Tourism Emerges as New Engine for Youth Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Ghana

Ghana’s tourism industry is increasingly emerging as a major pathway for youth employment, skills development and entrepreneurship, with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), rolling out programmes aimed at equipping young people with practical skills and creating sustainable career opportunities across the tourism value chain.

The growing focus on tourism employment comes at a time when the sector continues to recover and expand following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism employment on the rise

Available tourism sector data show that tourism-related employment increased from 252,714 jobs in 2021 to 276,985 jobs in 2022, representing an increase of more than 24,000 jobs in one year.

More detailed figures from the Ministry of Tourism in 2023 indicated that direct employment in the tourism industry had reached approximately 204,591 jobs. These included workers in hotels and restaurants, travel agencies and tour operators, airlines, recreational facilities, tour guiding, tourist shops and other tourism-related organisations.

When indirect employment generated through supporting activities such as handicrafts and other tourism-related businesses was included, total tourism employment was estimated at approximately 429,641 jobs in 2023.

The sector’s expansion continued in 2024, when Ghana recorded 1,288,804 international tourist arrivals. During the same period, the number of licensed tourism enterprises increased from 5,786 in 2023 to 6,702 in 2024.

Tourism also generated approximately US$4.8 billion in revenue in 2024, creating greater demand for workers and businesses across accommodation, food services, transportation, tour operations, entertainment, events and other related sectors.

In 2025, international tourist arrivals increased further to 1,306,962, representing a 1.4 per cent increase over 2024.

Although comparable national tourism-employment figures are not available for every year from 2021 to 2025 within a single official series, the available data point to a clear post-pandemic recovery and continued expansion of the sector.

GTEM programme targets graduate unemployment

One of the key interventions being introduced to connect young people directly to opportunities in tourism is the Graduate Tourism Employment and Mobility (GTEM) Programme.

Under the programme, 200 graduates will be trained and certified as professional tour guides. Following their training, the graduates will be deployed to hotels, tour companies, cultural sites and events across the country.

The programme is also expected to address one of the major challenges facing young tourism entrepreneurs—access to vehicles.

Through a structured work-and-pay vehicle system, beneficiaries will receive mobility support that can enable them to operate their businesses and provide tourism services without having to bear the immediate cost of acquiring a vehicle.

GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto said the programme is intended not only to train young people but also to connect their skills directly to economic opportunities.

“We are going to train and certify 200 graduates as professional tour guides, standardise and improve the quality of tour guiding across Ghana, and deploy them into hotels, tour companies, cultural sites, and events,” she said.

She further explained that the initiative is designed to move beneficiaries beyond unemployment and into enterprise.

“This is how we move from unemployment to enterprise. It is not just about training, but about linking opportunity directly to productivity,” she added.

One tourism job can support several livelihoods

The impact of tourism employment extends beyond the individual who receives a job.

A professional tour guide, for instance, can generate income for drivers, hotels, restaurants, attraction managers, photographers, artisans, event organisers and other local businesses.

This makes tourism an important sector for creating both direct and indirect employment, as expenditure by one visitor can spread across several businesses and communities.

Training and certification for tourism workers

Beyond the GTEM Programme, the National Professional Training and Certification Programme is also being used to strengthen Ghana’s tourism and hospitality workforce.

The programme targets frontline workers including tour guides, waiters, housekeepers, front-office staff and restaurant managers, providing them with access to professional training and recognised certification.

GHATOF President Seth Ocran stressed the importance of ensuring that certification is accessible to workers across the sector.

“I want to speak directly to our frontline workers: this programme was designed with you in mind… certification must be accessible, not just aspirational,” he said.

Professional certification can improve workers’ employability, strengthen service standards and create opportunities for young people to progress into better-paying positions within the tourism and hospitality industry.

Tourism creates opportunities beyond hotels

The tourism economy is also creating opportunities for young people outside traditional hotel and travel-agency jobs.

Young Ghanaians can establish businesses as tour operators, content creators, car-rental operators, photographers, event organisers, food vendors, travel consultants and digital marketers.

Social media content creators, for example, can promote Ghana’s beaches, waterfalls, historical sites, festivals, food and cultural experiences to domestic and international audiences.

Tour operators can transform these attractions into organised travel experiences, while car-rental companies and professional drivers provide the transportation required by visitors.

The result is a broader tourism ecosystem in which a single tourist can generate income for several businesses and workers.

Opportunities outside Accra

Tourism also has the potential to distribute employment opportunities across the country.

Young people living near beaches, waterfalls, heritage sites, national parks, festivals and cultural attractions can provide services including tour guiding, transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment and creative content.

This presents an opportunity to reduce pressure on the major urban centres by enabling young people in tourism destinations to build livelihoods within their own communities.

Tourism and the fight against youth unemployment

The expansion of tourism provides Ghana with several ways to tackle youth unemployment.

First, skills training and certification can prepare young people for employment in hotels, restaurants, tour companies and tourist attractions.

Second, entrepreneurship and mobility support, including the assistance provided under the GTEM Programme, can help graduates establish their own businesses rather than depend solely on formal employment.

Third, tourism can create opportunities for young people in communities where major attractions are located, allowing residents to benefit directly from visitor spending.

Finally, the sector’s ability to generate both direct and indirect employment means that investment in tourism workers can have a wider economic impact.

The GTA has emphasised that transforming Ghana’s tourism industry will require collaboration among government, businesses, workers and other stakeholders.

“No single institution can transform the sector alone… but together, we can build a sector that is professional, competitive, and globally respected,” Maame Efua Houadjeto said.

With continued investment in training, certification, mobility, entrepreneurship and tourism infrastructure, Ghana’s tourism sector has the potential to become an even stronger engine of youth employment.

The objective, however, goes beyond simply creating jobs. It is to equip young Ghanaians with the skills, confidence and resources to become employees, entrepreneurs and employers within the tourism economy.

The continued increase in tourist arrivals, licensed tourism enterprises and tourism revenue between 2021 and 2025 provides a strong foundation. The next challenge is ensuring that Ghanaian youth are adequately equipped to capture a greater share of the economic opportunities generated by every visitor who enters the country.

By Maureen Eduafo-Mensah, Intern, Corporate Affairs, Ghana Tourism Authority