In Johannesburg:
Daniel Musiitwa
Phone: +2711 731 3175
E-mail: [email protected]
IFC to Strengthen Management Education for Tourism Industry in Africa
Johannesburg, November 30, 2007—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’Adminstration 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.
