General News of Saturday, 3 January 2015

Source: starrfmonline.com

Ghana gets Africa’s first canopy walkway on the sea

A 105-metre long canopy walkway has been constructed on the sea at Tema near the Meridian rock which is believed to be the centre of the world.

The canopy walkway, which cost over $200,000, is the first canopy walkway on the sea in Africa.

It is stringed to the premises of the Ave Maria Resort formerly known as Halcrow beach.

Mr Kenneth Akuffo Asare, the contractor, told the Ghana News Agency that the canopy walkway has a height of eight metres.

Mr Akuffo, who also constructed the Kakum canopy walkway in the Central Region, assured the public of its safety as quality materials were used to build it.

He said polyester ropes, galvanised cables, bolts and nuts and safety nets were used.

“Counting the Kakum and Bonsu canopy walkways, this in the third one I have built in the country, but it is the first one on the sea in the whole of Africa,” Mr Asare said.

He said the closest one to the canopy walkway on the sea was the one he built over a river in Nigeria and appealed to the government and other stakeholders to appreciate people with extraordinary talents and give them the necessary help to promote tourism in Ghana.

Mrs Theressa Ntim, the Managing Director of Ave Maria Resort, said it was their desire to build the canopy walkway to the Meridian Rock, but the cost was more than her outfit could bear.

She said the walkway was built with the aim of “promoting leisure and relaxation at the centre of the world,” she said. She added that it was her wish to do something extra to attract people to have a look at the rock.

Mrs Ntim said the canopy walk would be opened to the public at a small fee which would and appealed to the Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism to help develop the many tourism sites in Tema.