AYV News, July 26, 2024
The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs alongside its agencies (National Tourist Board & Monument and Relics Commission) with support from the World Bank Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Project (SLEDP) held a validation workshop on the formulation of a Wildlife Tourism Policy and Business Development Plan.
The Workshop aimed at ensuring nationwide inputs and comments from relevant stakeholders in order to gain national acceptance and collective implementation.
The rationale for this endeavor was to matchup with global trend of diverting resources into the promotion of eco- and wildlife tourism that give considerations for the betterment of present and future generations. It was against this backdrop that the services of Solimar International Consultancy was sought to develop the Wildlife Tourism Policy and Business Plan for National Parks. The consultants together with the technical team of the Ministry embarked on sites visitation and stakeholder engagements to get first-hand knowledge on the conditions of the sites and the perception of the stakeholders.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the event who also doubles as the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry, Sahr Phillip Morsay intimated that Wildlife Tourism is of utmost priority of the Ministry particularly resonating with President Bio’s desire to replicate Kenya’s model of wildlife to that of Sierra Leone.
Explaining the purpose of the workshop, the Director of Tourism, Travel and Exchange, Mohamed Jalloh mentioned that the process started in 2019 between Sierra Leone and Kenya that resulted in high-level exchanges and study tour of Kenya’s Wildlife management and the subsequent assessment and feasibility study of Sierra Leone’s wildlife potentials by Kenya’s Wildlife experts who confirmed that Sierra Leone has what it takes to implement wildlife tourism.
He stated that the sector stands to benefit a lot as there are many opportunities and economic incentives for countries that embark on the implementation of wildlife tourism.
The Founder of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Bala Amarasekaran premised his statement on the need to implement the laws on wildlife by taking punitive measures against defaulters. President of the Hotel Association, Johnny Shallop lauded the workshop saying that it will be the biggest game changer in the industry if implemented the right way.
In her Keynote address, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Khadijatu Grace Ahene Kamara stated that government placed high priority on Tourism and Culture, hence the sector is poised to diversify its products through the development of sustainable plans and policies like the Wildlife Tourism Policy and Business Plan that they together with key MDA’s and the private sector were gathered to discuss and validate. She mentioned that wildlife tourism has accounted for about 20%-40% of the entire tourism industry and is a key component for tourism market products. She maintained that it is her expectation to have a Wildlife Tourism Policy and Business Plan that is tenable, applicable and profitable to the people of Sierra Leone and potential tourists. She called on representatives from MDA’s and the private sector to be part of the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the document.
The Lead consultant, Mathew Humke did a thorough PowerPoint presentation of both the Wildlife Tourism Policy and the Business Development Plan. Interactive question and answer session between the participants and the consultant pertaining both documents climaxed the occasion.
