Accra: When Sammy Awuku, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapem North, took to Facebook to raise questions about the dual appointments of Emefa Donkor, many assumed it was a routine political commentary. What has since emerged, however, is a far more serious matter, one with direct legal implications for the Mahama administration. Beyond the optics of one person holding two powerful government positions lies a troubling dimension that strikes at the very legality of the arrangement.
According to Ghana Web, Section 4(1) of the Tourism Act, 2011 (Act 817) is explicit: the Chairperson of the Board of the Ghana Tourism Authority must be drawn from the private sector. It is not a suggestion. It is a statutory requirement, deliberately enacted by Parliament to ensure that the GTA's leadership reflects the industry it serves and remains insulated from direct state influence.
Emefa Donkor, as Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod Jewellery, a state-owned enterprise, is by definition a public sector official. She exercises public authority, manages public resources, and derives her mandate from the state. Under any reasonable legal interpretation, she does not qualify as a private sector representative under Act 817. This is the legal landmine that Awuku's Facebook post has effectively detonated.
Yet as the legal question hangs unanswered, thousands of qualified Ghanaian professionals in tourism, hospitality, travel, events management, and creative arts watch from the sidelines. Many have spent decades building private sector careers and contributing to the very industries the GTA is designed to grow. They are precisely the kind of people the Tourism Act had in mind when it mandated a private sector Chairperson.
The Ministry of Tourism has remained silent. The Presidency is yet to offer an explanation. And the Ghana Tourism Authority carries on as though no question has been raised. Ghana is not short of talent. What appears to be in short supply is the political will to spread opportunity equitably and respect the laws that govern our institutions. Awuku has lit the torch. The government must now answer the flame.