SONA 2023: Akufo-Addo’s claim on tourism completely false

Tourism was one of the key areas President Akufo-Addo highlighted in his speech on the state of the nation address (SONA) on the floor of Parliament on March 8, 2023.

The President said the efforts his government has invested in tourism have made Ghana the number one tourist destination in West Africa.

Fact-Check Ghana has verified Akufo-Addo’s claim and presents the details below.

Claim: “Mr Speaker, our decision to prioritise tourism, as a key policy for economic diversification, job creation and growth, is clearly paying off. The World Economic Forum Report 2021 Travel Index ranks Ghana as the number one tourism destination in West Africa.”

Verdict:  Completely False

Explanation: The World Economic Forum Report 2021 Travel Index ranked Ghana as the 101^st destination in the World, 10^th in sub-Saharan Africa and 2^nd in West Africa. The report placed Cape Verde as the number one destination in West Africa, contrary to President Akufo-Addo’s claim. See below the rankings:

From the above, Ghana is not the number one tourism destination in West Africa. This makes President Akufo-Addo’s claim completely false.