Koforidua, Nov 9, GNA - The Ghana Institute of Public Administration (GIMPA) has taken over the management of the Eredec Hotel in Koforidua with the aim of turning it into a Hospitality Training Centre.

The Eredec Hotel would be revived to become one of the first class hotels in the Eastern Region to meet the demands of the tourism industry in the region.

Professor Yaw Agyeman Badu, the Rector of GIMPA, announced this to the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, when he led a team to call on him in Koforidua and said plans were far advanced to start the project in January 2010.

Prof Badu said GIMPA had put in place a management team and assessment needs had been done to facilitate the building of structures for the School and the hotel to be run on the same premises.

He said when the hospitality institute takes off GIMPA would run its courses such as Public Administration and Governance at the various levels in the region to benefit workers who would not have to travel to Accra to enrol for top-up courses.

Prof Badu said the Eredec Hotel and Hotcas, a hospitality training school in Accra, were handed over to GIMPA in March by the government. Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, said reviving the facility and the running o= f a school by GIMPA in the region was a booster to the region's positioning a= s the next destination for investments after Accra. He said the region had a large working class of both public and civi= l servants and private sector workers who would take advantage of GIMPA's school to upgrade their knowledge. The Regional Minister said GIMPA had been very useful in career development and had raised standards in local government delivery and pub= lic administration and as well as a critical development partner. 09 Nov09