The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has officially reopened the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Training Institute (HOTCATT) after a massive renovation.
The Ministry also introduced a new tagline for HOTCATT: Dubbed “Skill Development for a Career Not Just for a Job,” to affirm the agency’s position as a career developing institution in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Speaking at the reopening ceremony, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Abelema Afeku, bemoaned the poor state in which HOTCATT was when the Akufo-Addo administration came into power.
She revealed that the derelict condition of the institute compelled her to propose a refurbishment project, in order to bring it back to its glorious state.
According to her, the rejuvenated HOTCATT will aid in the transformation of Ghana’s tourism and hospitality industry, as well as building stronger socio-economic development.
“Over the years, this institution has had its fair share of misery, disappointment, and no budgetary allocation, lack of support and lack of direction. The focus on skills development in the hospitality industry took a back burner for a while. Major directors with passion and love for the industry got very frustrated, When H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the NPP took over, myself and my able Deputy in the vetting process brought to life a manifesto pledge to have a state-of-the-art hospitality training institute in Ghana. Today, you are witnessing a tip of the iceberg of that manifesto pledge,” she said.
Mrs. Afeku further highlighted challenges that some tourists have encountered due to poor service quality in the hospitality industry, underscoring the need for the transformed HOTCATT to provide a massive turnaround to Ghana’s tourism and hospitality industry as the center which will give students the best of critical professionals, managerial and technical skills needed to provide good and quality service for all.
She stated that the tourism and hospitality industry has a reason to be delighted with the transformed HOTCATT, adding that the staff and students now have an excellent teaching and learning environment designed and built to meet the particular needs of the industry.
Madam Afeku added that renovating HOTCATT was a Herculean task, highlighting some challenges the Ministry encountered.
She also divulged that the Ministry intends to establish similar training centres nationwide, with plans underway to set up centres in the Eastern, Western and Volta regions.
Mrs. Afeku explained that, since tourism was a key push to achieve the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, her Ministry has introduced basic, supervisory level and executive programs to help improve standards in the industry.
She further advised the newly appointed management of HOTCATT to extend their well-known experience to the students of the school in order to help makeover the tourism and hospitality industry.
For her part, Chief Executive Officer of HOTCATT, Jenny Adade praised the Tourism Minister for her dedication and unwavering support to the reconstruction of the institute.
The renovated hospitality training institute features a career development facility, industry recruitment office and training rooms for practice.
The reopening of the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Training Institute, which took place at the newly renovated HOTCATT building, was attended by dignitaries such as the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, Deputy Education Minister, Barabara Ayisi Acher as well as Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ziblim Barri Iddi.
