The African Development Bank has reiterated its strong commitment to bolstering Africa’s thriving tourism sector, recognizing it as one of the continent’s fastest-growing and promising domains.
According to traveldailynews.com, Addressing a distinguished audience at the 66th Tourism Conference organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Mauritius in July 2023, Leila Mokaddem, Director General for the Southern Africa Regional Integration and Business Delivery Hub, declared the Bank’s commitment to prioritize support for member countries in the development of their tourism industry. This commitment extends to fostering sustainable, climate-smart local economic development.
Themed “Rethinking Tourism for Africa: Promoting Investment and Partnerships; Addressing Global Challenges,” the conference, hosted by the Mauritius government, provided a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on the future of tourism in Africa.
Mokaddem remarked, “Tourism is undeniably one of the fastest-growing and most interrelated sectors in the global economy. It holds immense potential to bolster GDP, attract investment, and foster regional integration. Mauritius stands as a beacon of success in this regard.”
The conference convened African tourism ministers and key industry players, facilitating an extensive dialogue on innovative strategies to encourage investment, forge partnerships, and promote sustainable growth within Africa’s tourism sector.
The African Development Bank has identified the tourism sector as a pivotal area in its strategy to expedite Africa’s industrialization and promote green growth. In this context, the Bank is closely collaborating with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the specialized agency responsible for promoting global tourism, representing a network of 158 member countries.
Both entities have committed to fortify their partnership by formalizing a working arrangement through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration is guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the Rio+20 development goals and objectives. These objectives are in alignment with the Bank’s 2013-2022 Strategy and its High 5 priorities, which emphasize industrializing Africa and enhancing the quality of life for Africans by creating an enabling environment for youth employment.
The mutually agreed-upon collaboration is set to address critical areas, including advocacy, policy development, and analytical advice, with the collective aim of invigorating the tourism sector in Africa.
