The International Development Association (IDA) of The World Bank in a document titled Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Credit in the Amount of SDR 27.9 Million (US$40 Million Equivalent) to the Republic of Ghana for a Tourism Development Project has explained the need to spend 10 million dollars on skills development for the Ghana’s tourism industry (reported as money for capacity building by sections of the media).
Media reports on the said amount triggered a backlash from the public with some calling for the resignation or firing of the minister for tourism and creative arts, Catherine Afeku.
The document sighted by Daily Accra shows a breakdown of the 40 million dollar loan and a summary of why the various amounts were required for the Tourism Development Project.
Skills Development and Branding Components
On the amount under controversy, the IDA report states that “there is currently a lack of skilled Ghanaians to enable the tourism industry to deliver quality service and grow”. The ten (10) million dollars earmarked for skills development is to attract and retrain young people who come out of tertiary institutions without the needed skills to work in the tourism industry.
The report further explains that Ghana doesn’t have a strategy to project the country to foreigners and give them a reason to visit the country. Four (4) million dollars has been earmarked to tackle that.
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