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Mr. Akwasi Agyemang (left), General Manager of the Ghana Tourism Board, addressing participants at the press launch of "The Year of Ghana's Return 2019" in Accra . Image: ESTHER ADJEI
About half a million Africans from the diaspora are expected to arrive in the country to participate in "The Year of Return, Ghana 2019," a historic campaign marking the end of 400 years of the slave trade in Ghana.
According to the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), of this number, 350,000 participants would come from North America, the others from the Caribbean, South America and Europe.
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The event would offer tremendous business opportunities that would strengthen the country's economic situation, said Greater Toronto Area President and CEO Akwasi Agyeman at yesterday's press conference in Accra.
He therefore urged stakeholders in the tourism industry, such as the Ghana Hotel Association, the Association of Tourist Guides, the Ghana Tour Operators Union and the air operators, to position strategically to take advantage of these opportunities.
"The Year of Return, Ghana 2019" is a global return event aimed at attracting the largest number of Africans from the diaspora to Ghana this year.
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The calendar of events includes a month of Black History in February, the celebration of Ghana's Independence Day in March, the Heritage Paragliding Festival in April, the Ghana-Jamaica Return Festival between April and May, the Pan-African Festival of Arts and Culture (PANAFEST) from July to August and Emancipation Day in August.
The campaign was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the National Press Club of America, in Washington, DC, in September 2018.
Read also: Ghana among the sites to visit in 2019 CNN
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To make the most of this opportunity, Mr. Agyeman said, the authority is working with the various players in the tourism industry to reposition itself to provide professional services allowing visitors to take full advantage of their stay in the country.
To ensure aggressive marketing of the event, he said, the Greater Toronto Area is holding a series of stakeholder meetings to sell the idea to the international community and Ghanaians at home and abroad. .
The event would focus less on the negative aspects of the slave trade, he said, adding that the initiative would present the best part of Ghana's cultural heritage, tourist attractions and hospitality.
The tourism bonanza should build on the legacy of other pan-African projects, such as the Joseph Project, the Day of Empowerment and PANAFEST.
"We believe the event will provide us with an opportunity to attract more people to invest and employ Ghanaians," he said.
Make Ghana attractive to young people
The Director of Diaspora Affairs in the President's Office, Mr. Akwasi Awua Ababio, who also spoke at the conference, said that Ghana remains the seat of the fight for the liberation of Africa and the symbol hope for the emancipation of Africa. deeper sociocultural, economic and political inclusion for "our friends in the diaspora".
"As we celebrate the year of return to bring our diaspora community back home, the government is also committed to improving our economy and discouraging irregular migration by ensuring that young men and women can realize their dreams here in Ghana, "he said.
Showcase best part of Ghana
Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, Ghana's ambbadador to the United States, said that the Ghanaian embbady in the United States was striving to attract African Americans to the country, not just to come and spend money, but also to enjoy his hospitality.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would take the opportunity to show how loving and hospitable they are to those who arrive in the country in 2019 and beyond.
"We must seize this opportunity to present the country and the kind of loving and welcoming people we are to encourage people to come and make respectable investments," he added.
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