Tourism is one of Ghana’s most promising industries, offering opportunities for job creation, trade, and cultural visibility. Since independence, the nation has grappled with how to modernize while preserving its unique identity.
Yet the communities whose traditions sustain this sector often benefit the least. As a nation, we have a duty to protect the heritage we share with the world and to find a balance between profit and preservation.
When guided by law and ethics, tourism can protect heritage and empower communities. But when driven purely by profit, it risks reducing culture to spectacle and excluding those who give it meaning. Dodi Island captures this tension, a reminder that development without stewardship loses its moral purpose.
Situated on Lake Volta near Akosombo, Dodi Island once symbolized Ghana’s ambition for integrated tourism when the Volta River Authority launched the Dodi Princess cruise in the 1990s.
Decades later, however, the site remains underdeveloped despite periodic revivals. The story reflects a larger challenge: Ghana’s struggle to transform its tourism potential into sustainable growth that honours both people and the environment.
This paper argues for a renewed approach that aligns law and policy, with ethics to ensure that tourism becomes an instrument of stewardship rather than exploitation.
Ghana’s Legal Framework
This provides a strong foundation for responsible tourism. Article 36(9) of the 1992 Constitution mandates the protection of the environment for future generations, while Article 41(k) imposes a civic duty on citizens to safeguard public property.
Supporting legislation such as the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) and the Tourism Act, 2011 (Act 817) empowers the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to regulate and promote sustainable tourism development.
Yet implementation remains weak. Many heritage and ecological sites, including Dodi Island, Aburi Gardens, and the Paga Crocodile Pond, suffer from poor maintenance, inadequate infrastructure, and limited community participation. The challenge is not inadequate laws but the failure to coordinate and apply them with consistency and vision.
Legal Oversight
Effective legal oversight ensures that tourism development remains ethical, transparent, and environmentally sound. The Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) requires EIAs for major projects, and any initiative concerning Dodi Island must fully comply. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), guided by the National Tourism Development Plan (2013–2027), should collaborate to enforce environmental and cultural standards.
However, effective oversight cannot exist in isolation from land governance, which defines ownership and control over tourism spaces. To strengthen accountability, a joint oversight committee comprising representatives of the EPA, GTA, local assemblies, traditional authorities, and civil society should monitor projects from inception to completion. This approach would prevent unregulated development, safeguard the environment, and ensure that tourism serves the public interest.
Land Governance Challenges
Beyond regulation lies a more complex challenge, land governance. In many tourism zones, particularly around lakes, rivers, and coastal areas, overlapping claims among state agencies, traditional councils, and private interests create uncertainty that discourages investment and complicates planning.
Article 257(1) of the 1992 Constitution vests public lands in the President on behalf of the people, while Article 267(1) of the 1992 Constitution recognizes stool and family lands under traditional authority. Where custodianship is unclear, as in some areas around Dodi Island, decision-making becomes fragmented. This uncertainty delays projects and raises ethical questions about who truly benefits from development.
To address this, government and local stakeholders must establish transparent land-use agreements that define ownership, outline responsibilities, and ensure equitable benefit-sharing. Early engagement of the Lands Commission, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, and traditional authorities will promote coordination and trust. Sound land governance must not only resolve disputes but reaffirm that natural resources are held in trust for the public good.
Comparative Lessons from Other Jurisdictions
Other African countries offer valuable models for linking law, ethics, and local participation. In Kenya, the Tourism Act, 2011 (No. 28 of 2011) ensures community involvement and equitable revenue-sharing, allowing tourism income to support local projects and conservation.
South Africa’s National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107) promotes accountability through Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and public consultation before major developments. Rwanda’s partnership with African Parks in managing Akagera National Park further demonstrates how community benefit-sharing and investor confidence can coexist.
These examples reveal that it is ethical governance, not merely natural beauty, that sustains the tourism sector. Where ownership is clear, laws are enforced, and communities share in the gains, tourism thrives both economically and morally.
Dodi Island as a Case for Policy Renewal
Dodi Island’s location, cultural history, and natural beauty make it ideal for eco-tourism and cultural learning. Yet its neglect reflects a broader policy gap. A renewed framework should begin with sustainable infrastructure, developed through partnerships under the Tourism Act, 2011 and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy Framework (2011).
Clean energy systems, proper waste management, and eco-friendly transport would attract responsible tourists and advance Ghana’s commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Community inclusion must be central. Residents of Akosombo and the Volta Basin should be trained and employed as guides, artisans, and service providers through initiatives such as the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF). Empowering locals ensures that benefits remain within the community and strengthens cultural ownership.
Finally, cultural integration should define Dodi Island’s tourism identity. In collaboration with the National Commission on Culture, exhibitions, storytelling, and art displays can present Ghana’s heritage as living knowledge rather than mere entertainment. If well executed, Dodi Island can demonstrate that responsible development is both economically viable and morally sound.
Towards a Framework of Responsible Stewardship
This mission requires a framework of responsible stewardship, built on the pillars of accountability, inclusivity, and sustainability. Accountability ensures transparent governance; inclusivity guarantees that local communities share equitably in the benefits; and sustainability preserves our environment and cultural heritage for generations to come.
This proposed framework compels Ghana to build a tourism industry anchored in both conscience and competence, one that protects rather than exploits, and empowers rather than excludes.
To realize this vision, Ghana must strategically leverage its position as host of the AfCFTA Secretariat to champion ethical tourism within Africa’s trade agenda. This aligns directly with AfCFTA’s Tourism and Travel protocols, designed to boost intra-African travel, stimulate investment, and facilitate the free movement of services. By embedding ethical principles within this framework, Ghana can help harmonize high environmental and cultural standards across the continent.
Such alignment would not only promote intra-African tourism but also enhance Ghana’s soft power and competitiveness on the global stage.
Dodi Island, therefore, represents more than a developmental project; it is a symbol of how Ghana can harmonize law with conscience, profit with fairness, and progress with preservation.
In the end, the question “Whose culture are we selling?” must remind us that Ghana’s heritage is not a commodity for consumption, but a trust for preservation , a reflection of a nation that does not trade its identity for attention, but shares it with integrity.
The writer is a Lawyer at Ghartey & Ghartey Law Firm, specializing in Information Technology Law, Human Rights Law, and Family Law