Ghana’s expanding tourism sector presents a timely opportunity for government and private stakeholders to invest in artificial intelligence and gamification technologies that could virtualise the country’s cultural heritage sites and significantly broaden their global reach, an industry executive has said.
Maximus Amettorgoh, Chief Executive and Founder of Esports Academy, made the call during an appearance on The High Street Talks, a programme of The High Street Journal, urging policymakers and brands to treat digital investment in Ghana’s creative and cultural economy as a strategic economic priority rather than an afterthought.
Ghana’s tourism industry has recorded consistent year-on-year growth, with the country’s castles, forts, national museums, and cultural landmarks drawing increasing visitor numbers both domestically and from the diaspora. Proponents of digital transformation argue that this momentum creates the ideal conditions to layer technology onto existing heritage infrastructure, deploying AI-driven experiences, immersive gamification, and virtual access platforms to extend the reach of sites such as Cape Coast Castle, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, and the national museums to audiences across the world who may never set foot on Ghanaian soil.
Among the most compelling proposals gaining traction in policy and tech circles is the virtualisation of Ghanaian folklore and oral tradition, including through gamified storytelling formats inspired by narratives such as the Kweku Ananse folktales and the slave trade experiences at the castles as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy and revenue generation. Such initiatives, advocates argue, could transform Ghana’s intangible cultural heritage into a globally consumable digital product, attracting licensing interest, educational partnerships, and tourism-linked spending from the African diaspora.
Amettorgoh, speaking from the perspective of the esports and digital economy, framed the broader challenge as one of timing and intent. The imperative, he argued, is to “plant the seed now so we can harvest in the future,” warning that a failure to act would leave the door open for multinational brands to enter, extract value, and repatriate returns. Without deliberate local investment, he cautioned, the risk is “all those top brands coming to Ghana,” making the gains and “taking the investment back to their country.”
His remarks carry particular weight in the context of Ghana’s digital economy agenda, which has seen incremental progress but faces persistent gaps in infrastructure investment, skills development, and institutional coordination. Amettorgoh called directly on the government to lead with financing, and on brands to begin “farming and courting the young people” through deliberate positioning in digital and gaming spaces, so that the next generation of Ghanaian consumers grows into “advocates and customers” for homegrown platforms and products.
The economic case is not trivial. Virtual tourism and digital heritage experiences represent a fast-growing global segment, with augmented and virtual reality applications in culture and heritage projected to generate billions in value over the coming decade. For a country like Ghana, with a distinctive architectural and cultural legacy, a strong diaspora audience, and growing broadband penetration, the potential to monetise digital access to heritage at scale is real and largely untapped.
Amettorgoh called for a policy rethink around digital entertainment industries, arguing that esports and the wider gamification space deserve recognition as “an economic sector, not just an entertainment tool,” rather than being viewed solely through a recreational lens.
Ghana’s tourism authorities have a clear opportunity to merge the country’s growing tourism industry with emerging technologies such as virtual heritage platforms, AI-powered experiences, and immersive storytelling. Doing so could place Ghana at the forefront of cultural technology in Africa while generating jobs, attracting foreign revenue, and strengthening its international profile.
