Ghana to Establish Professional Convention Bureau in 2027 to Chase Global Conference Business

Ghana will establish a professional convention bureau in 2027 to bid for and secure recurring African and international conferences, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced, as part of a broader US$1 billion push to position the country as West Africa's premier destination for business tourism.

Presenting the 2027 Budget Statement to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Dr. Forson said the bureau would anchor Ghana's ambitions in the lucrative meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) market, with Accra serving as the primary international hub and Kumasi developed as a complementary destination leveraging its cultural heritage .

"Mr Speaker, in 2027, we will establish a professional convention bureau to bid for recurring African and global conferences," Dr. Forson told Parliament .

A Convention Centre at the Heart of the Strategy

The bureau's work will be underpinned by a major piece of infrastructure: an ultra-modern international convention centre at the La Trade Fair Centre in Accra, to be built and operated by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) .

The 81,422-square-metre facility is slated to feature a 3,000-seater main conference hall, a Presidential Hall for high-level meetings, four large auditoriums, and other modern amenities . President John Mahama is expected to cut the sod for the project in the coming weeks, signalling the government's intent to move from announcement to construction .

The convention centre forms part of SSNIT's strategic investment drive to expand its portfolio and contribute to national infrastructure development, positioning Accra to compete for large-scale international conferences, exhibitions, and events that currently bypass the region .

Hotels, Theatre, and a Wider Hospitality Push

The convention bureau and centre are the tip of a broader hospitality expansion. Dr. Forson announced that SSNIT will receive tax incentives to build five hotels by 2030: five-star properties in Accra and Kumasi, and four-star facilities in the Cape Coast-Elmina heritage corridor, the Volta Region, and Northern Ghana .

The government also intends to complete a new National Theatre in Kumasi to serve as a cultural, performance, conference, and creative-industry facility . However, Tourism Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie indicated in August 2026 that Cabinet had approved a proposal to prioritise completing an existing stalled theatre and Centre for National Culture project in the Ashanti Region before starting an entirely new facility—a sign that the Kumasi theatre may face a longer timeline than the budget rhetoric suggests .

A Sector Already Delivering

The conference push builds on tourism figures that show steady momentum. Ghana welcomed 1,306,962 international tourists in 2025, up from 1,288,804 in 2024, generating an estimated US$4.34 billion in revenue, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts . Domestic tourism visits also grew, and the number of licensed tourism enterprises rose 6.1 percent to 7,109 .

The government's US$1 billion tourism investment under Pillar Five of the New Economy Programme aims to move Ghana beyond the seasonal "December in Ghana" festivities toward a year-round visitor economy, with heritage journeys, ancestry services, and business events providing additional reasons to visit throughout the year .

The Road Ahead

As Parliament begins deliberations on the budget, the convention bureau's success will depend on whether Ghana can deliver the infrastructure—conference venues, hotel rooms, transport connectivity—that international conference organisers demand. The Accra Convention Centre has been announced but not yet built; the Kumasi theatre faces questions about whether it will be new or revived; and the hotels are slated for 2030, three years after the bureau opens its doors.

For Dr. Forson, the vision is clear: Ghana should not merely host conferences, but compete for them. Whether the bureau can win those bids—and whether the facilities are ready when it does—will determine if Accra becomes a fixture on the global conference circuit or remains a destination that talks about it.