Coups d'etat and African tourism: A study of Ghana

Abstract

One of the main characteristics of postcolonial Africa is the high frequency of successful and abortive coups d'état. The consequent political instability has had adverse impact on all sectors of Africa's economies. Upon achieving political independence, almost all African countries formulated economic development plans, including tourism, to diversify their economies. Nearly 25 years after the majority of African countries became independent, tourism is barely an industry in sub-Saharan Africa. The continent's share of global arrivals and receipts has remained stagnant over the last 20 years. Ghana, the first country to achieve independence in sub-Saharan Africa, had created an incipient tourist industry by 1966. This paper examines efforts to develop tourism in Ghana and how over two decades of political instability has stagnated those plans. A model is proposed to elucidate the impact of frequent coups d'état and the resultant political instability on tourism.