Ghana has reaffirmed its determination to deepen tourism, cultural and commercial ties with Nigeria, positioning the West African giant as a strategic partner in driving visitor arrivals and regional tourism growth.
The renewed commitment was announced by Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Yusif Jajah, during an executive dinner hosted for the National Executive Council of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) at Safari Valley Resort in Adukrom.
The event marked the grand finale of NANTA’s executive retreat and familiarisation tour of Safari World, one of Ghana’s leading tourism, hospitality and leisure destinations, designed to strengthen cross border partnerships and create fresh business opportunities.
Addressing tourism stakeholders, government officials and travel professionals, Jajah described Nigeria as one of Ghana’s most valuable tourism markets, stressing that stronger collaboration between both countries would accelerate regional tourism development.
He revealed that Ghana welcomed more than 1.3 million international visitors in 2025, with the United States remaining the largest source market, while Nigeria ranked second with over 176,000 visitor arrivals, underscoring the enduring people to people relationship between both nations.
According to the Deputy Minister, the impressive figure reflects the strong cultural, historical and economic links shared by Ghana and Nigeria, while also presenting enormous potential for future growth through closer cooperation.
Jajah noted that Ghana is eager to encourage greater two way travel, expressing optimism that stronger partnerships would equally boost the number of Ghanaians visiting Nigeria for business, leisure and cultural exchanges.
Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian delegation, NANTA President, Yinka Folami, said the association recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, having grown into a body of more than 4,000 registered travel professionals across Nigeria.
Folami described Ghana and Nigeria as natural partners in advancing Pan African tourism, insisting that stronger travel connectivity between both countries would further promote regional integration and economic prosperity.
Recalling lessons from his school days, he said the colonial boundaries dividing African nations should never become barriers to tourism, trade and cultural exchanges, adding that Africans must deliberately support destinations within the continent.
He urged Ghanaian tourism operators to equally market Nigeria to their customers, maintaining that reciprocal destination promotion would create balanced tourism flows and strengthen the regional travel economy.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Safari World, Samuel Afari, described the visit by the Nigerian travel executives as the realisation of a vision nurtured for over 15 years to build enduring partnerships with Nigeria’s travel industry.
Afari, a forest scientist and conservationist, said the collaboration represents a significant milestone for West African tourism, expressing confidence that the relationship would generate lasting commercial value for both countries.
Commending the scale and quality of the tourism investment, Folami described Safari World as an exceptional destination capable of attracting more Nigerian holidaymakers, urging NANTA members to convert the experience into viable travel products for their clients.
The evening concluded with NANTA presenting certificates of appreciation to Deputy Minister Yusif Jajah and Samuel Afari for their contributions to strengthening Nigeria Ghana tourism relations. The familiarisation tour is expected to pave the way for new travel packages promoting Safari World’s attractions across Accra, Ada and Dawu while boosting tourism exchanges between the two neighbouring nations.