January 20

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DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020
13
Afro Nation Ghana
Festival: Tourism and
Economic Benefits
BY OHENEWAH BROWN
AHEAD OF
the Afro Nation
Ghana
festival,
SMADE, held
last year, Co-founder of
Afro Nation said “Our only
interest is to provide quality
entertainment experience to
our customers.”
If experiences shared by
festival goers and industry
players both on social media
and in mainstream media is
anything to go by, then, organisers
of the four-day
beach festival delivered on
their promise.
Aside the fun
and great experience
which organisers
of Afro Nation
Ghana delivered,
the economic and
social benefits of
the festival which
climaxed the “Year
Of Return” celebrations
in Accra from
December 27-30 at
Laboma beach can
never be overlooked.
Afro Nation
Ghana festival which
witnesses spectacular
production and entertainment
experience
saw individuals
from different parts
of the world travel
miles via air/land to create
memories and be part of
the historic “Year of Return”
celebrations, which
was formally launched in
September 2018 by the
Akufo-Addo administration.
The 15-year-long tourism
plan entails a strategy which
seeks to increase the annual
number of tourists to
Ghana from one million to
eight million per year by
2027. In the plan, Ghana’s
travel industry is projected
to raise $8.3 billion a year by
2027.
The number of people
who visited the country as a
result of Afro Nation and
other competing events and
activities is a clear indication
that Ghana as a country has
been well placed on the
global map. This clearly
stimulates the growth of
tourism and other businesses
in the country. These
visitors spent money both
on and off-site which generate
revenue for businesses
within the communities in
which they visited.
Contrary to
claims by some individuals
that the festival was not
beneficial to Ghana as a
country, the Afro Nation
brand, which rides on the
promotion of anything
African, since the announcement
of its return to Africa,
contracted several local
companies, suppliers, construction
workers and vendors
as part of their
contribution and adherence
to the local content rule.
One hundred and fifty
labourers were engaged each
day to handle various responsibilities
during the
four-day festival.
Afro Nation also provided
business opportunities
to local real estate companies
where executives and
artists billed for the festival
were hosted to a tune of
thousands of dollars.
In addition, the festival
attracted high profile individuals
in entertainment,
fashion and business. Some
of these individuals who
flew in from miles away to
• During the Afronation Festivity in Ghana
witness good entertainment
did it out of love for
African music. The A-list
artists billed for the event
also speaks to the fact that
the Afro Nation brand is
not interested in profit maximisation
but rather keen on
providing all and sundry the
best performances from
these global entertainers.
Afro Nation again served
as a platform for the promotion
of our local artists
such as Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy,
Becca, Efya, Kidi,
Kwame Eugene and a host
of other Ghanaian artists
who mounted the gigantic
world-class stage to entertain
their fans.
Many individuals have
shared their unforgettable
memories made at the beach
festival.
Two of such individuals
are newly-wedded couple
Caesar and Ellen who
couldn’t resist the fun-filled
experience. “We are lovers
of music and although we
have been standing for long,
the ecstasy at the
festival grounds
makes you forget
about your aching
feet,” they expressed.
The festival in
my view has a lot
to offer Ghana in
tourism, business,
aviation and entertainment.
It is,
therefore, not surprising
that most
individuals who
had a feel of this
spectacular display
of world-class
show and appreciate
the commitment
exhibited by
the team, have
begun asking
when Afro Nation
2020 will be announced.
Interestingly, Ghana is
the first country selected for
the festival’s African debut.
The big question is: Will organisers
of the festival want
to return to host another
Afro Nation festival in
Ghana?
The writer is a communications
consultant
• Ara Bella
Ara Bella drops
her debut
single ‘Twii Mi’
EMERGING AFRO-BEAT and afrodancehall
musician Arabella Ama Yiadom,
known in showbiz as Ara Bella, is launching
her music career professionally with the release
of her debut single ‘Twii Mi’.
Ara Bella has been doing music for
about five years but deems 2020 as the perfect
year to get serious with her craft and
execute it professionally.
‘Twii Mi’, which is a Twi phrase meaning
‘Drive Me’, talks about how the love of her
life mesmerizes her with his immense show
of affection and love towards her.
Bella has recorded ten songs already,
which will be released as singles throughout
the year with an album launch at the close
of the year.
In an interview, Ara Bella said she looks
forward to using her music to drive Afrobeat
and Afro-dancehall to the whole world
with hard work and determination.
She appealed to the powers-that-be to
give ladies in the Ghanaian music industry
the opportunity to thrive based on their capabilities.