'Beyond the return': Afro-Nation festival to stay in Ghana for 5 years

Graphic Online Jan - 21 - 2020 , 15:22 2 minutes read

The Ghana Tourism Authority, on behalf of the government of Ghana, and Event Horizon, Organisers of the Afro-Nation Festival, on Monday, January 20, 2020, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Ghana to play host to “the biggest urban music beach festival in the world” for the next five years.

The MoU, which was signed by Mr. Akwasi, CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), and Obi Asika, CEO of Event Horizon, was witnessed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in London, on the sidelines of the Uk-Africa Investment Summit.

The signing of the MoU is part of a number of plans Ghana is putting in place, as it kick-starts the "Beyond the Return" project.

‘Beyond the Return’ aims to engage Africans in the Diaspora and all persons of African descent more positively in areas such as trade and investment co-operation, and skills and knowledge development.

The MoU will also allow the Ghana Tourism Authority and any governmental ministry, agency or authority it deems necessary, to, on behalf of the Government of Ghana, oversee all designs, content and production of Merchandise for the Afro-Nation Ghana Project.

The parties have also agreed, in preparation for the event every year, to establish a Local Organising Committee, comprising of representatives of each of the parties or their affiliates for the Afro-Nation Ghana Project with the LOC, amongst other duties, to be stated in the binding document responsible for securing additional sponsorship for the project.

In his remarks, after the signing of the MoU, Obi Asika stated that, "Ghana is a welcoming destination, and we were happy with the warm reception we received, since we took Afro-Nation to the country. The President's commitment to the project is unparalleled, and we look forward to another successful event in December 2020".

On his part, the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Akwasi Agyeman said "Afro-Nation is amongst one of key events on which we are anchoring the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative. We want to make Ghana the number one entertainment destination in Africa. December in Ghana will never be the same again".