AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina receives accolade of highest honour from the Republic of Niger

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Akinwumi Adesina, has been bestowed with the Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Republic of Niger  by the President of the Republic, Issoufou Mahamadou, during a gala dinner hosted by Nigerien Prime Minister Brigi Rafini at the Gaweye Hotel in Niger’s capital, Niamey.

The award was bestowed on the AfDB President during a two-day official visit to the Sahelian country.

“I am both surprised and very touched by the honor you have given me. I ask you to convey to his Excellency the President of the Republic my deepest thanks,” said the President of the premier African financial institution before an audience of members of the Government, high-ranking accredited ambassadors and diplomatic staff, the Bank’s Executive Director to Niger, Martine Mabiala, and the AfDB Director General for West Africa, Janvier Litse.

The award was in recognition of Adesina's visible and tireless commitment to the rapid economic development of the African continent through the implementation of the Bank's priorities as set out in the High 5s: Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life of the people of Africa.

"These High 5 priorities are in line with Niger's development priorities," said the Nigerien President, after listing them in front of the AfDB President during an audience earlier the same day at the Presidential Palace in Niamey.

"The African Development Bank will continue to finance many other projects in Niger, particularly in agriculture and energy," said Adesina.

Since December 17, 1970, the African Development Bank has been actively involved with Niger in a variety of projects, with a total funding amounting to US $1.4 billion as of August 31, 2017, (nearly 840 billion CFA francs) largely for rural development.

The Bank's active portfolio in Niger comprises 15 projects totaling US $510 million, distributed as follows: 44% in rural development, 20% in transport, 14% in multi-sectoral projects, 12% in water and sanitation, and 10% in the social sector.

AfDB joins international community in supporting sustainable tourism development in Africa

This World Tourism Day, September 27, 2017, the African Development Bank has called for collaborative actions from all stakeholders for sustainable tourism development in Africa. The Bank recognizes that Africa’s tourism and travel industry can serve as an engine of progress for socioeconomic transformation.

The United Nations’ World Tourism Day, with the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism − a Tool for Development’, presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the contribution of sustainable tourism among public and private sector decision-makers and the international community.

In addition to its investments in tourism infrastructure (ports, airports, roads and rail, among others), the AfDB is promoting the creative and cultural industries to diversify the economic base of African countries and attract tourism. 

The Bank has, through various initiatives, given tourism development a new focus.

Through its Fashionomics Africa initiative, the AfDB is supporting the development of creative industries that utilize local products, especially cotton, in Africa. The Bank’s Food Cuisine Africa platform connects key players and newcomers in the food industry in Africa.

Omoyemi Akerele, founder of Lagos Fashion and Design Week, stressed how the fashion industry fuels sustainable tourism.

“Fashion weeks [fashion industry events] generate considerable foot traffic for cities like Lagos, which hosts the annual Lagos Fashion and Design Week. But there needs to be a deliberate attempt on the part of African governments to tap into the potential that fashion has to grow the tourism industry,” Akerele said.

AfDB’s Visa Openness Index measures how open African countries are when it comes to visas by looking at what they ask of citizens from other countries in Africa when they travel.

Visa openness blends with AfDB’s ‘Integrate Africa’ agenda, which seeks to make Africa more open, prosperous and interconnected.

After adopting a visa-on-arrival policy, Rwanda witnessed a 22% annual increase in the number of tourism arrivals for meetings, conferences and events. Many visitors in turn have become investors in the country.

“Of course, visa openness is not the solution to all problems, structural aspects such as the size of the market, infrastructure connectivity, and purchasing power are as important. Visa openness is really a quick-win,” said Jean-Guy Afrika, Principal Policy Expert at the AfDB.

The 2017 Africa Tourism Monitor – an annual research publication by the African Development Bank in collaboration with New York University Africa House and the Africa Travel Association – highlights the importance of developing a sustainable and resilient tourism industry through innovation, entrepreneurship and technology.

The AfDB has for many years highlighted infrastructure development as one of its focal priorities to facilitate accessibility and trade across the continent.

The Bank is also supporting the construction of a new terminal at Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport. The project is expected to make the country a destination of choice with a yearly target of 5 million passengers.

Cross River targets million tourists

The Cross River state government has restated its avowed commitment to attract one million tourist to the state yearly.

Mr Clement Umina ,Managing Director, of Cross River State Tourism Bureau, made this known on Wednesday during the World Tourism Day celebration in Calabar.

Umina said that the Cross River sate is poised to making sure that one million visitors state with view to generating 1.7 billion naira yearly from the tourism sector.

His words: " From our findings ,we know that if a visitor stays in the state for two nights he or she will spend close to 34,000 naira and when this multiplied by one million tourists which is our target we can generate about 34 billion naira and when the five percent is released to the state as me levy we have about 1.7billion naira"

"We want to use this works tourism day celebration to launch the campaign on " No Standard ,No Tourism" whereby tourists who are coming to Cross River will enjoy value for thier money becuase our target is to market a destination that tourists will love to repeatedly visit and also get quality service delivery"

" It is quite unfortunate that we don't have up to 50 hotels and hospitality outfits who are duly licensed but we are determined to make the sector which is the highest employer of labour to become more viable" 

 

Also speaking ,the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism,Eric Anderson said that Cross River state defines tourism.

According to him: "Being a tourism capital of the nation ,the Ayade adminstration has embroided our tourism with the campaign of enterprise as a spirit for development and this has paved way for great tourism innovation"

He said innovations like Calasvegas,Yatch clubwater games,Carnival monrail amongst others are ways to attracts more people to the destination 

His words : "Tourism is an important tool for growth has factored in UN concept of sustainable development; sustainable tourism is therefore an integration of developmental element meaning that it must be responsible and not destructive,this is the path the state is towing" 

"As a government we are determined to adopt appropriate policies that will boost the tourism sector of the state " he stated,he stated.

PROTEA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT STRENGTHENS FOOTPRINT IN NIGERIA

 

 Protea Hotels by Marriott, part of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), today announced the opening of Protea Hotel by Marriott, Owerri Select in South-Eastern Nigeria, a development, which further consolidates its presence in the country.

 

The 90-room hotel, developed by African Capital Alliance, a leading investment firm, and Kunoch Limited, is located in Owerri city, the capital of Imo State. ‎ Imo State is commonly referred to as the “Heartland” and is regarded as the entertainment capital of Eastern Nigeria. The state is also a producer of oil and natural gas and is home to a large number of regional oil and financial services offices.  

 

Commenting on the opening of the hotel, Mr. Volker Heiden, Vice President Protea Hotels by Marriott, Marriott International said: “The opening of Protea Hotel by Marriott, Owerri Select, illustrates our confidence in the potential of Nigeria and is in line with our commitment to grow in strategic secondary cities across the continent. The recent expansion of the city’s airport, will give the city better accessibility, which we are confident will further drive business travel.”

 

Mr. Obiora Nwogugu, Principal and Head of Real Estate at African Capital Alliance added, “This new hotel is an important addition to the hotels we already own in the cities of Lagos and Benin in Nigeria, and Takoradi in Ghana. We are pleased to partner yet again with Protea Hotels by Marriott, which enjoys strong regional brand equity and awareness coupled with the global distribution of Marriott International.”

 

Described as ‘the continent of opportunity for the 21st century’, Africa continues to be an attractive investment proposition for many global corporates including the hotel industry. Marriott International, a leading hotel operator on the continent, currently operates over 140 hotels in 20 countries and is targeting a projected growth by 2022 of over 200 Hotels with more than 36,000 rooms across operating and pipeline hotels.