I have been articulating the importance of specific sectoral policies which we need to adopt in order to create an inclusive economy where youths are key drivers of future growth. Any country which marginalises its youth will not grow to its full potential. Rwanda’s youths (18 to 35 years) make up 65 per cent of the population and this future force cannot be ignored but must be treated as a competitive advantage. Last week I spoke about youth in agriculture, and this week, I want to share my ideas on how we can expedite youth participation in the tourism sector. Tourism continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic sectors of Africa’s economy with the potential to create jobs, boost inclusive economic growth across the continent, and reduce poverty. It is said that most investors are tourists first, so it is critical for the country's foreign investment drive to attract tourists to the country who have a positive experience while there. The potential of tourism of any country can be unlocked through a comprehensive and holistic approach and ordinary citizens need to appreciate and experience its benefits so that they too can promote the image of the country whenever they may get the opportunity to do so. Rwanda’s National Institute of Statistics (NISR), recently announced economic growth for 2022 at 8.2 per cent. According to the NISR, the sources of this growth were services, which grew by 47 per cent, agriculture by 25 per cent and industry, which grew by 20 per cent. A further drill down shows that in the services sector, hotel and restaurant services increased by 87 per cent, transportation activities increased by 22 per cent, technology and communication services by 20 percent, education by 17 per cent, and tourism and retail by 14 per cent. The direct and indirect socio economic linkages and benefits of tourism cannot be debated. Much effort continues to be put into this sector (Visit Rwanda) and there is no doubt that the efforts are producing intended results. It is very important to ensure that whatever growth is experienced has a positive social impact to the benefit of citizens. A focus on the development of young people as a major force in the development of sustainable tourism is essential and this can only benefit the economic, social, cultural and environmental progress. What will be key, is the attitude of the local youths towards participating in a sustainable tourism value chain and the support they are given. Added to this, the participation of local communities in the tourism value chain is also critical in order to broaden sustainable incomes especially in rural areas where there are normally underutilised tourism assets. It is a fact that tourism is a labour intensive industry, requiring both skilled and unskilled labour. Besides direct contributions to employment, the industry also has a positive impact on livelihoods of local communities in tourism destinations. In recent years, studies have shown a growing trend in the expansion of the benefits of tourism beyond the confines of traditional tourist attraction sites to local communities. Youth can therefore be the beneficiaries of a targeted youth in tourism policy which seeks to involve youth at all levels of the sector. According to the African Development Bank, youth unemployment and underemployment constitute central challenges to Africa’s development. If youth unemployment rates remain unchanged in Africa, nearly 50% of youth – excluding students – will be unemployed, discouraged, or economically inactive by 2025. This poses a serious danger for Africa. The typical barriers to entry for youths in this sector need to be removed and among others, they typically include: Domination of the sector by established international brands which at times may crowd out local participants; Lack of access to information by youth on the opportunities available in the tourism sector; Lack of skills by youth due to lack of training facilities and affordable access by youth; Low investment in the tourism sector therefore limiting opportunity space for youth involvement; No access to existing tourist assets for youth; and Lack of tailor made funding to ensure that youth can access and exploit new opportunities in the sector. In my opinion, it is critical that tourism sector strategy deals with the following issues when it comes to youth inclusion; Facilitate the access of youth to government loan facilities in the tourism sector. This can be achieved through facilitating the access of youth to government facilities targeting tourism and monitoring and assisting in effective implementation of projects accessed by youths under the facilities; Enable youth to access information on the sector and opportunities and create awareness. This can involve creating youth in tourism networks and utilise effective media channels which are readily accessible to youth and ensuring that youth attend tourism workshops/ events/functions; Entrepreneurship development of youth and investment promotion in the tourism sector. Establish youth tourism entrepreneurship development and training hubs, support tourism workshops attended by youths. Include tourism skills training in youth entrepreneurship incubators, facilitate access to scholarships/bursaries for tourism training for youths and encourage investors in the sector to include youth; Increase training and development opportunities for youth in the sector including linking tourism training colleges with tourism companies. This includes youth internships in operating tourism assets or establishments; Ensure access to funding for youths who seek to enter the tourism sector and deliberately invest in youth led tourist businesses projects or ventures; Promote local tourism by youth groups to create awareness of opportunities within the sector; and Include youth owned companies in the tourism value chain and provide business opportunities for them. We just have to have a youth agenda in everything we do in order to create an inclusive developmental momentum. In my opinion, each province must have a youth empowerment plan for each and every sector and progress needs to be regularly monitored. Rwanda must fully utilise its youth dividend and this requires out of the box thinking so that we do not make the mistake of ignoring this significant human capital. Indeed there are currently many initiatives around youths and it is our duty to create the space for them so that they may achieve their aspirations and ambitions to the benefit of the economy. Vince Musewe is an economist.
