The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Yunus S Saliu
1 July 2009
The Honourable minister for Basic Education, on Tuesday, on behalf of Honourable Nancy Njie, minister for Tourism and Culture, opened a 2-day first conference jointly organized by the Association for Small Scale for Tourism (ASSET) and the International Ibero-American and Public Policies (FIIAPP), Spain, at the Paradise Suites Hotel, Senegambia.
The theme of the conference is "Gender, sustainable development and sustainable tourism."
The two-day international conference aims to strengthen the regional dimension of the sustainable and supportive tourism network by promoting the mutual exchange of experiences and knowledge of the women. It is also meant to strengthen the gender focus of the initiative by providing information and resources to assist the progress of implementing initiatives promoted by women entrepreneurs in Western Africa.
In her opening remark, Honourable Fatou Lamin Faye, applauded the organizers and welcomed both local and international participants to the Smiling Coast of Africa, and to the sustainable entrepreneurial development specifically targeting the women folk from Senegal, Mali and The Gambia. She said this emphasizes the historical and cultural bounds that exist between the countries. She noted taht "this is more apparent between The Gambia and Senegal whose people share the same languages, dress, food, environmental conditions and attractions."
Talking about conventional tourism, the Honourable Minister for education said here in The Gambia, "Conventional tourism has been going on for more than decades relying mainly on the attractions of sun, sea and sand." She however stressed that though tourist figures have gradually risen over the years, the country's long experience has made it apparent to us that conventional tourism has major weakness, which must be addressed if we are to maximize on the potential benefits of the tourism industry.
Honourable Faye added: "In the search for appropriate solutions, sustainable tourism has presented a viable alternative." She added that the Ministry of Tourism and Culture as the policymaking institution has therefore taken concrete steps to encourage the growth of sustainable tourism practices enshrined in the eco-tourism policy. This is in line with the Tourism Master Plan which is the blueprint for sustainable tourism development in The Gambia.
In addition, the honorable minister for Basic Education thanked the Spanish government and more particuÂlarly the Banustro Cultural Foundation for promoting gender equity, and equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs in West Africa. She finally commended ASSET for taking the lead in this initiative and for being valuable partners in development.
Ida Cham Njie, the chairperson of ASSET, The Gambia, highlighted the activities of ASSET since its inception in April 2000. She said ASSET aimes to assist and support small-scale enterprises in tourism to trade fairly and pursue sustainable development which contributes to the conservation of the physical environment and the socio-economic welfare of the communities in The Gambia.
According to her, ASSET believes in partnership with relevant organisations that will add value to the business and the welfare of their members. As this is one of the reasons ASSET has been working with Banesto Cultural Foundation in the areas of promotion and networking. This is with the view to promote The Gambia as a responsible tourism destination in Europe and Spain in particular.
Ida Cham Njie revealed that a group of volunteers from Spain will arrive in The Gambia to work with ASSET to do an assessment of the existing itinerary as well as make recommendations for new ones. "This, we believe, will complement the efforts of the GTA in promoting The Gambia as a renowned tourism destination." She further thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Culture together with the GTA for their unflinching support.
Ambassador Javier Benosa, charge d'affaires of the Spanish Embassy, The Gambia, congratulated the organizers for their positive efforts. He said sustainability and women's empowerment are two key elements in the cooperation policy of his country. He said in their national planning on cooperation, three lines were identified to be in the Banesto Cultural Foundation Project. They are climate change; human rights and gender policy. "We believe that women have a key role to play in the development of Africa and its economy. There will be no possible development without the recognition of their role and influence," Ambassador Javier noted. He then added that there is a need to promote their (women's) initiatives.
The ambassador therefore encouraged the participants to brainstorm and contribute to the consolidation of the approach for the future of this sector in The Gambia and the sub-region.
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