Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panyin, Paramount Chief of Akyem Abuakwa, has called for investment in the tourism sector since it has huge benefits to the economy and the environment as well.
He said unlike mining, that destroys the environment and causes devastations to humans and water bodies, tourism preserves nature like trees, plants and every other thing in the natural state to the benefit of society.
Apart from preserving nature, the Okyenhene noted that tourism had the potential to create employment especially with skilled labour from the Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) background and stressed the need for a critical look at all the tourism potentials in the country. Osagyefuo made the call at the inauguration of a five-member committee at Kyebi, to oversee the development of the Bunso Aboretum, a tourist site into a world-class tourist attraction centre.
He charged the committee made up of representatives from the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council, Ghana Tourist Authority (GTA), Forestry Commission and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to discharge their duty with diligence.
The members of the committee are Mr Kwame Boateng, chairman of the committee and a member of the GTA Board, Mr Daniel Marfo Ofori-Atta, Mr Edward Simpson, Deputy CEO of the GTA, Dr Seth Appiah, CEO Arocha-Ghana, Mr Albert Mensah, Nana Kwame Twumasi and Mr Fredrick Adjei-Rudolf, Eastern Regional Director of the GTA and an ex-officio member.
The Bunso Arboretum is an eco-tourism site with a forest reserve and various species of trees and plants, it also boast of a guest house said to be for the Okyenhene many years ago very close to the University of Environmental Studies located on the premises of the Bunso Cocoa College.
Though it has been opened to the general public, it has not been attracting visitors due to the lack of facilities.
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