South Africa’s Tourism Minister on working visit to Ghana, Nigeria

South Africa’s Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane will this week travel to West Africa for a working visit to regional neighbours Ghana and Nigeria.

The Minister will spend two-days in Accra attending the first United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Presidential Leadership Taskforce on Women Empowerment on Tourism Sector with focus on Africa, where she will be part of a discussion panel under the theme “Tourism policies to enable gender equality”.

A statement issued by Ms. Hlengiwe Nhlabathi, Spokesperson for the Ministry said the forum hosted by the UNWTO, will debate proposals and activities geared towards promoting women empowerment and leadership in the African region, including funding. The meeting is also expected to receive a report on the second edition of the Global Report on Women in Tourism.

“Tourism is one of the key economic sectors with the potential to contribute to greater equality and empowerment of women and is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors accounting for 10% of GDP and jobs globally”, the statement said.

It said the Minister will also use her time in Ghana – West Africa’s second largest economy - to interact with tour operators, media and broad stakeholders in the tourism value chain.

“After concluding the work in Ghana, she will lead a delegation to Nigeria for a further two-day engagement with tourism stakeholders and trade as well as media. The roadshow, in what is considered Africa’s most populous country, will provide a valuable networking opportunity and an opportunity for the Minister to position South Africa as a destination of choice for West Africans who would like to travel for business, leisure and other related activities. Through interaction with tourism stakeholders including tour operators and the media, the Minister will gain better insights on how the South African tourism industry can be better responsive to the needs of West African travellers.”

The statement said the working visit forms part of work towards increasing the number of international tourist arrivals from Africa and the world at large to South Africa, and is particularly important as South Africa’s tourism industry responds to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to double domestic arrivals to over 21million by 2030.

“South Africa is committed to strengthening partnerships and driving collaborations that will help forge a stronger cultural exchange between the people of these two West African countries and the people of South Africa”, the statement affirmed.