By Theresa Kef Sesay
A high-powered delegation from Kenya is expected next week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs aimed at diversifying and managing Sierra Leone’s wildlife portfolio in order to attract more tourists to the country.
This new development came in the wake of a visit paid by the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and it’s agencies including the National Tourist Board (NTB), Monument and Lyrics Commission with Office of National Security (ONS) and National Protected Area Authority (NPAA) to Kenya,
It could be recalled that President Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio on assuming power made a manifesto commitment to diversify the country’s tourist industry, using the quickest means to make Sierra Leone a potential hub for tourism and investment development in Africa – for which he visited Kenya last year and was highly impressed with what he saw.
Last week, after a trade fair trip to Madrid, the Tourism Minister Dr. Memunatu Pratt and various Ministry officials subsequently paid a weeklong visit to Kenya.
The initiative was borne out of President Bio’s desire for the country to have its own wildlife Safari by relocating exotic wildlife species from Kenya to Sierra Leone.
The Minister and team’s study tour was aimed at learning from the Kenya experience in wildlife tourism and sanctuary management.
The team viewed presentations on wildlife conservation and management, challenges and mitigation, development and management, community conservation, wildlife population trends and stakeholders’ involvement in conservation. The team also visited national parks in Kenya.
At the Nairobi National Park, the delegation was shown different species of animals in captivity and free ranging and how they are effectively managed for touristic purposes.
During their trip, the Kenyan delegation is expected to visit proposed sites for wildlife sanctuaries that are suitable for the animals that will be brought from Kenya to Sierra Leone.
Kenya is known internationally for its abundance of elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, lions, zebras, wildebeests, baboons and giraffes. Kenya is one of the top countries animal lovers visit bringing in hundreds of millions of US Dollars as well as creating jobs and many other opportunities for local businesses and individuals.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya’s tourism share of GDP in 2019 was 8.8 9%. This, according to the World Bank, amounted to USD1.762 Billion.
