THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL:

A Proposal for Organizational Revitalization of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF)

Submitted on the 21st day of November, 2007.

THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT PREAMBLE On 11th October, 2007, a meeting was held at the headquarters of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to determine next steps in the process of strengthening the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) as the apex body championing the private sectors role in the Ghana tourism industry. Present at the meeting were members of the Netherlands development organization SNV; Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations (MOTDR); the Public Private Partnership for Tourism (PPPT); JICA; and GHATOF. After some discussion of possible next steps a Task Force of six people was set up and assigned the role of drafting recommendations on a way forward for GHATOF, with a deadline of 21st November, 2007 to submit its report. The Task Force comprised members of GHATOF, representation from SNV, and consultant members of the PPP Working Groups. This report is partly informed by a compendium of prior studies and reports documenting the situation at GHATOF, and so the Task Force did not need to undertake another study in order to do its analysis and arrive at its conclusions.

PROBLEM DEFINITION Following is the project statement or charter of the Task Force: Develop a proposal to strengthen and move the Ghana Tourism Federation forward, complete with increased relevance to its membership. APPROACH TO THE TASK The Task Force met from the 31st October to 2nd November, 2007 at the SNV Headquarters in the Airport Residential Area for analysis, brainstorming and deliberation prior to writing its report. Prior to the meetings, members of the Task Force were furnished with relevant background documentation produced about GHATOF, to read as preparation. The background materials read by the Task Force in preparation for its work included the Report of the World Caf held for GHATOF on 19th April 2007; a Report prepared by Mr. Kodjo Ansah of Vistalux Ltd.; a Report prepared by Mr. Gideon Quarcoo of Midezor Consult, and the Constitution of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF). Other materials reviewed by the Task Force were written by the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Associated Ghana Industries, and the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB). In order to identify the core issues confronting GHATOF the Task Force members discussed and analyzed the background documents and relevant anecdotal information relating to GHATOFs history, and recorded its results in the section of this report captioned Findings. The Task Forces draft report was then refined and edited to produce the final Report.
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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT FINDINGS 1. Introduction Several assessments have been conducted over the past few years with regards to the functioning of GHATOF. The various reports to a large extent document similar weaknesses, challenges, and constraints that are said to undermine performance levels of the umbrella organization. Instead of understanding why this situation has come about, recommendations have been put forward to address these symptoms, typically in the form of rather quick fix solutions (e.g. more training). The core problems have, however, persisted to this day. The Task Force (TF) that was commissioned on October 11th 2007 to devise a way forward for GHATOF spent a full day analyzing the various reports, listing and clustering the main issues affecting the performance of the organization, and looked for interrelationships between the issues and deeper, underlying causes. The Integrated Organizational Model (IOM) was used as a framework in this analysis. It is useful for describing and diagnosing organizations. The IOM is a model that emphasizes the interrelationships of the different elements or components of an organization. These elements or components should individually be healthy and ideally in balance with the other elements. If this is not the case, then the organization will not function optimally and the need for organizational change will be apparent. 2. Diagnosis of GHATOF The TF is of the opinion that the main issues hindering the effective functioning of GHATOF pertain to: a. Leadership (and management) The issues here are two-fold. On the one hand, leadership positions have been filled by individuals not necessarily elected on the basis of appropriate criteria such as relevant educational qualifications, experience, personal motivation, and behavioural skills. This has negatively affected the quality of leadership. On the other hand, leadership effectiveness has also been undermined by the lack of support given by others (both inside and outside of GHATOF), often due to differences in politics (party, institutional, and ethnic) as well as due to ego-clashes. b. Inputs Every organization requires funds, office space, equipment, staff, and relevant skills and expertise to achieve its objectives. It is obvious that GHATOF is severely underresourced, has no office/secretariat, has no permanent staff, and does not adequately make use of/have access to the necessary skills and expertise (of its members) to effectively carry out all the functions of an umbrella organization. Payment of membership dues has been problematic, but this in any case would constitute only a fraction of the resources required. Alternative sources have neither been explored sufficiently nor effectively. All these input-related issues can be considered symptomatic of the quality of leadership.
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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT c. Mission architecture Ideally, implementation strategies, activities, and outputs of an organization flow logically from a set of objectives that are derived from a commonly understood mission which is inspired by a shared vision. The vision and mission are linked to addressing certain societal needs or meeting certain aspirations of stakeholders. This makes the organization relevant. For GHATOF, it seems that this logic and relevance requires further attention. GHATOF seems to do a whole lot of things for various stakeholder groups; such as lobbying, advocacy, providing training, developing code of ethics, marketing and promotion tourism, developing legislation, etc (see current constitution). This raises a lot of expectations. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, to satisfy everyones expectations. In other words, GHATOF does not have a focused and well defined vision and mission, and these are therefore also not translated into clear and logical objectives and strategies. d. Organizational structure, systems, and procedures The current organizational structure relies heavily on the governing/executive council, which consists of presidents of associations. These individuals have full-time jobs in their own businesses and cannot always be available for meetings. In addition, proper feedback and consultations with the constituency is not optimal. For transparency and accountability purposes, effective systems and procedures are required for clarifying the division of roles, responsibilities, and powers, agenda setting, decision-making, planning and reporting, progress monitoring, financial management, communication, elections, etc. All these issues are recorded in a constitution. The current constitution of GHATOF is not a useful document that provides appropriate guidance. A revision is in order. The structure relies too much on a spirit of volunteerism. In the absence of an adequate incentive system, members will mainly seek positions that bring personal political and other non-financial benefits. Dedicated professionals/practitioners wanting to make a contribution to the greater good of the tourism industry may not make themselves available for leadership positions in such a climate. e. Commitment, attitudes, and relationships Personal commitment of members is also considered a weakness in GHATOF, not only within the leadership but across the board. It appears that a degree of apathy and lack of confidence in the organization is rife. This is evident from attendance levels at meetings and trainings, as well as in payment of membership dues. To a certain extent, individual goals and objectives over-ride organizational and association level goals and objectives. The overarching question asked by many is what do I/we gain from being an active member of GHATOF? It appears that the answer in most cases is not positive, which affects commitment levels. Furthermore, relationships between member associations and with other institutions tend to be characterized by mistrust and skepticism. Private sector unity does not seem very strong at the moment.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT f. Outputs Any organization exists for a purpose; to deliver something for its stakeholders (i.e. profit, services, benefits, results). This determines the relevance of the organization more than anything else. GHATOF members state that few concrete outputs have been realized so far. This not only affects commitment within the organization but also credibility from external parties. Furthermore, if the mission is not very clear and focused, then it can also not be clear what outputs need to be delivered and for whom. 3. Conclusions Both GHATOF members as well as external parties are not overly impressed with the performance or effectiveness of GHATOF. However, upon closer examination, it must be concluded that not much more can be expected from an organization that has almost no inputs, suffers from lack of focus with regard to vision and mission, and has a number of internal organizational weaknesses related to objectives and strategies, structure, systems, procedures, leadership, and personal attitudes/motivation levels. It is therefore not surprising that GHATOF has not achieved much so far. All is not lost, however. There are a number of measures that can be taken to redirect the organization towards greater relevance and impact, and to help remove some of the internal weaknesses. These are outlined in the remainder of this report. References: 1. GHATOF Final Report on Member Association Training Needs and Priorities Assessment Vistalux Ltd (Kojo Ansah) for SNV, January 2005. 2. Report of the World Caf held for GHATOF SNV, April 2005. 3. GHATOF Institutional Capacity Assessment by Vistalux Ltd (Kojo Ansah) for SNV, October 2005. 4. GHATOF Workshop Report Collaborating for Development by Midezor Consult (Gideon Quarcoo) for SNV, August 2007.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS Overall the Task Force recommendations cover the areas of mission architecture (vision, mission, objectives, etc.), structure of the GHATOF, and measures that will increase the relevance of GHATOF to its membership and re-invigorate the organization. We believe that with these recommendations implemented, GHATOF will then be in a good position to take full advantage of the many laudable recommendations documented in the Report prepared by Mr. Kojo Ansah of Vistalux Ltd. in 2005. The Task Force recommends as follows: NAME of the Federation (Review Art. 1 of GHATOF Constitution) Change the name Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) to Ghana Tourism and Hospitality Federation (GHATHOF). Including hospitality in the name will widen the umbrella of membership for other groups involved in the tourism industry that have hitherto not exercised the right to join the federation because its name did not speak directly enough to their interests. We believe that the hospitality segment of the tourism industry is a significant enough segment deserving a place in the name of the federation, and accordingly recommend this change of name. Furthermore, the new name is close enough to (GHATOF), to help retain its resonance and familiarity for purists who believe in continuity and may be averse to radical changes in name.

The GHATHOF Constitution Much of the Task Forces recommendations dealing with the mission architecture of the GHATHOF had the effect of revising significant portions of the GHATHOF Constitution. The Constitution document itself will therefore need to be revised to reflect the recommendations.

The GHATHOF Vision Be the primary advocate for private sector leadership in the development of responsible and sustainable tourism in Ghana.

The GHATHOF Mission To cultivate and uphold commitment to the shared goals and objectives of our organization, by delivering services that enhance growth of the tourism industry.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT The GHATHOFs Core Values The guiding principles and bedrock for achieving our mission and pursuing our vision are: Honesty Unity Commitment
Mutual respect Consensus Diligence Loyalty

Good Governance
Accountability Transparency Effective Communication Leadership

Good Corporate Citizenship

Primary Objectives of the GHATHOF The GHATHOFs broad objectives considering the strategic challenges to achieving its vision are: Act as private sector advocate for the interests of tourism in Ghana, and to collaborate with all relevant organizations to that end. Encourage and promote the creation of an enabling environment for profitable tourism operations in Ghana Promote the advancement of responsible and sustainable tourism in Ghana Improve the standards of service offered by Ghanaian tourism organizations Establish and maintain effective membership governance Provide leadership for addressing issues related to tourism Carry out such other activities as may be required in furtherance of achieving the vision.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT

Membership / Eligibility It is recommended that the GHATHOF open up eligibility to expand its membership. More groups ought to be eligible to join the GHATHOF, and must be given compelling reasons to join. Eligibility should be open to all tourism-related associations and tourism-related for-profit organizations. These associations and organizations must be identified, helped to organize where necessary, and lobbied to join the GHATHOF.

Types of Membership (Review Art. 5 of GHATOF Constitution) Full Membership: Tourism-related associations whose members are licensed and registered as direct practitioners by the Ghana Tourist Board (will become the Ghana Tourism Authority). Affiliate Membership: All tourism-related organizations that are not direct practitioners. Honorary Membership: Non-profit tourism organizations will be invited to join on non-voting basis, and such membership will be renewable every two years upon Executive Committee review.

Benefits of Membership (Why join the GHATHOF?) Results of advocacy by the GHATHOF Services that help improve your business that you cannot obtain elsewhere, such as: Power of unity and affiliation Benefits of collaboration and synergy Recognition and enhanced prestige Access to training and education through the GHATHOF Access to service providers Access to marketing promotion and increased visibility of your business Consulting services (e.g. planning, process, etc) Funding (e.g. Ghana Tourism Development Fund) Access to information on business development opportunities such as:
Research information Joint ventures Product branding

Linking / networking

Welfare matters Arbitration and conflict resolution

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Structure In order to strengthen GHATOFs leadership role and give it the means to effectively carry out its organizational mandate we propose the following structure: 1. Board of Governors headed by a President chosen by his / her peers 2. A Secretariat headed by an Executive Secretary with the powers of a Chief Executive Officer 3. Functional Committees with mandates consistent with the strategic focus and vision of GHATHOF

PROPOSED ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE OF GHATHOF

GOVERNING COUNCIL

AUDITOR (EXTERNAL)

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

EXCECUTIVE SECRETARYS STAFF

FINANCE & INVESTMENT

HUMAN RESOURCE & ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCH, POLICY & DEVELOPMENT

MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

ADVOCACY & LEGAL

Compensation Besides the need to retain a paid full time Executive Secretary with a staff of two or three persons, it is essential to address the issue of compensation for members of the working Committees of the GHATHOF Secretariat. A system of compensation and incentives must be agreed and established to ensure commitment and follow through on the part of those who will commit time to the pursuit of GHATHOFs mission and vision. Committees and Role Descriptions
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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Annual General Congress (AGC) (Review Art. 8 of GHATOF Constitution) This is the highest decision making body of the federation and is chaired by President of the GC. The AGC meets once a year and is responsible for elections and voting on matters of prime strategic interest to the federation (i.e. ratifies overall policy). The AGC may meet in extraordinary session if such a meeting is called at the instance of the Governing Council by two-thirds majority vote. Attendance at the AGC is by accreditation of delegates as follows: five delegates with full membership status from each Association; three delegates with affiliate member status from each affiliated member association or organization. Governing Council (GC): (Review Art. 9 of GHATOF Constitution) This is the primary organ of governance of the federation. The GC comprises the presidents of all member associations of GHATHOF, and it elects its own President. The GC has overall leadership and management oversight of the federation. Executive Secretary: This is the functional equivalent of a chief executive officer and reports directly to the GC. The position will be filled through an advertisement and interview process. The selection and appointment is effected by the GC, the incumbent is secretary to the GC. It is a paid full time position preferably hired from outside the federation and responsible for the effective functioning of the Secretariat including the Committees. The Executive Secretary has maximum office staff strength of three. The position calls for a person of vision with relevant work experience and proven leadership and management track record.

Committee Chairpersons The ideal individual is preferably not an association president, although association presidents are not barred. S/he must be nominated, screened and elected to the position. The person so elected must be skilled and experienced in the Committees area of focus.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Functions of the Committees Finance and Investment Identifies investment opportunities and external funding sources for members Serves as the Committee that works with the Executive Secretary for resource mobilization

Human Resource and Organizational Development Identifies training programs and opportunities that serve the needs of members Assists members by identifying service providers and related leads Helps members build capacity either directly or by link-up

Research, Policy and Development Gathers, analyzes, and organizes data into appropriate information for end users Services research and information needs of members Assists / works with Executive Secretary in internal policy planning

Marketing and Public Relations Assists members with accessing markets / distribution of products / delivery channels Assists members with developing their products and services Assists with promotional matters for the benefit of members Assists members with pricing issues Assists members with supply chain management issues such as efficiency and synergy

Advocacy and Legal Creates and promotes an enabling environment for the tourism industry to thrive: Politically Socially Legislatively Environmentally Audit An external resource to audit financial governance Works to build the confidence of members in their fiduciaries.
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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Funding Sources Following are sources that GHATOF could consider in order to fund its initiatives and activities: Affiliation Dues (quantum derived by a membership-size formula?) Membership Drives Provision of services on a commercial basis for members of GHATOF Contributions from Government Corporate contributions and sponsorship Donor organizations (e.g. for SME development and capacity building; lobbying for pro-poor / sustainable tourism-friendly legislation) Special levies by individual GHATOF members / associations on per-program / initiative basis Endowments Advocacy and Lobbying Time Frame It is essential for various stakeholders in the tourism industry to be made aware that GHATOF is under-going renewal and revitalization to enable it play an effective role in Ghana tourism moving forward. To this end there is a need to lobby the following bodies and groups in order to cultivate support for the GHATHOF recommendations:
AUDIENCE ADVOCACY STRATEGY / FORMAT TIMEFRAME

Executives and Members of the GHATOF Discussion; Audience Plants Governing Council MOT/DR and Ghana Tourist Board: Hon. Minister and Directors Heads of selected Banks Media (selective) CEOs of tourism-related organizations Parliamentary Select Committee Board of Airlines Key members of PPPT Forum

Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel

Schedule meeting / Invite to JICA mtg.? Schedule meeting ASAP Invite to Next PPP Forum in December Schedule meeting ASAP Invite to Next PPP Forum in December Schedule meeting (in December?) Invite to Next PPP Forum in December Invite to Next PPP Forum in December

Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion Speaker, Power-point Slides; Panel Discussion; Audience Plants

ALTERNATIVE: Design and host a Tourism Stakeholders Day to be held 28th February, 2007. Program will include a segment on the GHATHOF presentation and a series of other activities.
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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Implementation and Time Frame Following are major tasks and timelines for additional work to move forward with the recommendations:

TASK Complete Final Report

RESPONSIBILITY
Augustus Boateng Corjan van der Jagt Gideon Quarcoo Kwabena Asante Donkor Augustus Boateng Corjan van der Jagt Nkunu Akyea Nana Baa Wiredu Gideon Quarcoo Kwabena Asante Donkor Augustus Boateng Nkunu Akyea Kwabena Asante Donkor Nana Baa Wiredu Gideon Quarcoo Kwabena Asante Donkor Augustus Boateng Corjan van der Jagt

TARGET DATE 15th November, 2007

Submit Final Report

21st November, 2007

Review Constitution

End of January 2008

Schedule dates for Advocacy and Lobbying and inform target groups Convene National Congress to ratify GHATHOF Constitution and plan Moving forward.

End of January 2008

End of March 2008

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT CONCLUSION GHATOF has been in existence for well over a decade. Considering its history of insufficient inputs and support it arguably has done its best given the circumstances. However, GHATOF also has had its fair share of organizational inadequacies and leadership shortcomings that have resulted in a history of mixed accomplishments. This Report has cited some of the many studies commissioned over the years that have consistently pointed to the need for far-reaching changes that would strengthen GHATOF and position it for a more effective role in the tourism industry. In light of the emerging importance and potential of tourism as an economy leader in Ghana, it is imperative that the private sectors role as primary industry leader and driver is structured, focused, and exercised for maximum impact in the future. Therefore there is a need for an apex body such as GHATHOF that effectively advocates and lobbies for the sector. As currently organized, GHATOFs potential impact in championing private sector interests in tourism moving forward cannot be maximized. Therefore a change is needed that builds on the strengths of GHATOF and charts a bold new course consistent with the vision and mission that will best serve private sector interests in Ghanas tourism future A primary question confronts us: are we ready to seize the winds of change now blowing across Ghanas tourism landscape and ride into Ghanas tourism future with its many challenges and promises? Changing the status quo may appear threatening and filled with great uncertainty, but to do otherwise may leave the private sectors influence in Ghanas tourism with even greater uncertainty and more daunting prospects. The time to act and make necessary changes is now. We must exercise the collective will to act now to ensure a brighter future for the private sector and other stakeholders in Ghana tourism.

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT

APPENDIX

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THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF RENEWAL: GHATOF TASK FORCE REPORT Members of the Task Force Nkunu Akyea Augustus Boateng Kwabena Asante Donkor Mawuko Fumey Corjan van der Jagt Dr. Nana Baa Wiredu Gideon Quarcoo (Chair)

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