Tourism in Africa: Harnessing Tourism for Growth and

This more than any other time is the moment for pursuing tourism as a dynamic development option in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although Africa was badly hit by the global crisis, the continent avoided an even worse growth shortfall in 2009, thanks to prudent macroeconomic policies by governments and financial support from multilateral agencies, and rebounded in 2010. Africa’s private sector is increasingly attracting investment from the United States and Europe, with China, India and others also investing heavily in the region. Private capital flows are higher than official development assistance and foreign direct investment is higher than in India. Returns to investment in Africa are among the highest in the world. The public sector has set the conditions for the exponential growth of information and communications technology (ICT), which could also help to transform the continent. With incomes rising, SSA countries ’ poverty rate declined from 59 % in 1995 to 50 % in 2005. Given this scenario, the World Bank concludes that SSA could be on the cusp of an economic takeoff