UN, SNV to offer €2m EU funded training to 8,000 tourism workers, entrepreneurs in Ghana, others

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has partnered with SNV, the Netherlands Development Organisation to advance tourism training for the informal sector in developing countries including Ghana.

The training, known as High Impact Tourism Training (HITT) is been implemented by the SNV  and funded by the European Union (EU) with €2 million.

Eight thousand tourism workers and entrepreneurs from seven countries including Ghana from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia will receive practical training in tourism to further their technical and management skills and increase their income possibilities, according to the UNWTO.

“The project, counting on funds of €2 million from the European Union, will provide vocational tourism training in Ghana, Benin, Cambodia, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal and Vietnam – countries where tourism is increasingly a leading source of employment and economic growth,” the UN body said in a statement on its website August 22, 2011.

The statement adds that participants will also benefit from links established through the project with the mainstream tourism sector, which will open opportunities for entrepreneurs and workers.

The project will also reduce poverty among the local community.

Since 2004, UNWTO and SNV have been working together to reduce poverty levels through sustainable tourism in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkans.

By Ekow Quandzie