The new service will add another East African carrier to Accra’s international aviation network, bringing the number of East Africa-based airlines serving Accra International Airport to four.

Beyond the new route, passengers will be able to connect to 19 destinations across 14 countries, including Nairobi, London, Dubai, Mumbai and Zanzibar.

Euroworld Air Services Limited will serve as Uganda Airlines’ General Sales Agent in Ghana.

The launch comes amid growing efforts by African airlines to improve intra-continental connections and reduce reliance on indirect routes through Europe and the Middle East. More convenient air links could help businesses connect with new markets, facilitate commercial travel and encourage tourism between the two regions.

For Ghana, the new route offers an additional gateway to East Africa, improving access for traders, investors and tourists seeking opportunities across the continent.

For Ugandan businesses and travellers, Accra provides access to one of West Africa’s key commercial centres, with opportunities for partnerships in sectors including trade, services and tourism.

Stronger air links could support the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by making business travel and the movement of people between African markets more efficient. Improved connectivity can also help tourism operators develop multi-country travel packages, encourage investment and strengthen commercial relationships.

With its October 27 launch approaching, Uganda Airlines’ entry into Accra adds momentum to efforts to build a more connected African aviation market, linking Ghana more directly with East Africa and expanding travel options for passengers and businesses on both sides of the continent.

Ghana could have a national airline back in the skies within 18 months, according to global aerospace company Boeing, as discussions intensify over the revival of the country’s national carrier.

The indication followed high-level discussions between President John Dramani Mahama and senior Boeing executives in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Boeing expressed its readiness to work with the Ghanaian government on the proposed national carrier, indicating that an 18-month timeline could be achievable if the necessary structures and implementation arrangements are put in place.

President Mahama, however, said Ghana’s plans extend beyond acquiring aircraft for a new national airline.

Ghana does not want its relationship with Boeing to be defined simply by the purchase of aircraft. We want a strategic partnership that helps us build an aviation ecosystem—creating skilled jobs, transferring technology, strengthening our industrial base and positioning Ghana as an aviation and logistics hub for West Africa,” he said.

He said the government was looking for strategic partners capable of supporting Ghana’s efforts to build local capacity and attract investment.

As we Reset Ghana, we are looking for partners prepared to invest with us, build capacity with us and share in the prosperity we create. Boeing can be one of those strategic partners,” President Mahama added.

Beyond the national carrier

The discussions focused on a broader aviation partnership that could support the establishment of the national carrier while developing the infrastructure, technical expertise and human capital needed to strengthen Ghana’s aviation industry.

One of the proposals under consideration is the establishment of a regional Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub in Ghana to serve airlines operating across West Africa and other parts of the continent.

An MRO facility would provide services such as aircraft maintenance, repairs and technical inspections, potentially reducing the need for airlines in the region to send aircraft abroad for some maintenance services.

The talks also covered aviation training, skills development, technology transfer and the creation of high-value jobs for young Ghanaians.

Aviation and logistics hub

The proposed partnership forms part of President Mahama’s broader Reset Ghana agenda, which seeks to attract strategic international investment and strengthen Ghana’s position as a gateway for trade, aviation and logistics in West Africa.

For now, Boeing’s 18-month indication provides a potential timeline for the return of a national carrier, but achieving that timeline will depend on the government establishing the required institutional, financial and operational arrangements.

The proposed partnership could also extend beyond the airline itself to include aviation maintenance, training, technology and other activities across the aviation value chain.

This is contained in the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) Accommodation Unit Survey, covering the period from November 2024 to February 2025.

The survey found that domestic guests significantly outnumbered foreign visitors at accommodation establishments during the four-month period.

Monthly numbers of domestic guests ranged from about 1.87 million to 2.17 million, compared with fewer than 40,000 foreign guests per month.

Despite the significant difference in volume, foreign visitors generally recorded longer stays than domestic guests, particularly at hotels.

According to the GSS, foreign hotel guests stayed for about three to four nights, compared with approximately two nights for domestic hotel guests.

Length of stay matters

The findings suggest that visitor numbers alone may not provide a complete picture of tourism’s contribution to the economy.

The GSS noted that the length of stay is an important measure because visitors who remain longer have more opportunities to spend on accommodation, food, transportation, entertainment and other tourism-related services.

The Service therefore encouraged tourism businesses and destination managers to look beyond attracting visitors and develop products and experiences that encourage them to extend their stays.

Visitor volume” alone does not provide a complete picture of tourism demand, the report indicates, because the length of stay influences the wider economic benefits generated by each visitor.

Domestic tourism offers growth opportunity

The dominance of domestic travellers also presents a significant market opportunity for accommodation operators and other tourism businesses.

The GSS said domestic tourism should be treated as an important market in its own right, with businesses encouraged to develop products that reflect domestic travel patterns and preferences.

Such products could include packages built around tourist attractions, cultural events, festivals, conferences and other domestic travel activities.

The report, however, noted that greater emphasis on domestic tourism should not come at the expense of international visitors.

Rather, the two markets serve different purposes, with domestic visitors providing significant volumes while foreign visitors tend to record longer stays in several accommodation categories.

Focus on longer stays

The GSS said encouraging visitors to extend their stays could help spread tourism expenditure across more sectors of the economy and increase the benefits to local businesses and communities.

A longer visit could generate additional spending on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment and cultural experiences, extending the economic impact beyond the initial booking.

The findings form part of Ghana’s first nationally representative longitudinal survey of short-stay accommodation activity. The survey covers both licensed and unlicensed establishments and provides information on accommodation capacity, utilisation, guest activity and financial performance.

The GSS cautioned, however, that the findings cover only the first four months of a planned 12-month data collection programme.

The results should therefore be viewed as an emerging baseline rather than evidence of established long-term trends in Ghana’s accommodation and tourism sector.

By Kow Sam

For decades, Accra has stood as Ghana’s political, commercial and diplomatic capital. It has driven national growth, attracted investment and projected Ghana’s image to the world. Yet today, the city that has served the nation so well is becoming increasingly vulnerable to one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century—climate change.

Every rainy season tells the same story.

Heavy rainfall overwhelms drainage systems. Roads become rivers. Homes disappear beneath floodwaters. Businesses shut their doors. Thousands of vehicles are damaged. Public infrastructure is destroyed. Families lose their savings and, in some cases, their loved ones. Government diverts scarce resources from development to emergency response and reconstruction.

Once the floodwaters recede, Ghana prepares for the next rainy season.

This has become one of the nation’s most expensive recurring disasters.

The question confronting the nation now is whether Ghana should continue concentrating the Presidency, Parliament, ministries, national security institutions, courts, financial headquarters and other strategic national assets in one of the country’s most climate-exposed metropolitan areas.

According to World Bank-supported flood resilience assessments, more than US$3 billion worth of economic assets in the Greater Accra Region are exposed to flood risk. Those assets include transport infrastructure, commercial buildings, industries, hospitals, schools, utilities, government facilities and residential developments.

Climate projections indicate increasing rainfall intensity across West Africa. Combined with rapid urbanization, blocked drainage systems, loss of wetlands and rising sea levels, every year places greater volumes of public and private investment at risk.

Flooding has now shift from an environmental issue to become an economic issue and a national security threat issue.

Every major flood interrupts transport, manufacturing, banking, retail trade, telecommunications, healthcare and education. Businesses lose stock. Factories suspend production. Supply chains break down. Workers lose productive hours. Insurance claims increase. Banks face declining collateral values. Investors become increasingly cautious as climate risk begins influencing commercial property values and future investment decisions.

Government also pays a heavy price.

Billions of cedis that should finance industrialization, education, healthcare, housing and job creation are repeatedly redirected to emergency relief, reconstruction of roads, rehabilitation of drainage systems and replacement of damaged infrastructure.

Meanwhile, ordinary Ghanaians absorb the greatest losses.

Years of savings disappear overnight. Small businesses collapse. Informal traders lose inventory with little or no insurance protection. Families are pushed back into poverty, while entire communities struggle to recover after every major flood.

The cost of rebuilding yesterday grows larger every year.

Ghana therefore needs more than improved drains.

It needs a new national resilience strategy.

One option deserving serious consideration is the gradual relocation of Ghana’s administrative capital to a safer inland location while allowing Accra to continue serving as the nation’s commercial, financial, maritime and diplomatic capital.

A National Capital Corridor

Rather than building an isolated capital city, Ghana has an opportunity to create one of Africa’s most transformative national development projects.

The proposed Accra–Kumasi Expressway Corridor could become the backbone of a National Capital Corridor—a modern, climate-resilient administrative and economic spine linking Ghana’s two largest economic regions.

A Corridor Shaped by Geography, Not Chance

One of the greatest strengths of the proposed Accra–Kumasi Expressway Corridor is its natural topography. Unlike the low-lying coastal plain around Accra, the corridor gradually rises inland onto higher and more stable terrain, providing a natural foundation for climate-resilient urban development.

The approximate elevation profile illustrates this advantage:

– Accra: 20–60 metres above mean sea level

– Adeiso: 60 metres

– Asamankese: 147 metres

– Akyem Oda: 132 metres

– Ofoase: 220–260 metres

– Lake Bosomtwe: 150 metres

– Kumasi: 250 metres

The corridor climbs steadily from the Atlantic coast through the forested uplands of the Eastern Region, briefly dips within the Birim Basin around Akyem Oda, and then rises onto the elevated Ashanti Plateau toward Kumasi.

This natural elevation offers Ghana a unique strategic advantage. Future government districts, national institutions, residential communities and critical infrastructure can be developed on higher ground that is generally less exposed to coastal flooding and tidal influences. The terrain also provides greater opportunities for gravity-assisted drainage, integrated water management and long-term climate adaptation.

Instead of concentrating future national investments within increasingly vulnerable low-lying coastal zones, Ghana can strategically guide new development toward higher inland terrain while preserving Accra as the nation’s commercial and maritime gateway.

The corridor also provides sufficient space for carefully planned industrial parks, logistics hubs, universities, research centres, affordable housing, hospitals, renewable energy parks and government precincts without the severe land constraints now facing metropolitan Accra.

Learning from Global Development Corridors

Ghana would not be the first nation to use a strategic transport corridor as the foundation for long-term national development.

The corridor connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has become one of the world’s most successful economic development axes, integrating highways, logistics, ports, airports, industrial zones, financial centres, residential communities and world-class infrastructure. Although the United Arab Emirates was not built along a single road, this corridor demonstrates how sustained investment in transport infrastructure can stimulate coordinated urban growth, attract global investment and strengthen national competitiveness.

Ghana has a similar opportunity.

The Accra–Kumasi Expressway Corridor could become Ghana’s own National Development Corridor. Instead of permitting unplanned ribbon development, it could be master-planned with parallel arterial roads, high-speed rail, government precincts, smart cities, universities, research institutions, industrial parks, logistics hubs, renewable energy systems, digital infrastructure, hospitals, affordable housing and protected green belts.

The expressway itself would remain a protected national transport route, while parallel arterial roads would connect ministries, businesses, residential communities and public institutions. Fibre-optic networks, electricity transmission, water pipelines and future public transport systems could all be integrated into one coordinated national infrastructure corridor.

Such a vision would accomplish far more than relocating government.

It would reshape Ghana’s economic geography.

It would stimulate billions of dollars in public and private investment.

It would create hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs.

It would reduce pressure on Accra while promoting balanced national development.

Most importantly, it would create a climate-resilient administrative capital designed for the next century instead of continuously repairing one designed for the last.

Countries such as Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia have demonstrated that relocating an administrative capital can strengthen governance while supporting regional development.

Ghana now has an opportunity to go even further—not simply by relocating government, but by building a National Capital Corridor that could become the backbone of the country’s economic transformation for generations.

Economic experts will argue that relocation is expensive and they are correct.

But the most pressing question regarding this is:

How much will Ghana spend over the next fifty years rebuilding flood-damaged roads, replacing destroyed infrastructure, compensating disaster victims, rehabilitating drainage systems and absorbing repeated economic disruption?

At what point does rebuilding become more expensive than strategic national planning?

History teaches that resilient nations do not wait for disasters to dictate policy.

They anticipate risk, plan boldly and invest for future generations.

Ghana has reached that moment.

This is not a proposal to abandon Accra.

It is a proposal to protect Ghana’s future.

Accra will remain Ghana’s commercial gateway and financial powerhouse.

But the nation’s administrative future should be built where climate resilience, smart infrastructure and long-term sustainability can be guaranteed.

The rains will continue. Climate change will continue. Economic losses will continue.

The regarding question now is whether Ghana will continue rebuilding yesterday’s capital—or begin building tomorrow’s.

The time to begin that national conversation is now.

MOVE THE CAPITAL—OR RISK AN ECONOMIC TIME BOMB.

The writer is an Industrialist | Consultant | Sustainability & Climate Strategy Specialist

MIT Professional Education – Certified in Sustainability: Strategies and Opportunities for Industry

The programme will feature magic shows, bouncy castles, art and craft activities, tag of peace, raffles, and family games, along with a wide variety of food options including local and continental dishes, popcorn, cotton candy, and ice cream. Families will also enjoy free Cerelac and Nido sampling as part of the experience.

Tickets are priced at GHS 50 for 1 guardian and 1 child. An additional child can attend for GHS 20, while an additional adult will cost GHS 30.

Kidsville Family Fun Day promises to be one of the most exciting family events of the year, creating a safe and engaging space where families can relax, play, and make lasting memories together.

Event details:

• Event: Kidsville Family Fun Day
• Date: 1 May 2026
• Venue: Accra Polo Club
• Title Sponsors: Cerelac and Nido
• Ticket: GHS 50 for 1 guardian + 1 child
• Additional child: GHS 20
• Additional adult: GHS 30

Enquiries: 053 104 4977 or 027 409 9999

The tours come off at the back of a successful one held in 2025 where customers were taken to Turkey, Qatar and China to attend business fairs, engage with potential investors and suppliers.

Acting Managing Director of Prudential Bank, Ebow Quayson, expressed the Bank’s commitment to supporting clients’ business expansions and international exposure.

At Prudential Bank, we are dedicated to creating opportunities for our customers to thrive. These trips will provide a unique platform for them to engage with international partners and explore new business avenues,” he said.

Head of Commercial Banking at PBL, Frederick Adomako-Ansah, who acted as the official chaperone in the last edition, added, “Last year, we sent customers to Turkey, China, and Qatar, and they were thrilled with the experience. We are excited to do it again, offering our customers exposure to global markets and networking opportunities.”

Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nita Travels, Joanita Aseidu, echoed the sentiment of the Bank.

As an experienced tour organiser, we are proud to partner with Prudential Bank once again on this exciting journey. These trips are designed to empower Ghanaian businesses to connect with international counterparts, fostering growth and collaboration. We are looking forward to an unforgettable experience with PBL customers”, she said.

The trips are scheduled as follows:

Accra-Seoul-Guangzhou-Accra (21 days, Apr 16 – May 5)

Accra-Istanbul-Guangzhou-Accra (22 days, Apr 27 – May 17)

Accra-Doha-Guangzhou-Accra (17 days, Apr 24 – May 9)

According to the organisers, the packages include return flights, visas, accommodation, factory visits, participation in international trade fairs especially the Canton fair in China and AFEX in Istanbul Turkey, Business to Business meetings, among others.

The announcement was made by Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication following the publication, on January 7, 2026, of a study in the prestigious journal Nature. The research forms part of the Prehistory of Casablanca programme, an institutional partnership between Morocco’s Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP) and France’s Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères, conducted through the French archaeological mission “Casablanca”.

The material analysed includes several human mandibles, belonging to two adults and one child, as well as dental and post-cranial remains. Morphological analysis reveals a unique combination of archaic features, comparable to those seen in Homo erectus, alongside more derived, modern traits associated with later human forms.

One of the study’s most significant contributions lies in the extraordinary precision of its dating. Using high-resolution magnetostratigraphic analysis—unprecedented for a site yielding hominin remains—the researchers identified within the sediments the record of the Matuyama–Brunhes geomagnetic reversal, dated to 773,000 years ago. This provides one of the most robust and reliable ages ever established for a human fossil site in Africa.

These fossils document human populations that remain poorly known for this critical interval, which lies between early members of the genus Homo and more recent evolutionary lineages. The findings coincide with a period during which palaeogenetic data place the divergence between the African lineage leading to Homo sapiens and the Eurasian lineages that later gave rise to Neanderthals and Denisovans.

The distinctive mix of primitive and derived traits observed in the Casablanca fossils suggests populations closely associated with this major evolutionary divergence, offering a crucial reference point for understanding the emergence of modern humans.

Beyond their scientific importance, the discoveries confirm the deep African roots of our species and highlight the long-underestimated role of North Africa in major stages of human evolution. The “Hominid Cave” at the Thomas I quarry now stands as a key reference site for research into early human populations on the African continent.

Casablanca, January 7, 2026

The concerns were raised prominently at the maiden Volta Investment Summit, where GTDC CEO Prof. Kobby Mensah showcased the Ghana Tourism Marketplace (GTM), a digital platform developed specifically to host tourism service providers and facilitate bookings from domestic and international travellers.

The GTM, which stands as one of Ghana’s most ambitious tourism digitalisation projects to date, already has tour operators, car rental services, hostels, and other key providers onboarded.

The system has processed bookings and payments for inbound tourists from Portugal, France, Germany, and the United States, many of whom are planning their December trips and activities on the platform.

Prof. Mensah revealed that the GTM has been instrumental in driving sales for tourism products, noting that over 90 percent of tickets for GTDC’s “Accra by Night” tour were purchased online.

International travellers have used various foreign cards to buy services, underscoring the platform’s global payment compatibility and its readiness for mass adoption.

Despite this success, the GTA announced at the same event plans to introduce a “Visit Ghana” digital application offering similar functionalities, such as virtual tourism, service bookings, online payments, and licensing.

While acknowledging the value of digital transformation, Prof. Mensah advised the GTA to avoid creating duplicate systems that mirror those already in place under GTDC. He stressed that the Authority’s mandate is to market tourism products, not to redevelop platforms that its subsidiary (GTDC) has already built.

He confirmed that GTDC is currently engaging GTA to help them “rationalise their digital ambition” to ensure alignment, efficiency, and value for money.

International visitors from Portugal, the United States, France, Germany, and other countries in Europe and Africa have been booking tourism-related services on the fully functional national tourism digital marketplace.

Speaking at the Volta Investment Summit, a novel event designed to promote tourism investment in the Volta Region of Ghana, Prof. Kobby Mensah, The CEO of the GTDC, noted that: “The Ghana Tourism Marketplace is already facilitating real-time bookings and payments from inbound tourists, with over 90 percent of tickets for the popular “Accra by Night” tour sold online to both domestic and international travellers using bank cards issued in Lisbon, New York, Paris, and Berlin.”

Yet, even as the GTDC’s platform gains traction, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the agency mandated to market the tourism products developed by its subsidiary GTDC, is proposing to build a new digital platform that would offer identical services.

GTA CEO Maame Efua Houadjeto announced at the summit plans to introduce a “Visit Ghana” app to allow tourists to experience Ghana virtually, make online payments for tourism services, and book tourism products.

Industry observers were quick to question GTA’s rationale for wanting to develop a parallel system rather than scaling the already-proven GTDC platform.

With inbound tourism numbers expected to spike in December, the issue of digital alignment between the GTA and GTDC has gained renewed urgency.

Prof. Mensah explained that the GTDC will engage the GTA to streamline the two entities’ digital roles and ensure that the state’s investment in tourism technology delivers maximum value through a single GTM platform.

In partnership with the National Youth Authority and the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), IFED Global will host 2,000 young Africans—including students, entrepreneurs, and young professionals—for a five-day festival.

Festival Details
The festival is scheduled from November 5th to 9th, 2025, with the main events taking place at the University of Ghana, Legon. The Opening Ceremony will be held at The AVI Event Centre in Accra, Ghana.

The theme for this year’s festival is “Reflect, Review & Reset: Igniting the Future of Africa’s Youth,” creating a platform for dialogue, skill development, and cultural exchange.

High-Impact Skill Development
A central component of the festival is intensive skill development across ten career fields. To ensure the training is market-relevant, IFED Global has partnered with institutions to create a cutting-edge curriculum. Participants have been strategically selected to meet the following career quota:
1. Vocational and Technical Skills enhancement programme – 10%
2.Creative Arts Talents Enhancement Programme – 10%
3.Youth in Agribusiness Programme – 10%
4.Women’s Wealth-Building Training Programme – 5%
5.Healthcare Innovation and Skill Enhancement- 10%
6.Social, Developmental and Climate Action Skills Enhancement – 10%
7.Information, Communication & Technology Skills Enhancement– 10%
8.Entrepreneurship Training Programme – 15%
9.Governance and Leadership Training Programme – 10%
10. Model United Nations (MUN) and Diplomacy Training – 10%

IFED Global expresses gratitude for the curriculum and training support from partners including ALX, HO2WO, A&P Intern Connect, and the UGBS Entrepreneurship Hub.

Presidential Endorsement and Key Speakers
The festival has secured a major endorsement from the Office of the President. His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama has delegated the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment to represent him at the opening ceremony on November 5, 2025, and has pledged the government’s support. This marks the first major governmental endorsement for this pan-African youth initiative.

The festival will feature a powerful line-up of leaders from business, politics, and banking, including:
Hon. George Opare Addo (Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment)
Farihan Alhassan, MD of Ghana Commercial Bank
Julius Neequaye, CEO of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA)
Kofi Amoa-Abban, CEO of Rigworld Group
Afetsi Awoonor, CEO-BOST

IFED Global also anticipates support from some corporate bodies in ensuring the success of the event.
Cultural Exchange and Networking
Beyond the intensive training, the festival features vibrant social and networking activities:
Global Village & Musical Concert: An unforgettable celebration with electrifying performances by delegates and top African artistes.
Advocacy: The platform will lead campaigns against drug abuse and the negative influences of social media.
The African Market: Vibrant exhibitions showcasing youth innovation in tech, fashion, and crafts from various countries, fostering cross-cultural exchange.

Africa Youth Games: Uniting youth through sports competitions like football, athletics, and basketball.
Afro Jollof Battle: A lively culinary contest highlighting regional cuisine.

The festival will conclude on November 8th and 9th. Delegates will first immerse themselves in Ghana’s rich heritage with a tour exploring coastal forts, traditional villages, and Accra city landmarks (like Black Star Square and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum). The festival will then conclude with a Grand Celebration to honour outstanding participants and celebrate collective achievements in a dinner and awards.