Ahead of Hosting Women in Tourism Regional Congress… MTCA Holds Inter-MDA Dialogue
In readiness for the Women in Tourism Leadership African Congress (WiTLAC) to be hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with UN Tourism, the Ministry has in a meeting engaged key Ministries, department and Agencies (MDAs) and stakeholders on their roles and responsibilities towards the inaugural hosting of the Regional Women in Tourism Congress in Freetown. The event will run from 29th-31st October, 2024 at the Freetown International Conference Centre.
Articulating the purpose of the meeting, Director of Tourism, Travel and Exchange Programme, Mohamed Jalloh explained that the task of hosting a Regional Congress is huge but with the support of MDAs and Tourism Stakeholders the event will be a success. He stated that the tourism sector placed premium on women as the driving force for sustainable development.
The event which he said will be the first in Africa will gather seventeen (17) African women Ministers of Tourism as well as prominent women in tourism regionally and internationally under the auspices of Minister Nabeela Farida Tunis as the Chairperson for WiTLAC. He furthered that the high-point of the Congress will be taking of concrete actions to advance women issues at the end of the high-level deliberations, noting that the event will give leverage to local women entrepreneurs to showcase their products, signifying the commitment to move women beyond empowerment by providing them access to resources and the needed support to elevate their status.
In her remarks, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Khadijatu Grace Kamara appreciated the MDAs and Stakeholders for attending the meeting saying that they are expecting the best collaboration and commitment for the successful hosting of the event. She intimated that the event will not only be limited to deliberations but also around practical activities of tourism and culture for which the Ministry has already identified sixteen designers that will be representing the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone in showcasing what the country has in terms of fashion and fabrics. The Sierra Leone Chef Association coupled with International Sierra Leonean Chef, Maria Bradford will be part of the event. She maintained that the gathering will also encompasses brainstorming sessions on addressing women issues and fun filled activities.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Secretary, Sahr Phillip Morsay. Valuable submissions, suggestions and comments were made by representatives of MDAs present, underscoring their commitments to the success of the events.
