APD26: Kobby Mensah: Africa’s tourism future belongs to Youth

Kobby Mensah, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Tourism, has called for a reimagining of Africa’s tourism sector as a vehicle for youth-led economic empowerment across the continent.

He made the call during the ongoing African He made the call during the Youth Prosperity Dialogue, part of the ongoing 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), held under the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women, and Youth for the Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade” at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday, 5th February, 2026.

Prof. Mensah emphasized the role of young people as drivers of innovation, creativity, and sustainable wealth creation in the continent’s tourism ecosystem. He highlighted the importance of meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) as critical components of Ghana’s tourism growth.

Prof. Mensah praised his team, particularly the Deputy CEO of Operations, for the outstanding work on the Ghana Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) booth at the event, and extended an invitation to delegates to explore Accra by Night, showcasing the city’s vibrant nightlife and tourist attractions.

Beyond promoting destinations, Prof. Mensah highlighted tourism as a strategic engine for broader economic transformation. “Prosperity is not just about economic indicators such as growth rates or employment figures,” he said. “It is about the capacity of a society to create pathways through which its most valuable resource—its youth—can realize their potential and actively participate in economic transformation.”

Central to this vision are two groundbreaking initiatives: the Ghana Tourism Investment Platform (GTIP) and the Ghana Tourism Marketplace (GTM). These platforms are designed to empower young Africans by providing structured pathways to innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable wealth creation.

The GTIP digitally connects investors with tourism projects across Ghana, breaking traditional barriers that have historically limited youth participation in capital markets. For young entrepreneurs in regions such as Tamale, GTIP provides institutional legitimacy and visibility, enabling them to transform ideas—from eco-tourism ventures to cultural festivals—into investable opportunities.

Complementing this, the GTM functions as a comprehensive marketplace that aggregates tourism services and experiences, linking service providers directly to consumers in local and international markets. This platform opens entirely new economic frontiers for young people skilled in photography, digital marketing, storytelling, branding, and technology. Here, creativity is converted into commerce, visibility into value, and cultural expression into measurable economic outcomes.

Prof. Mensah underscored the symbiotic relationship between GTIP and GTM. “GTIP mobilizes capital for innovative ideas, while GTM amplifies those ideas through market access and digital visibility. Both platforms are driven by youth creativity and entrepreneurship,” he explained. He added that this model represents a paradigm shift from dependency and job-seeking to ownership, enterprise creation, and central economic participation.

Using concrete examples, Prof. Mensah illustrated how young entrepreneurs across Ghana can leverage these platforms: a hospitality venture in Cape Coast can secure investment and reach global markets; a tour operator in Bogotanga can turn local heritage into internationally competitive experiences; and a creative professional in Accra can build scalable enterprises providing content and marketing services across the tourism value chain.

“Ultimately,” Prof. Mensah said, “youth prosperity will not be achieved through rhetoric alone. It requires institutional frameworks, digital infrastructure, and policy innovations that empower young people to create, innovate, and own their economic future. Tourism, when strategically structured through platforms such as GTIP and GTM, becomes more than an industry—it becomes a vehicle for inclusion, dignity, and intergenerational wealth.”

He further told Africa’s youth: “The future of tourism in Africa is digital, creative, and entrepreneurial, and it belongs to you. The platforms may provide the infrastructure, but the vision, innovation, and leadership must come from you. Let us move beyond conversations about youth empowerment to the deliberate construction of systems that finance it, digitize it, and scale it across the continent.”