Ghana’s Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku in the Eastern region has now been classified as a tourist site, requiring a fee payment for taking any photo on the 334m bridge.
The fees charged is part of efforts to defray the cost of repair works on the bridge after it was closed to traffic on 10 March 2014 and re-opened in December 2015.
The Asuogyaman District Assembly and the Ghana Highway Authority which manages the property took the decision which has been commended by GhanaTourism Development Company (GTDC).
CEO of GTDC Kwadwo Antwi said just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the London Bridge, taking photos on the 62-year old bridge will now come with a charge.
He said the Ghana Tourism Development Company has a general plan to identify more facilities to be designated tourist sites.
Built in 1957, the Adomi bridge crosses over the Volta Lake using a deck held by cables into two steel arcs. It was designed by William Brown, a structural engineer and bridge designer who specialised in suspension bridges.
He is credited with helping design 14 other bridges including the Auckland Harbour Bridge in New Zealand.
Ghana’s tourism potential remains one of the most under-exploited sectors of the economy with its contribution to GDP declining over the years.
Tourism is currently the fourth largest source of foreign exchange earnings estimated at US$2.2 million in 2015 with arrivals of 1.2 million.
A CNN Travel documentary listed Ghana as the fourth best place to travel in 2019 hailing Ghana’s political stability and economic progress as important factors.