The Upper West Regional office of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has embarked on an exercise to close down all hospitality facilities that were operating in the region without licenses and engaging in activities that did not meet the approval of the Board.
One of such facilities, Wizzy Vills Night Club, a popular entertainment spot located at Kambali, a suburb of Wa, was on Thursday closed down temporally by officials of the Ghana Tourist Board in the Upper West Region for operating without license.
Mr. Kwame Gyasi, acting Regional Manager who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the first day of the exercise, said the closure of the place was not only because of non registration, but also reports indicated that the place had been turned into grounds for immoral activities.
He said there were also complaints from the Wa Municipal Assembly that minors were also allowed to use the facility.
He said the place would remain closed until operators of the facility legally acquired a license and met other equally important conditions before it would be reopened for them to operate.
Mr. Gyasi said the exercise would be undertaken in all the nine districts in the region, and issues such as the acquisition of license and suitability of the facility in terms of fire safety, location, and environmental sanitation would be considered.
He said Ghana Tourist Board was not against the setting up of hotels or entertainment spots, but that individuals interested in doing so should make sure they passed through the legal process.
He therefore advised all managers of such facilities to ensure that their facilities were properly registered to avoid being caught by the long arms of the law.
Mr. Kambo K. Justine, Manager of the night club, in an interview with the GNA denied the allegation that under aged people were allowed into the night club.
He said anytime they operated the facility there were always security men at the gate to check indecent dressing and also to ensure that no under aged person entered the place.
On the issue of the license, he said, he was already in the process of acquiring one and had already paid part of the registration fee.