…As Team Africa dialogue with African candidates
Since 1975 when the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was created no African has served as secretary general of the body.
It is also sad that for over 40 years now, African countries, which constitute part of 157 member countries of UNWTO, six territories and over 500 affiliate members, have been neglected in the affairs of the agency of United Nations responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
But as the tenure of Taleb Rifai, the outgoing secretary general, who assumed office since 2010, ends this year, the UNWTO is presenting a chance for an African to lead its affairs for the very first time.
So far, five candidates have declared interest for the position: Doh Young-shim of South Korea, Carlos Voegler (of dual Spanish-Venezuelan nationality), Zurab Pololikashvili from Georgia, Marcio Favilla of Brazil, Walter Mzembi of Zimbabwe and Alain St Ange of Seychelles.
These six candidates are likely the only ones standing for the election as the March 11, 2017 deadline for new entrants is fast approaching.
Out of the six candidates, Africa has two from Zimbabwe and Seychelles, and going by that fact, it will be difficult for an African to emerge winner of the UNWTO top job.
Before now, African Union threw its weight behind Zimbabwean Mzembi, and even Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states – including Seychelles – unanimously endorsed Mzembi’s (Zimbabwe) candidature in March 2016.
As well, in July 2016 African Heads of State and Government, meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, added their own unanimous endorsement of Mzembi, who thus became Africa’s candidate for UNWTO.
But the emergence of Alain St. Ange, the then minister of tourism for the Republic of Seychelles, who resigned his position on December 28, 2016 to contest (for the second time) the sectary general of UNWTO changed the whole game for African victory at the UNWTO election slated for May this year in Madrid.
Of course, the two African candidates have been at the neck of each other during their campaigns across the world, and have also shown early signs that Africa’s vote is already divided.
To save the situation, The Team Africa, a group of African travel and tourism professionals led by Ikechi Uko, a tourism/hospitality expert, is bringing the two African candidates to Port Harcourt Bantaba in River State, Nigeria to dialogue on how best to go about the elections so that Africa will not lose or used by other countries to gain victory.
So, on March 16, 2017 at De Edge Hotel, Port Harcourt, The Team Africa will use the Bantaba platform to host the two African candidates, not necessarily on their manifestos, but on how to work together to get an African as the new secretary general of UNWTO.
Uko noted that The Team Africa is hosting the two candidates to get them to work together because Africa needs the position and a divided Africa cannot survive at the May election in Madrid.
For Uko, the South Korean is becoming the strongest contender, having been in the UNWTO system for 10 years, coupled with the fact that Banki Moon, the immediate past United Nations secretary general, is from South Korea.
The Port Harcourt dialogue, will definitely intimate the two candidates on the implication of split vote as Africa needs block vote to win, and also not to allow themselves to be used by other candidates like the South Korean who will likely play the African contenders one against the other.
As well, going by the way things are, Uko notes that a winner will not emerge in the first round of the election in May and if so, how does the African candidate who survives the first round garner support for a victorious second round, especially from the one that lost in the first round.
The Nigerian dialogue between the two African candidates is necessarily because the race for the post of Secretary General of the UNWTO has entered its final stages and throwing up some intriguing manoeuvres on the part of some of the candidates.
While Mzembi and St. Ange are at each other’s throat in their campaign and are likely going to divide Africa’s block vote, other candidates are wiser, forming alliances and compromises here and there.
For instance, the emergence of an electoral coupling between Doh Young-shim of South Korea and Carlos Voegler, the current UNWTO Executive Director of dual Spanish-Venezuelan nationality, seems to be the big game.
In this case, it is no longer ‘the winner takes it all’ as the winner between the two offers the other the position of Deputy Secretary General in compensation.
These are the reasons Africa needs to speak with one voice and block vote. However, it is not too late as the dialogue at Port Harcourt Banataba may be the game changer. But if the two insist on fighting their individual battles, Africa is definitely going to lose in the May election and may not have same opportunity in many years to come.
These are among the issues the two candidates have to tackle at the dialogue session in Port Harcourt in order to present common front, form beneficiary alliances, and avoid being used by other candidates.
See you at Port Harcourt Bantaba from March 16-17, 2017 at De Edge Hotel, Port Harcourt.
Source: businessdayonline.com
