“We Are The Center Of The World!”, Ghana Declares At Tourism Forum

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Catherine Abelema Afoko, in an address at the Master Class of the 2018 Mediterranean Tourism Forum, announced Ghana’s geographical position to an audience consisting of representatives of nations of the Southern European Coast, including Greece, Turkey, France, Gibraltar, Monaco, Italy and Malta; the Levantine Coast including Cyprus and Israel and the North Africa sub-region, including Egypt. Algeria, Morroco, and Libya.

Speaking as a special guest, the Minister said although some countries had tried to disprove Ghana’s position as the center of the world and tried to claim the title for themselves,  “Ghana’s position is not a case of self-enthronement”.  “The question of which country is the center of the world was settled more than 200 years ago when some 25 nations met in Washington D. C., USA., for the International Meridian Conference in October 1884 to adopt a single Meridian to replace the numerous ones already in use. In Ghana, the line enters the sea and does not touch any other solid surface till it reaches Antarctica, the southernmost continent, and the South Pole.”

“Fortunately, nature has, on her part, provided Ghana with an enduring landmark close to the seashore at Tema where the Zero Line of Longitude exits in the form of a small rock known as the Greenwich Rock. Almost a century ago, sailors stopped work to observe some rituals when their ships crossed the Zero Line,” she said.

Countries, individuals and foreign official present at the forum all welcomed the announcement, prompting the Chief Executive of Malta Tourism Authority, Mr Paul Bugega to acknowledge Ghana’s position, saying “with this information by the Ghanaian Minister, I will revise my notes accordingly.”  Capitalizing on the occasion, the Minister threw an invitation to tourists from all over the world to come and explore the center of the world.

“Soon, you could plan your honeymoon or wedding at the very center of the world; you will be buying goods manufactured at the center of the world. Iconic structures are being developed to brand the nation in the same way as the Eiffel Tower has branded France and the Statue of Liberty, the USA.”

An international tourism consultant confirmed to the Daily Graphic that Ghana’s claim was “irrefutable”. He said that “anytime my GPS mistakenly set itself to Latitude Zero and Longitude Zero, the instrument automatically brought up the name, Ghana”.