The UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa continues to deepen its ties with members through the frequent visits of African representatives, visitors and guests to the  UNWTO Headquarters.

Following several years of discussions the government of Somalia expressed its interest to join the organization. H.E. Mr. Abdirahman Omar Osman aka Eng. Yarisow, Minister of Information, Culture & Tourism of the Federal republic of Somalia, undertook a working visit to the UNWTO offices to finalize these discussions and personally extend the interest of his government to the Secretary-General.

The Ambassador of Senegal, H.E. Mr Mamadou Sow, presented his credentials to UNWTO’s Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, accrediting him as Permanent Representative of his country to UNWTO.

One of the main objectives of the UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa is to continuously strengthen the Member relations by inviting African Tourism Ministers to visit the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in view of sharing their priority areas on the tourism sector and update their knowledge on the UNWTO structure and operations, new services and products offered.

At the end of each visit, conclusions and action plans are prepared which serve as tangible collaboration roadmap between UNWTO and the African Member State towards the development of more sustainable tourism in the country.

The UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa encourages all African countries to embrace this initiative that demonstrates strong commitment between our Member states and UNWTO to discover Africa’s infinite potential with its cultural and natural resources in comparison to other regions in attracting valuable tourism.