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The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has collected over GHc39 million under the Tourism Development Levy within the past six years, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the GTA, has disclosed.

He said the Authority had invested about GHc18 million of the amount into an investment product, while a loan which was contracted for construction of certain projects had been paid.

Mr Agyeman made this known at the Meet-the-Press Series of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in Accra.

He said the collection of the levy started in 2012 with the GTA collecting GHc185, 647.00, it collected GHc3, 024, 211.00 in 2013 and a total of GHc5, 180,328.00 was collected in 2014.

In 2015, the Authority collected GHc8, 762,349.00, in 2016 a total of GHc10, 545,633.00 was collected and in 2017, GHc11, 675,900.00 was collected.

The CEO of the GTA said the levy supported four cardinal areas, including marketing, promotion, tourism investment and capacity building within the tourism industry.

He said the Kintampo Waterfall renovation works, the Artic Re-development Project, the Highway Project at Gomoa-Assin in the Central Region were all funded under the Tourism Development Fund.

Madam Catherine Ablema Afeku, the Sector Minister, in an earlier address, said the Ministry had received US$50 million dollars grant from the World Bank.

She said the funds would be used in strengthening institutions under the Ministry and women empowerment as well as building capacity of the youth, especially in macro and small-scale enterprises, in order to create jobs and wealth.

Madam Afeku said the grant would also support the implementation of the Centre of the World Project in Tema, which would be undertaken in collaboration with the Ghana Development Tourism Company, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Tema Golf Club.