Dr. Edward Ackah Nyameke Jnr has been sworn into office as the new President of the Ghana Hotels Association.
The former Greater Accra President of the Association is taking over from Herbert Acquaye.
According to him, his tenure in office will see him build a resourceful association which will focus on giving more benefits to its members.
He also aims to make organizational processes more effective and build a tighter bond between the association, government and regulatory bodies
Key among the issues he will be addressing is calls for government to mend some regulation to reduce double taxation of its members.
The association is also pushing government to live by its promise and reduce the current 17.5 % VAT rate to the 3% Flat Rate.
The association was formed in 1975 by about 20 hotel owners who felt the need to come together to protect their investments and contribute to the development of the hotel industry in Ghana. It may have taken the GHA too long to institute an awards scheme for its members and patrons.
From a humble beginning of less than two dozens of members, the association can presently boast of over 1000 members made up of directors, proprietors, general managers or accredited representatives of budget, guesthouse, and one to five star hotels spread across the 10 regions of Ghana
In line with its mandate, the GHA continues to spearhead the development of the hotel and indeed, the tourism industry in this country within the general context of government’s statutory support to the industry.
It is significant to note that hoteliers’ contribution to the one per cent Tourism Development Levy instituted about three years ago exceeds 90 per cent of the total funds raised so far.
Also of significance are the employment and job opportunities that the hotel industry provides for a wide range of skilled and unskilled people including artisans, traders, suppliers and clerks.
The industry’s contribution to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a sector under the Services Sector is also significant. All these have been made possible through the hard work of hoteliers ably supported by the GHA.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Osei Owusu Amankwaah
