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Tourism has capacity to sustain Ghana's economy: official

Xinhua, May 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

A senior Ghanaian official has observed here the potential of the tourism industry to sustain the country's economy.

Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Murtala Mohammed Ibrahim stressed that the industry was a huge economic sector.

"It is very important for us to know that tourism is not only artistry, but most importantly, it can serve as the backbone of the economy. Last two months I was in Senegal and I was shocked that Senegal to a very large extent their economy depends on tourism and groundnuts," the deputy minister noted.

The official, who was attending the official opening of an arts and crafts market in the capital late Wednesday to commemorate the African Union Day celebrations, said with the huge potential of Ghana's tourism sector, a little push by the government and people of Ghana, the sector could become the next big economic sector.

Edwin Owusu-Mensah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, said: "The essence of tourism is to create wealth and redistribute the wealth and we believe that this shop just provides that opportunity because it is an avenue for all creative artistes to make their goods, their crafts and so on and come and sell."

An artiste in the market, Abui Wemegah, said the market was a welcome relief for local artists who have been looking for the required stage to showcase their talents and artistic creations.

"It will promote every entrepreneur who is in creative arts in terms of using our textiles and everything that is normally produced here, so it will promote our things that we do," she said with hope. Endit