Paga becomes Africa’s first pilot for Jamaican community tourism initiative

Paga, in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region, has become the first African pilot site for a Jamaican community tourism initiative aimed at turning communities with tourism potential into business and investment destinations.

The initiative, known as the Royal Community Tourism Development Program, was launched by the Jamaican-based Countrystyle Community Tourism Network under its Villages as a Business Model, which seeks to harness local culture, heritage and tourism resources to create economic opportunities and strengthen connections with the African diaspora.

Championed by the Network’s African Ambassador, Dr Prince Tengol Klepmani, the initiative follows feasibility studies and engagements with traditional authorities and community members to assess Paga’s potential for community-based tourism development.

The programme was officially launched on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, at Paga Town Park. The event brought together a Jamaican delegation led by the Network’s Chairman, Roy Page, and Senior Architect Jason Stone, alongside traditional leaders, residents and members of the Paga Youth Movement.

Among the key initiatives planned under the programme is the establishment of identity centres to showcase the history, culture and heritage of participating communities. These will include Traditional Truth Museums, intended to preserve and present local stories and cultural identities.

Another major component is the “Know Thyself Africa-Caribbean Initiative”, which will promote cultural and business exchanges between Paga and members of the African diaspora, particularly in the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas.

As part of the initiative, about 100 Jamaicans are expected to visit Paga in 2027 to reconnect with their African heritage while building personal, cultural and business relationships with the local community.

During their visit to northern Ghana, the delegation also paid homage to the Buipewura, Abdulai Jinapor II, Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area in the Gonja Kingdom and Vice-President of the National House of Chiefs.

The team further engaged the Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, who pledged government support for the initiative. The delegation also visited the Upper East Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority, led by Joseph Appiagei, to engage officials on the region’s tourism potential.

Other traditional authorities visited included the Bongo Naba, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaarum; the Navro-Pio, Pe Aneakwoa Balinia Adda Asagpaare II; and the host chief, Paga Pio Charles Awiah Awampaga II, Paramount Chief of the Paga Traditional Area.

To assess the region’s tourism assets, the Ghana Tourism Authority’s Upper East Regional Office, working with the Paga Youth Movement, led the delegation on visits to key attractions. These included the Pikworo Slave Camp, Paga’s two major crocodile ponds, the Chief Pond and Zenga Pond, the Ghana-Burkina Faso border and the Upper East Regional Museum.

The launch marks an effort to position Paga as a centre for heritage-based tourism, diaspora engagement and community enterprise, with the broader goal of turning cultural identity and local attractions into sustainable economic opportunities for residents.