African Governments told Tourism can combat poverty if they provide the right conditions

African governments must help create the right market conditions for developing tourism as a means to alleviating poverty, according to the World Tourism Organization.

"Africa is at the heart of our Organization's concerns due to the multiple handicaps it faces on the long road to development, but also because we are convinced that many of these obstacles can be overcome. Among these is poverty, which constitutes a scourge that can be reduced thanks to the contribution of tourism development," said Mr. Francesco Frangialli, WTO Secretary-General during the 41st Meeting of the WTO Commission for Africa, held in the Seychelles island of Mahé, from 10 to 13 May 2004.

Over 110 delegates, including 18 ministers of tourism, from 31 African countries participated in this meeting that was officially opened by H.E. Mr. James Alix Michel, President of the Republic of Seychelles. President Michel highlighted the "dynamic and cordial relationship" between the WTO and the Seychelles, and stressed the importance of tourism for the African continent in general, and for the Seychelles and other SIDS in particular.

In his capacity of Chairman of the WTO Commission for Africa H.E. Mr. Jorge Alicerces Valentim, Minister of Hotels and Tourism of Angola, reported on his activities as Chairman of the Commission, and said that "we (African Governments) need a decisive political support in such a way that all international financial organizations, namely, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Union, and other institutions could give a determinant support for investments in hotels and tourist resorts in our countries, as they are doing in other continents".

Speaking to African tourism ministers of tourism, both Mr. Frangialli and Dr. de Villiers, WTO Deputy Secretary-General, underlined the importance of achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), aimed at raising living standards in the developing world, and recognized that tourism has emerged as a recognized socio-economic driver and can make a pivotal contribution to Africa's economies.

Helping to create the right conditions were measures such as the WTO Global Code of Ethics, which sets standards of responsible tourism for all stakeholders; the use of Tourism Satellite Accounting programmes, which gauge the full impact of tourism on a national economy; and the WTO's ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism-Eliminating Poverty) programme.

But, there was still "a key role for the public sector in developing countries, to push ahead with the enabling conditions and strike the right balance between a market economy and necessary safeguards" according to Dr. de Villiers.

He highlighted the scope for creating new companies in Africa with new products aimed at attracting tourists, and also recognized there was a need for helping find investment for smaller projects and making sure that rural communities play a role in and benefit from them.

WTO Special Adviser Geoffrey Lipman said the ST-EP programme could help Africa in particular by establishing a "constant flow of new research and new projects" to support the Millennium Development Goals.

The environmental and tourism adviser to NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa's Development), Dr. Hesphina Rukato, said the partnership's goal is to reverse underdevelopment and poverty on the continent . To achieve this, there was a need for African ownership of tourism facilities, the establishment of regional development programmes and to set realistic targets.

She agreed that tourism development is an important component in the fight against poverty, helping to increase investment in both infrastructure and health.

The Tourism Minister of Mozambique, H.E. Mr. Fernando Sumbana, gave details of a proposed new NEPAD Tourism Action Plan, to be linked with the WTO's own Africa Programme, which will be presented to the African Union summit in July. 

Calling for support from other ministers, he said that as an "engine for integrated growth" the plan could create the environment, framework and financial resources to help eradicate poverty. It will include the development and auditing of tourism policies; and the promoting of marketing strategies, research and development, and investment in infrastructure and products. The Tourism Action Plan was adopted by the WTO CAF Members.

Other delegates stressed the need for improving all forms of transport - not just air links; improvements to security; and finding new sources of funding from development banks and international agencies.

The participants at the 41st WTO CAF Meeting supported the candidature of Botswana to host the 42nd Meeting in 2005, and adopted a Motion of Support for the Spanish Government in relation to the 11 March 2004 Madrid terrorist attacks.