UGBS Associate Professor, Kobby Mensah Appointed CEO of Ghana Tourism Development Company
The University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) Associate Professor of Marketing, Kobby Mensah, has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Development Company Limited (GTDC). Prof. Mensah’s appointment as CEO of GTDC is expected to bring a strong academic and strategic perspective to the development of Ghana’s tourism industry. His extensive experience in marketing, policy engagement, and brand positioning aligns with GTDC’s mandate to drive tourism investments and enhance sector efficiency.
Prof. Mensah is a prominent academic voice in the tourism sector. He has been a speaker at major industry conferences, including the African Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) and the Ghana Economic Forum. His contributions to digital tourism and Pan-African brand identity have also positioned him as a key resource for Brand South Africa.
He is the founder and Convener of Destination Legon Tourism Marketing Exhibition at the University of Ghana Business School. The Destination Legon programme challenges students to practically conceptualise and market destinations, attractions and tourism related products and services to meet demands. The programme tasks students to use digital innovations such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to effectively make a prospective tourist arrival ‘consume’ destinations/attractions before they eventually participate in them physically, creating a sense of tourism product and service trials, therefore offering an augmented experience. The Destination Legon Tourism Marketing Exhibition project, which began in 2014, eventually spurred the growth of digital tourism in Ghana with the majority of online-based tourism marketing organisations being formed and managed by students who graduated from the University of Ghana Business School.
The GTDC is mandated to promote and mobilise resources for investment in tourism ventures, seek equity participation in joint ventures with local and international investors, and provide financial and technical assistance to small businesses in the tourism industry. The company also aims to enhance the efficiency and service levels within the sector.
Prof. Kobby Mensah was born and raised in Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana. He had his early education at St. Peter’s Primary School in New Takoradi, Junior Secondary School at Dr. Wilkie Memorial. He later attended St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast for Senior Secondary School. He pursued higher education in Marketing at the Institute of Professional Studies (now the University of Professional Studies, Accra - UPSA). He holds a PhD in Journalism from the University of Sheffield, UK, and an MSc in International Marketing from Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
Before transitioning into academia, Prof. Mensah worked as the Marketing Manager for Student and Youth Travel Organisation (SYTO), a role that later saw him transferred to South Africa. He is a chartered marketer (CIM, UK) and a professor at UGBS. His expertise spans political marketing, political communication, general communications, campaign management, social media engagement, media relations, event planning, and customer service team development.
Prof. Mensah is widely regarded as a leading expert in Political Marketing in Africa, playing a key role in shaping the field in Ghana. He is also the editor of Political Marketing and Management in Ghana: A New Architecture, published by Palgrave Macmillan, UK. International media such as the BBC, Financial Times (FT), DW, and SABC seek his insights on Africa's growing political marketing landscape.
Story by Gladys Mensah, UGBS Marcomms
Edited by Doris Koffi, UGBS Marcomms