Ghana Youth and Sports Minister Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah said that the country "will invest more in its sports infrastructure in the coming years to promote sports tourism and rake in the desired foreign exchange," according to Alex Osei-Boateng of XINHUA. Industry actors believe that Ghana "has the potential of reaping from tourism owing to the growing numbers of travelers who visit the country annually." However, infrastructural deficit "has been a major setback hampering the development of the sector." But Afriyie-Ankrah promised "to develop the culture of sports to attract interested persons to the sector and put measures in place to position Ghana as a sports tourism destination." Afriyie-Ankrah said, "When there is adequate infrastructure and we (Ghana) zone in on sporting areas where it has competitive advantage, we will attract more tourists to the country." Beach soccer and paragliding, the fastest growing sports in Ghana, "have been tipped as areas with the potential of developing into vital sports tourism destination in the sub-region" (XINHUA, 2/9). Afriyie-Ankrah has also promised to improve the living conditions of retired sports personalities in the country. He would collaborate with stakeholders in the industry to support retired sports men to enable them live decent lives. On the issue of developing lesser sports in the country, Afriyie-Ankrah promised to develop strategies to encourage such sports (Government of Ghana).
