Tourism is an important facet of socio-economic development in Africa. In a world where tourist arrivals are approaching one billion, the region can do much better than fifty million arrivals each year. In a statement delivered by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete about a year ago, he put forward the view that, as abundant as East Africa’s natural beauty and attractions might be, the region would not enjoy the full benefits of tourism without hand skilled labor to exploit these resources. This view is well founded given that tourism is one of the sectors in Africa where unskilled and semi-skilled workers abound. The number of low-skilled people is huge and includes hotel workers in the hospitality industry, guides and drivers in the transport sector, employees in casinos, artists, craftsmen and a host of other jobs that are critical in the tourism industry, but that they can contribute much more to the sector if they are complemented with qualified personnel.

The problem of skilled labor in the tourism industry is not unique to any country in Africa, but is repeated in most sub-Saharan African countries and is exacerbated by the emigration of skilled personnel to Western countries. In South Africa, for example, close to half a million skilled people immigrated between 1989 and 2003. This would have been a valuable source to tap into for skilled labor development in the tourism sector. Furthermore, research in the past has shown evidence that skilled labor increases job opportunities for the semi-skilled.

It is vitally important that African countries reassess their talent pool in tourism. Highly skilled chefs and cooks are needed in emerging five-star establishments, pilots are crucial in transporting visitors to accommodations and attractions in remote parts of a country, travel advisors are essential in marketing the best niche products, corporate managers and financial workers are indispensable in hotels etc. If African countries do not develop their human resource base in these and many other critical areas in tourism, the enormous potential of the sector will remain untapped and the industry will continue to lose large sums of money to foreign companies that have the capital and staff. . In essence, therefore, infrastructure development alone is not enough. Every country should feel compelled to upskill its workforce to levels that offer service second to none compared to the best destinations in the world. If a city like New York can handle forty-seven million tourists each year, Africa as a continent is capable of receiving many more.