Namibia seeks partnership with Nigeria for tourism development

The High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to Nigeria, Ambassador Humphrey Gieseb, has declared his country’s interest to partner with Nigeria in growing the country’s elephant population.

In exploring the global theme of tourism and peace in this year’s World Tourism Day, Eritage Africa in collaboration with Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria, Bayelsa State Chapter, and Azaiki Library, held a four part virtual panel discussions on harnessing the potentials of tourism for peace building, conflict resolution and economic development in the Niger Delta.

Speaking during one of the sessions, Ambassador Humphrey Gieseb, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to Nigeria   explained how Namibia and Nigeria can collaborate when it comes to Elephant Sanctuary.

He stated: “Through concerted efforts, through adopting a dedicated Elephants Protection and Management scheme, we have been able to triple the number of our Elephants from 7,000 to 21,000. “Right now our total number of Elephants is around 24,000. Now if you look at Nigeria, from what I currently know, the total number of Elephants in Nigeria is around 400. We are ready to engage with Nigeria to see how we assist Nigeria.”

Drawing comparison with the Niger Delta, the Co-Convener of the virtual conference, Tamunotonye Pamela, noted that most communities in the Niger Delta, like Yenagoa, are relatively peaceful terrain with huge potential in tourism but unfortunately receive little coverage in the media.

She expressed hope that the conversations at the event will facilitate opportunities to foster collaborative partnerships between government agencies, non-profit organizations, private sector companies, and other stakeholders to drive the development of tourism, especially in the Niger-Delta and Bayelsa State.

Also speaking during the program, Justina Ovat, a hospitality expert in Calabar, said, “for tourism to happen, three fundamental elements must be present, including means of transportation to safely bring people into the area, static elements such as hotels, restaurants, and momentos to provide hospitality and amenities, and a compelling reason for travel.

“The Niger Delta region has all of these elements, the attractions and activities to attract tourists and make their visit worthwhile”.

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