Abuja to Host CAF Ministers’ Meeting Amid Crisis

By Our Reporter

Abuja, Nigeria’s capital is set to play host to the 47th meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Commission for Africa (CAF) summit, a regional meeting for African Tourism Ministers holding in Abuja between May 13 and 16, 2008.

The summit with the theme; “How Marketing Techniques Can Contribute To Enhance African Destinations” is to be attended by all 54 African countries and territories that are affiliate members of the UNWTO.

Despite the magnitude of the summit, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation seems not to be planning to gain any benefit from the gathering of the tourism ministers, especially few days to the summit with the ministry officials crying that the government has not releases any money to body.

In view of this apprehension, tourism stakeholders are worried that the reasons for hosting the event in the first place may be defeated bearing in mind that in 2006; a UNWTO Tourism Communication Seminar was cancelled at the very last minutes and shifted to Mali.

According to Ousmane Ndiaye, Africa’s representative to UNWTO in a telephone conversation with www.travelafricanews.com, apart from him and resource persons coming for the Abuja seminar, the body’s Deputy Secretary General Taleb Rafai will represent the secretary general,  Francisco Frangialli at the Abuja gathering.

On the possibility of honouring Late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, the Nigerian and former Director General of the Nigeria Tourist Association (NTA), now the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), government apex tourism agency that muted the idea of World Tourism Day (WTD), Ndiaye said the issue will be discussed in Abuja to ascertain how, when and where to honour this distinguished African.

Meanwhile, all seems not to be well with the ministry as sources in the ministry told www.travelafricanews.com that many staff frowns at the leadership style of the minister, Prince Kayode Adetokunbo who they said is not interested in taking the ministry beyond where he met it.

Apart from the ministry’s crisis, the tourism private sector umbrella body, Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) is also on the edge with reports of the body falling apart.