UN Tourism has announced a major step forward in its work to grow education and skills development in Africa with the establishment of the first collaborative Academies in the region.

With African tourism experiencing significant growth, there is now an urgent need to train a wide range of skilled professionals, all equipped with the skills modern tourism businesses need.

Reflecting this demand, UN Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Tourism of Zambia to establish the ZITHS Mukuni International Academy for Tourism and Hospitality in collaboration with UN Tourism. 

The Academy will offer a range of courses, all focused on equipping students both new to the sector and establish tourism workers the skills they need to find work or advance in their careers.

Africa’s tourism sector is growing and diversifying at a tremendous rate

Laying the foundation stone in Livingstone, Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “Africa’s tourism sector is growing and diversifying at a tremendous rate. These new Academies in Collaboration with UN Tourism will help train the tourism workers of tomorrow in a range of specialisms, giving African tourism the talent it needs to thrive.” 

Joining the Secretary-General in signing the agreement, the Minister of Tourism of Zambia, Rodney M. Sikumba, said: “ through the adoption of the UN Tourism Education Guidelines, Zambia has been able to reposition the role of education in tourism development. The establishment of the Academy is a game changer of how we will bridge the evident skills gap for the existing and future workforce of our tourism sector.” 

Culinary Arts Academy planned for Zimbabwe  

UN Tourism has also agreed to establish the Africa International Tourism Academy for Culinary Arts in collaboration with UN Tourism. The specialist centre will be hosted in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and focus on training skilled professionals in culinary arts both within the country and right across Africa. The announcement coincides with the celebration of the first UN Tourism Gastronomy Tourism Forum for Africa, an event showcasing the region’s diverse gastronomy and set to bring together leading players from the public and private sectors.

Zimbabwe’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said: “We are excited to be working closely with UN Tourism to grow gastronomy tourism in our country and across the wider region. The new Academy in Collaboration with UN Tourism signals our shared commitment to empowering tourism workers within the field of culinary arts, putting Zimbabwe firmly on the global gastronomy map.”