The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers a significant opportunity for Ghana to tap into its rich cultural history and natural environment to boost its tourism sector and drive inclusive, sustainable economic growth. Post-pandemic recovery in the sector has been remarkable; in 2023, international arrivals climbed back to 1.15 million and revenues surged to $3.81 billion. Yet, product offerings remain heavily skewed toward just a few regions, leaving vast ecotourism, cultural, and event management potential in the rest of the country untapped.
If Ghana were to channel targeted funding into underdeveloped regions, strengthen community-based tour operators, enhance value chain linkages with local economies, and position new experiences under a cohesive national brand, the country would unlock fresh revenue streams, encourage longer stays, and smooth out the peaks and valleys of visitor arrivals. In doing so, Ghana would not only drive broader economic benefit—by dispersing tourism spending beyond its urban centers—but also build resilience against seasonal downturns.
This policy brief reviews the significance of tourism as a pivotal engine for transformation in Ghana and offers recommendations that, collectively, will diversify offerings, deepen domestic and regional linkages, and amplify tourism’s economic and social dividends.
It is part of a series analyzing the progress African countries are making toward transforming their economies, as measured by the African Transformation Index, within the context of ACET’s Growth with DEPTH framework. It draws insights from a multi-country case study on the implementation of AfCFTA protocols, which was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
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