Obuasi, a city with a rich mining history, is setting its sights on mine tourism to augment its revenue base.
Hon. Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Chief Executive for Obuasi, revealed that mine tourism can offer a plethora of benefits to the municipality, including job creation and environmental conservation.
The Obuasi Municipal Assembly is keen on drawing from the success of mining tourism in Essen, Germany, as an example. Essen is home to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which now attracts millions of visitors each year. Adansi-Bonah believes that leveraging Obuasi’s mining history could transform old mine sites into tourism destinations, generating revenue for the municipality.
The city of Essen in Germany and Obuasi have been partners in development for over two decades, working closely together in areas aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their collaboration extends to local governance exchange, with lessons from Essen contributing to Obuasi’s “Obuasi Green City Agenda.” This ambitious policy aims to transform grey areas in the municipality into green spaces to combat climate change.
Nil Ole Haar, leader of the delegation from Essen, expressed the value of the partnership and collaboration between the two cities, emphasizing their common goals in city planning and project development.
The Kunkahene, Abusuapanin Kwaku Ponko III, encouraged Obuasi’s leadership to learn from Essen’s success and work on sustaining the local economy beyond mining. He also urged the Assembly to collaborate with German partners to tap into Obuasi’s arable lands for agricultural production, creating job opportunities for the youth in the region.
SOURCE: SAMPSON MANU/ISD/OBUASI
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