboration between the GTDC and the University’s Public Affairs Directorate, seeks to integrate tourism into the academic and social life of the nation’s premier tertiary institution.
Delivering the keynote address, Abla Gomashie challenged the traditional view of tourism as merely a commercial activity. She asserted that in its highest form, tourism is an educational experience rather than an “extractive industry.”
”By situating this office within the university, we are making an unequivocal statement, tourism belongs in the academic environment,” the Minister stated. She emphasized that the sector intersects with diverse fields, including Economics, Environmental Science, History, and the Performing Arts. “It belongs in every young mind where lives are being shaped for the future of our country.”
A central theme of the Minister’s address was her “pet project”, domestic tourism. She urged students and faculty to reclaim the Ghanaian narrative by recognizing national landmarks, festivals, and markets not merely as background scenery, but as essential sources of identity and dignity.
Reflecting on her own seven-year journey as a student at the University of Ghana, the Minister noted that the School of Performing Arts and the Institute of African Studies have historically been the primary gateways for international students. She tasked the university community with ensuring that every visitor leaves with a positive, authentic image of Ghana
In a spirited and personal segment of her speech, Gomashie spoke against “unhealthy tribalism,” calling for a unified Ghanaian identity.
”Ghana belongs to Ghanaians, and every tribe is a part of the whole,” she remarked, sharing that she fluently speaks five Ghanaian languages and masters various indigenous dances. She highlighted the realignment of her Ministry to include Culture and Creative Arts as a strategic move by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama to ensure these sectors move in tandem as engines of economic transformation.
Addressing the private sector, the Minister described talent as the “fuel” of the tourism engine. She encouraged industry stakeholders to mentor students and embrace the “new media” expertise of the youth to promote Ghanaian destinations.
”We are building a sector that thrives, creates jobs, and projects our culture across the world,” she said. “But none of that is possible without the active, informed participation of the Ghanaian youth. We must pass the baton to you deliberately.”
The Minister commended Professor Kobi Mensah and the GTDC for their visionary leadership in establishing the office. She described the facility not as a “peripheral addition” to the campus, but as a strategic tool for national development.
Gomashie concluded by expressing hope that this campus office would be the first chapter of a national movement to ensure tourism education takes root in every educational institution across the country, from basic schools to universities.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
