Local assemblies in the Anlo enclave have rallied behind the maiden Anlo Extravaganza and Heritage Festival 2026, a set of activities designed to unearth talents, harness the tourism potential of the area and create employment for the youth.
Put together by event management firm, KP Swift Services Ltd, the five-day cultural and tourism event slated to coincide with Easter 2026, is designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Anlo people while promoting tourism and local enterprises.
As part of the build up, the management of KP Swift has undertaken a two-day working visit to the Keta Municipal and the Anloga District assemblies in line with its continuous stakeholder engagement towards the successful hosting of the maiden heritage festival.
The event has already received the high-level support and endorsement of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, the Ghana AIDS Commission, other institutions and media houses.
The management of KPswift, led by its Executive Director, Kenneth Dzadu, visited the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Keta Municipal Assembly, the Chief Executive Officer of the plush Beverly View Plus Hotel, Tegbi, heads of some senior high schools in the area and other hospitality facilities.
Support
The MCE of Keta, Wisdom Seade, commended the KP Swift for the initiative and pledged the full support and cooperation of the assembly to ensure a successful event.
He said the festival had the potential to position the municipality as a major Easter destination, while stimulating local businesses and tourism.
The team also engaged players in the hospitality industry, who are among the primary beneficiaries of the influx of visitors during the festival period.
The CEO of the Beverly View Plus Hotel, Ishmael Abusah, also expressed excitement about the initiative.
The newly opened hotel will host the heritage beauty pageant and some participants in the festival.
Mr Abusah said hosting such a large-scale cultural and tourism event in the traditional areas was long overdue.
Speaking on behalf of the hospitality industry, he pledged that hoteliers would put the necessary measures in place to leave indelible impressions on guests.
“The Anlo State stands ready to host indigenes and visitors to this special event,” Mr Abusah declared.
Festival
The Anlo Extravaganza and Heritage Festival is designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Anlo people, while promoting tourism and local enterprises.
Activities expected to feature during the festival include a memorial lecture and ecotourism forum, a marathon event, a football gala, pageantry, community engagements and picnic.
It would also incorporate social intervention programmes, including support initiatives for schoolchildren and serve as a platform for local artisans and garment producers to showcase their work.
Other stakeholders
To ensure broad-based participation, the KP Swift team also met with heads of second cycle institutions within the municipality and addressed students, who expressed enthusiasm about the programme.
The team also engaged heads of Physical Education (PE) in the municipality, who will play a key role in helping to organise the Godwin Adukpo Easter Marathon.
The interaction led to the formation of a technical committee to oversee the organisation of a historic Easter Marathon scheduled for April 4, 2026.
Organisers anticipate that the marathon alone will draw an estimated 5,000 participants and spectators onto the principal streets of the host communities.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Dzadu described the engagements last weekend as fruitful, saying it served as a platform to outline the vision behind the festival and the projected socio-economic benefits to the area.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh