The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Didier Drogba Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide economic opportunities for women and youths in Africa through tourism and sports.

The MoU, signed in Ivory Coast, recognises that sports and tourism can play a key role in advancing many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a UNWTO statement.

Tourism has become vital to several African economies. In 2019, the industry accounted for about seven percent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and contributed $169 billion to its economy, according to a report by the International Finance Corporation.

In another report, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) noted that Africa’s travel and tourism sector employed more than 24 million people in 2019.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions in 2020, top tourist destinations like the Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, Morocco and South Africa suffered huge economic losses.

In July 2020, the African Union estimated that Africa lost nearly $55 billion in travel and tourism revenues and two million jobs in only the first three months of the pandemic.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also posited that real GDP among African countries dependent on tourism shrunk by 12 percent in 2020.

‘Didier Drogba is one of the most celebrated and decorated athletes of this century, and the work of the Didier Drogba Foundation is true to the goals of UNWTO – to provide opportunity to the women and youths of Africa and build a better future for the continent’, the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, said.

The partnership is expected to increase value for tourism and sports in Africa.

Source: UNWTO

Photo source: UN\WTO