Is Africa ready to enjoy a Golden Age in the 21st Century?
In conversation with Peter da Costa - former Senior Communications Advisor for Africa to the UN - and his wife Ciru Mwaura, who between them have many years of experience working in Africa, on the development of tourism throughout the continent.
Africa is a continent that always
seems to hold a special place in
the heart – a continent full of
mystic, breathtaking colour,
natural beauty, a scent of danger
and conflicting socio-cultures.
Africa just oozes drama.Who has
not been excited, at some point in
their lives, by the idea of Africa?
This excitement has often been
generated by its unpredictability
and the predominance of conflict,
but today a belief is growing that
this continent is becoming more
peaceful, better developed and
ready to reap the dividends of
tourism.
More accessible
No one doubts Africa’s potential in terms of its natural attractions; the question marks lie over its political and economic stability. Just as we have marvelled at its natural beauty and endowment of resources,we have also been shocked by its poverty and internal civil unrest.
As flight routes to Europe increase and costs of travel decrease, Africa has become ever more accessible for Europeans for both short and long holidays. It is therefore a natural step for those seeking to expand on easy to reach destinations to see Africa as offering new competition to the popular resort destinations in the Mediterranean, U.S, Caribbean and Dubai.
To be or not to be?
There is a widespread belief that Africa will enjoy a golden age in the 21st Century with the Tourism industry at the heart of their development. But is this belief based on fact and reality? Or is it just an erroneous perception? In the mid to late 1990s, South America was widely touted as the up and coming continent but, for a variety of reasons, it has just not happened. This is not to say that it will not – just that it has not happened in the way that many expected. So will the same be true for Africa? Beyond the few success stories, will Africa’s nations be able to attract global investment, which will be an important factor as these nations seek to develop their infrastructures?
The existing tourism industry in
Africa clearly thrives in pockets – in
the North with Egypt,Morocco and
Tunisia; in the East with Kenya,
Tanzania and Zanzibar; in the West
with Gambia; and in the South with
South Africa. It is worth noting that
in 2004, Kenya enjoyed its best year
for attracting visitors since 1990
with over 668,000 visitors from
Europe alone and with 60%
increases in visitors from Denmark
and Spain and also an increase in
American tourists for the first time
since the bombings of 1998 and
2002.The importance of tourism to
the economy of these countries is
fundamental as has been illustrated
by both the governments of
Tanzania and Zanzibar actively
seeking foreign investment in
developing their tourism Industries.
Understanding the nature of Africa
But which other parts of Africa have the potential to match these and become new destinations of choice?
To try and look into this issue a little deeper, En Passant spoke to a highly talented husband and wife team presently living in London and who truly do understand the nature, character and potential of Africa. Peter da Costa, a Gambian, spent nearly seven years based in Ethiopia as Senior Communication Adviser to the United Nations Under Secretary General at the Economic Commission for Africa, a regional development think-tank. His wife, Ciru, originates from Kenya and also works on development, specialising in conflict and peace building.They are engaging company with a true passion for their home continent and are able to provide a perspective that breaks beneath the superficial – an insight into both the potential and the complexities of developing a tourism industry throughout Africa.
Entrepreneurial
“Africa is so vast, diverse and is full of contradictions, so it’s difficult to categorise and pigeonhole”, notes Peter. “The predominant view is that Africa is a continent of poor people and babies with distended bellies. This portrays Africans as victims, when in reality there is a lot more going on than that.Africans are on the whole dynamic and entrepreneurial – did you know for example that mobile phones are growing in Africa at an unprecedented and exponential rate? This demonstrates what I’ve always believed – that Africans are no different from any other world citizens – they want to be modern and successful and are moving in that direction”.
“Africa is not just one continent – not
just a maze of countries. It has a
population of close to 800m in 53
countries, including North Africa, but
there are strong historical links between
many of the countries.There are more
borders in Africa than in any other
continent. But despite the high transaction cost of doing business this
brings, the continent is developing.
There are pockets of extreme wealth.
The problem is one of inequality. Poverty
is a reality for the masses with only a few
that prosper. As long as the political
systems do not become predictable and
stable, public and social infrastructure
will not improve to the extent that
poverty is effectively alleviated.”
Huge potential
Ciru agrees:“Some of the political structures are anachronisms. We will have to do a bit better if we want to sustain the fragile progress we see in so many of our countries.”
Their passion and enthusiasm for Africa is so clearly evident.Having lived in Ethiopia, they see its huge potential as a tourist destination, and believe that tourism, if properly managed, can help bring prosperity to what is one of the world’s poorest countries.The poverty of Ethiopia is only a part of the story.
“Many people view Ethiopia as being at the heart of Africa,” states Peter.
Ethiopia had a population of 70m. It is unique among African countries in that the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of Italian occupation (1936-41). The result is 3,000 years of almost uninterrupted history with limited outside influence. It possesses unique churches hewn out of rock – some allegedly built in conjunction with the famous Knights Templar. It has also been suggested that Ethiopia is the home of the lost Ark of the Covenant. A British journalist called Graham Hancock who stated that he had found the exact location of the Ark of the Covenant claimed this after extensive research in Africa for The Economist. In his book, The Sign and Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Hancock argues that the ark was removed from Solomon’s temple during the reign of Manasseh, transported to Elephantine Island along the Nile, and was finally placed in the Church of St. Mary Zion in the small town of Axum, Ethiopia, where he believes it exists to this day.
In 1962,The Organisation of African Unity was founded with a mandate to accelerate the decolonization of Africa. Emperor Haile Selassie successfully lobbied for the OAU to be housed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Four years before that, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa was established.As a result, and from a political as well as development perspective, Ethiopia is the home of African macro-politics.There are 90 or so embassies based in Addis Ababa, originally built as a feudal capital but rapidly acquiring the trappings of a modern city.
Economically, Ethiopia has significant
potential, not least for its legendary
coffee – the word ‘coffee’ is said to have
originated from its coffee-growing Kaffa
region, and farmers export large
volumes to western markets. Ethiopian
Airlines is also regarded as one of the
best in Africa.However, Ethiopia is still a
young democracy. A feudal system
several centuries old was overthrown by
Marxists who ran the country from 1973
to 1991. A new constitution was
adopted in 1994 and its first multiparty
elections were held in 1995.This year’s
elections have also not been without
incident.
Lack of opportunity
Politics aside, Ethiopia’s service industries are not yet as service focused as they could be – a hangover of 18 years of Marxist rule that robbed people of incentives.
Aside from the 5-star Addis Sheraton and nearby Hilton, there are few top hotels to speak of. Lack of opportunity is very much in existence and clear for all to see. To place this into perspective, of the population of 70m, 44% are aged fewer than 14 with only 2.7% aged above 65.The median age for a male is 17.65. Compare these figures to Europe and you get a strong sense of a burgeoning young population with few jobs in existence outside the public sector.
Nevertheless, there is hope on the
horizon. “Ethiopia will progress if the
government is stable and also if it can prove that it can attract international
investment for the right reasons.
Historically, outsiders have been
reluctant to invest, as the bureaucracy
has not been investment-friendly. The
economy was very much statecontrolled,
and foreigners still can’t own
property in Ethiopia. But the potential is
vast and there’s also a huge domestic
market to be developed. If the politics
stabilises and remains so, there are few
reasons why Ethiopia should not flourish
and prosper.”
“It does have great tourism features – great churches, great myths, great paintings and close by, next door in Djibouti, there are some fabulous beaches.”
I note that to often the glamorous jewel of Africa is East Africa.
Security Issues
Ciru, who originates from Kenya, took
up on this point; “Ummm … yes and no.
Kenya has a well-developed tourism
industry and it is the second largest
revenue generator. It has beautiful
beaches, safe seas, corals, great climate,
safaris, etc. But it is dominated by the
package holiday and there is a question
as to whether tourism really does
interact with local cultures. One other
problem is that security issues are
growing.”
“Beyond, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar it is still to be truly developed. Uganda has one of the fastest growing economies because the current government is developing a market economy but not everyone believes that the economy is entirely sustainable. A large percentage of the Ugandan budget is externally funded and this negatively affects the incentives to collect internally generated revenues. Uganda may be a victim of its own success as a darling of the international community. Despite all this, the newly resurgent East African community will bring an unprecedented set of trading links between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and promises a major increase in prosperity.”
Peter then moved the focus of
discussion from East Africa to the West. “West Africa may not have the natural
appeal of the East and South, but it will
be interesting to observe. It is closer to
the West. Its countries have calmed
down a lot and are becoming far more
stable. Ghana is a very good example. It
has a thriving family hotel business with
great food, beautiful landscapes and a
good economy. Despite the doomsday
stories we hear every day, Nigeria
should come through. Nigerians are
very industrious people –
entrepreneurial by nature. Nigeria is
potentially the engine of Africa.”
“Senegal, too, is very encouraging and promises much.”They note that Senegal and Morocco have built a joint venture airline business that is flourishing. This is another example of cross border alliances that work to mutual benefit.
“The real problem areas are Central Africa and the Congo. Great beauty, huge market potential, great natural attractions but still some way to go because of conflict and poor governance.”
This twosome clearly enjoy talking about Africa. They also note areas for caution.
Threatened ecosystem
“Tourism needs to be well controlled
and managed,” notes Peter, “ Just look at
Lake Malawi. I remember going there
once; I was young and it was just
stunningly beautiful, full of fish. It was
famed for its beauty. Now it has been
over fished to the extent, immature
stock is being pulled out of the water.
Overall, there are worrying problems of
the sustainability of the ecosystem.
Other countries in the sub region face
their own environmental challenges”
“It is also important that tourism does not encourage negative cultural exchange. There needs to be interaction that benefits everyone equally, while preserving the environment for future generations.”
This is a point also made by the Tanzanian President, Benjamin William Mkapa who stated:“ We have a unique tourism mix. We must keep a correct balance between exploitation and conservation and between economic interests and the social, environmental and cultural impact of human activity in tourism”.
French panache
We had talked about politics, about economics, but how about the cuisine?
“Very varied and potentially a
winning export for Africa. In Frenchspeaking
Africa, the food is a delightful
combination of traditional dishes
presented with French panache.
Portuguese-speaking countries boast a
melange of African and Portuguese, a
bit like Brazilian food. West African food
is growing in popularity in Western
cities. Ethiopian food is an acquired
taste seen as something of a delicacy in
the West, with very rich, spicy stews
eaten with Injera, a local bread made
from teff, a uniquely Ethiopian grain .
As you can imagine, Ethiopians also
love their coffee, and the local coffee
ceremony is quite distinct and
extremely aromatic.”
We have talked for over an hour and a half and this discussion could have gone on for the same length again – it was so easy listening to them talk about the issues. The right ingredients
Their message was clear – that Africa does possess the potential but that political and economic structures need to become stable and that tourism needs to become an integral part of the economic structure that is not too westernised. It will take time. Economically and politically, and in comparison to the many centuries it took for Western countries to develop the institutions and structures to support market economies, Africa is still relatively young. However, they also clearly have more belief in the entrepreneurial nature of the people than they do in the political structures.
“Africa is full of contradictions. While some of the political systems can be characterised as monolithic and domineering, the natural character of many Africans is decidedly entrepreneurial, and millions of people have survived despite the shenanigans of their governments. It is important that the political structures change to allow the people to express themselves and prosper. After all, peace and prosperity are what all we Africans want.”
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