This paper advocates the application of building capacities for tourism development
and poverty reduction in the locales of Elmina and Cape Coast in the Sub-Saharan
country of Ghana in Africa. The two towns are home to three World Heritage Sites: the
Elmina Castle or St George’s Castle and Fort St Jago (Elmina), and Cape Coast Castle
(Cape Coast). Tourism was introduced in 1989 by the Ghanaian government with the
assistance of donor agencies in an effort to bring economic and cultural sustainability to
the area. Research up to now has indicated that tourism can be used as a tool of
development, and poverty reduction, in developing countries, however, the social and
economic benefits in the towns of Elmina and Cape Coast, are distributed unequally. It
could be argued that one of the reasons is the emphasis placed on higher gross returns in
foreign exchange earnings, or greater visitor numbers with little attention to maximizing
net benefits to the poor communities, and without a clear strategy of how tourism growth,
will contribute to poverty reduction
