The first annual Miss Ghana Tourism USA Pageant was held in Rockville, Maryland (USA) on October 10, 2015. The beauty pageant endorses the beauty of Ghanaian women hailing from all parts of Ghana that are residents in the United States, while promoting Ghanaian tourism and lifestyle.

After the night’s festivities and much awaited suspense, Whitney Osei was crowned the first Miss Ghana Tourism USA. The pageant featured young women with Ghanaian heritage from the Eastern Region, Central Region, Greater Accra Region, Ashanti Region, Volta Region and other Ghanaian regions.

Contestants young women were judged based on their ability to promote the Ghanaian culture, public speaking skills, knowledge of their regions, appearance, personality and how well they would carry the title and promote Miss Ghana Tourism USA initiatives.

Segments of the pageant were traditional opening, region platform, talent, evening gown and interviews. Special guests of honor and distinguished judges included the Ghanaian Ambassador to the United States, Deputy Ambassador and executives from Ghana Tourist Coach, African Post, South African Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines just among others.

24 year-old Whitney Osei hails from Kyebi, Ghana and is a student at Western Governors University majoring in Business Management. She is the President and Co-Founder of Revamp Africa, a non-profit organization that provides training to young innovators in Africa in the fields of business, technology, health and education. She is also the curator of an online publication ProlificPeceptions.com which promotes tourism and commerce in Ghana.

As Miss Tourism Ghana USA 2015, Whitney will spend her reign promoting and helping to develop the tourism infrastructure in Ghana while bringing awareness to social issues like human trafficking in Ghana. She will serve as a spokesperson for the Miss Ghana Tourism USA organization promoting their mission, values and initiatives.

Since her crowning Whitney has been a special guest of honor at the Ghana Music Week Festival International Launch at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Ghana Black Stars versus Canada friendly soccer game at RFK Stadium on October 13, 2015. The African Dream LLC; a US based African affairs news media and communication consultancy firm with a hub in Ghana was a media partner for both events and the Miss Ghana Tourism USA pageant as well.

When asked how she felt about her new role Whitney stated, “I am so excited about this opportunity. I am so passionate about my Ghanaian culture and could not think of anything better than showcasing it to others. Developing the tourism infrastructure in Ghana will generate revenue for the country that can be used in developmental projects and can also create jobs for many people”.

Speaking on her plans for the year Whitney reassured, “In addition to promoting tourism in Ghana, I would also like to bring awareness to a major social issue in Ghana which is human trafficking. We need to open up the opportunity for dialogue and start implementing solutions. With this platform I hope to pave the way for young women to acknowledge and accept that they can do whatever they set their minds to”.