Poor Road Links Stifling Regional Tourism‐Tourism Minister Dzifa Gomashie

The Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Hon. Dzifa Abla Gomashie, has highlighted the critical challenges facing cross-border travel within West Africa, warning that poor road connectivity continues to impede the region's economic and tourism potential. Speaking at the Strategic Aviation Meet-the-Press and Townhall Event, the Minister underscored the urgent need for African nations to prioritize strategic investments in air travel to seamlessly connect citizens, businesses, and cultural destinations across the continent.

​Recounting a recent road trip to neighboring Benin, Hon. Dzifa Gomashie shared a vivid account of the exhaustion, administrative bottlenecks, and lengthy delays that characterize land transport between West African nations. She noted that despite the geographical proximity of many neighboring countries, the physical toll and time lost during road journeys severely discourage intra-regional travel. This personal experience, she emphasized, reflects the everyday reality of thousands of tourists and traders navigating the continent’s transport corridors.

​The Minister stressed that expanding and modernizing regional aviation infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a vital necessity for driving sustainable tourism and regional integration. By boosting flight availability, streamlining airspace operations, and establishing more direct routes between African capitals, the continent can unlock massive economic opportunities. Hon. Gomashie urged key industry stakeholders, private investors, and policy makers to align their efforts toward building a more robust aviation ecosystem that bypasses overland travel hurdles.

​In her concluding remarks, Hon. Dzifa Gomashie reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaborating with aviation authorities and international partners to position Ghana as a competitive regional travel hub. She called for unified action across ECOWAS member states to dismantle trade and mobility barriers, ensuring that arts, tourism, and commerce can thrive unhindered across African borders.

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