By Michael Kofi Kenetey
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, has organised the 2023 Fun and Fly “Yenko Kwahu” Corporate Paragliding Festival at the Odweanoma Mountain at Kwahu Atibie in the Eastern Region.
The event serves as part of the activities lined up to promote domestic tourism in the month of September. The four-day event is to augment the annual Kwahu Easter Paragliding Festival, which has become a preferred adventure tourism activity in Ghana.
It was organised in collaboration with the Kwahu Traditional Council to enable Corporate entities, organisations, and individuals to relieve themselves from work, have fun, network, and create bonds of relationship.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GTA in charge of General Services, Ben Anane Nsiah, noted that the GTA is in talks with the Ministry of Roads and Highways to help construct the road leading to the area, adding that the roads ministry has assured of rehabilitating 50 kilometres of tourism roads in the country of which Odweanoma Mountain Road is part.
The Kwahu West Municipal Chief Executive, Yaw Owusu Addo, lamented the deteriorating nature of the road and appealed to the GTA and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to, as a matter of urgency, help fix the road to the Odweanoma mountain.
In an interview with GBC Sunrise FM, the President of Kwahu Professional Network, KPN, a non-profit and non-partisan organisation dedicated to advancing the development of Kwahu, Prince Boateng, noted that their collaboration with the GTA on the initiative has added another layer to the exciting Yenko Kwahu celebrations.
He noted that they are deliberating with the GTA to have stationed pilots in the area and also train native pilots.
A first-time passenger who is a US-based Ghanaian, Bryan Kwesi Simpey, expressed his excitement to GBC Sunrise FM after taking his flight.
A veteran pilot among the five pilots from the US, Chuck Smith, also spoke about the experience and the feeling of flying passengers on Odweanoma Mountain.
