By Omar Bah
The Economic Community of West African States Ecowas, has commenced a five-day intensive workshop aimed at enhancing the capacity of The Gambia’s tourism stakeholders through the “ECOTOUR 19-29” training programme.
This initiative, held in Banjul from March 17 to 21, 2025, aims to build the capacity of tourism officials and regulators on ECOTOUR 19-29, to be able to identify and work with the visions and strategies that promote Ecowas intra-regional tourism as well as the holistic understanding of policies, standards, practices, and instruments that shape tourism.
It also seeks to equip tourism professionals and policymakers with the tools to implement regional tourism policies effectively.
The programme focuses on enhancing understanding of Ecowas’s legal frameworks governing tourism among member states, facilitating collaboration between tourism officials, immigration experts, and academia to promote sustainable tourism practices, and providing the operationalisation of intra-regional tourism within the region.
The expected outcomes of the workshop are to improve compliance with Ecowas tourism regulations and policies, enhance cooperation among member states in promoting regional tourism, develop strategic partnerships between stakeholders, make recommendations for policy reforms, and implement strategies.
The workshop demonstrates Ecowas’s recognition of the vital role of tourism as a driver of sustainable development, economic growth, and regional integration.
According to Ecowas, the tourism sector contributes significantly to job creation, cultural exchange, and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage across member states.
Tourism is also a crucial driver of growth in The Gambia. According to the Tourism Board, the industry has 42,000 people benefitting from direct employment in the tourism industry and the industry contributes to 20 percent of the country’s GDP.
Addressing the workshop, which attracted tourism officials, private sector stakeholders, immigration experts, and development partners, the director of the Private Sector at the Ecowas Commission, Dr Tony Luka Elumelu, said The Gambia plays a critical role in the region’s tourism sector.
He disclosed that Ecowas has adopted legal instruments to enhance tourism activities in member states.
“Tourism is a global market, and to ensure that member states play their roles effectively, they must adopt programmes to make sure that they harmonise their processes with regional policies in terms of achieving a coherent tourism development in our region,” he said.
Dr Elumelu said Ecowas is pushing the tourism regional policy to be adopted by member states as a guide in terms of the development of tourism.
“It is a critical element in terms of our integration agenda,” he added.
He said it is Ecowas’s thinking that a Five Star Hotel in The Gambia should be of the same standard as a Five Star Hotel in Nigeria or Togo.
“So, this workshop is organised to enhance connectivity and harmonise processes. We will listen and learn from you so that we can make informed choices,” he said.
Dr Elumelu added that the training is replicated in other member states. He urged the participants to approach the training with openness.
“We want to come back in the next three years and find out that millions of youths have been engaged, especially women. We hope that by the time we come back here, many jobs will be created for the youth” he said.
Sheikh Tijan Nyang, Ecowas Tourism Consultant, said building capacity in hotel classification, which is key in any country wishing to develop tourism, requires formulating a guiding policy.
Mr. Nyang, a Gambian, and chair of the THC, which is an Ecowas project meant to build standards in policy formulation, said the Banjul training is meant to ensure that member countries are familiar with the Ecowas tourism policy.
He urged the participants to make sure that they make maximum use of the training.
