Under the initiative, tourists and local visitors can enjoy Ghana’s rich culture, cuisine, and entertainment and go home with a small piece of gold.

Speaking on the JoyNews’ AM Show, Maame Efua Houadjeto said, “Ghana Tourism Authority is having a partnership with the Gold Board, where after all the fun and memories that you can collect in Ghana, you go home with gold, a small piece of gold. So, GoldBod and Ghana Tourism are having a collaboration. Come and have fun in Ghana. Come and watch our celebrities. Come and eat our food; come and experience our people.”

The promotion, running through December, aims to boost domestic and international tourism while highlighting Ghana’s hospitality and cultural offerings.

Visitors participating in the programme will be able to purchase gold at promotional rates, allowing them to combine their festive celebrations with a tangible souvenir of the “Gold Coast.”

Maame Efua Houadjeto emphasised that the initiative encourages visitors to spend on food, entertainment, and experiences, while also investing in a small piece of gold.

“If you are spending money on food and fun, save a little for gold and go home with gold. Let the world know that you came to the Gold Coast,” she said.

The GTA has been rolling out a series of festive season events, including concerts, food festivals, and cultural showcases across the country.

This collaboration with the Goldbod represents a first-of-its-kind effort to combine leisure, culture, and investment in a single promotion.

Reports on social media suggested that the traditional greetings “Akwaaba” (Akan) and “Woezor” (Ewe) had been swapped, following calls by some Ga citizens for inclusion of their language on the park’s signage.

In a statement, GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto described the allegations as false.

“We wish to categorically state that at no point has the Ghana Tourism Authority ordered or approved the replacement of the culturally significant greetings ‘Woezor’ (in Ewe) and ‘Akwaba’ (in Akan) with ‘Oobakɛ’,” she said, adding that the inscriptions remain unchanged.

She further noted that any modification to the signage would require approval from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and other relevant agencies.

The GTA CEO urged the public to disregard the misinformation and continue supporting the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park as a symbol of Ghana’s cultural diversity.

The controversy comes amid ongoing discussions about including Ga language in national infrastructure signage, including at Kotoka International Airport, where images circulating online—believed to be AI-generated—show altered inscriptions.

She said the GTA and its partners have put together several programmes starting from July, which would run throughout the year.

The “Black Star Experience” is a key initiative under the government’s flagship programme for the tourism, arts, and culture sector.

The project is designed to redefine and promote the Ghanaian identity, attract investments, generate employment, and boost tourism.

It will feature a year-round celebration encompassing all major entertainment, artistic, cultural, and educational disciplines.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs. Houadjeto said: “We are putting together a number of events that will be remarkable for anybody who comes in.”

She said that in July, there would be the Black Star Festival both in Ghana and abroad. Then in August, PANAFEST and Emancipation would take place in Accra and Cape Coast, along with food fairs and fashion shows.

“Apart from that, we are also putting together jazz and symphony orchestra performances, as well as a gospel fest. There will also be a highlife festival, as well as the usual concerts and music festivals.”

Mrs. Houadjeto noted that in September, FESTAC Africa would be organised for the first time in Accra, to coincide with the UNWTO Tourism Month celebrations.

“We will celebrate arts and culture, the movie industry, our youth, and our health,” she said.

“The whole of Africa will be in Ghana to display their diverse cultures and show the unity and beauty of Africans, because we are one people separated by artificial borders.”

She noted that the “Black Star Experience” is different from the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative, which focused only on the diaspora.

“The ‘Black Star Experience’ is going to have a global feeling.”

“We want to go all out there and tell everybody to come to Ghana at any point to experience Ghana in totality. It is like imagining an experience, and overall, that is what we call the ‘Black Star Experience.’”

She urged Ghanaians to watch out for these programmes and more between now and December, while calling on the world to experience destination Ghana “with all the beautiful people, the food, the clothing, the culture, festivals, sites, and attractions.”

Speaking on Showbiz A-Z on Joy FM, she stated that her background in marketing, events, and tourism positions her well to build on the foundation laid by her predecessor, Akwasi Agyeman.

When asked if Agyeman’s performance as CEO puts pressure on her, she acknowledged the challenge but remained optimistic.

“It certainly does. But the truth is that before Akwasi Agyeman came to GTA, nobody knew him. He was a low-key person at Happy FM and had ties with Global Media Alliance. I knew him from Ghana@50, and he was quiet and unassuming until he took up this role. He took a while to settle in, but he did the magic,” she said.

She expressed confidence in her ability to contribute meaningfully to the sector, stating that her expertise aligns with what is needed to drive progress.

“I think his background in marketing and events really helped. I pray that I can do the same and even more because we have similar backgrounds,” she added.

Beyond her experience in journalism, marketing, and hospitality, she revealed her involvement in cruise tourism.

“My husband and I co-owned a tour company with our friend Kwabena Essuman. My husband, Eric Houadjeto, and Kwabena owned Royal Protocol Services. I am proud to say that my company hosted Ghana’s first cruise ship in collaboration with Sun Seekers,” she said.

Maame Efua Houadjeto takes over from Akwasi Agyeman, whom she says has been supportive since her appointment as GTA CEO.