IFC to Strengthen Management Education for Tourism Industry in Africa

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has joined forces with African business schools to support the development of high-quality education for managing tourism in the region.

The Tourism Training Network draws on the expertise of leading faculty from the George Washington University in the United States, the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and other world-class tourism programs. It will help increase the capacity of African business schools in designing and delivering executive education programs that target private sector and public sector managers.

Sam Nganga, IFC Operations Officer, said, “Strengthening tourism education in Africa will increase the pool of competent managers that can catalyze the development of the sector, boost economic growth, and create jobs.”

Don Hawkins, Professor of Tourism Policy at the George Washington University, said, “Delivering quality management education in tourism is vital to unlocking its potential as a strategic growth sector in Africa. Through the new network, we can facilitate a shared vision and harness the collective knowledge and expertise of Africa’s top institutions.”

As part of the first phase of the program, faculty from five African business schools in Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal recently completed an intensive course development session at the University of Pretoria, under the guidance of Professor Hawkins and Professor Ernie Heath (University of Pretoria). The participating schools committed to launch executive education programs in tourism by July 2008. They include the School of Finance and Banking (Rwanda), Strathmore University (Kenya), Institut Superieur de Management (Senegal), Instituto Superior Politecnico e Universitario (Mozambique), and Institut National des Sciences Comptables et de l’Administration d’Entreprises (Madagascar).

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through loan participations and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.