Ways In Which Poverty Can Alleviate Poverty In Africa
There are a whole host of reasons why Africa is the poorest continent on earth. The finger cannot be pointed in one direction but in several. Although the African continent is almost one of the wealthiest in terms of minerals, corruption ensures only a select few people profit. This is perhaps one of the most prevalent reasons why Africa is so poor but there are other important factors to be considered including droughts, famine and war. Although there is very little that can be done about the weather, this in an underlying factor in most of the continents problems. Regions in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia have had a torrid time this year due to the drought that has hit these regions. In many cases the lack of rain resorts in people killing one another and stealing each other’s livestock just to put some food on the table.
Although the growth of African tourism has both its positives and negatives, on the whole the situation in nations such as Kenya and Tanzania look a lot more fruitful than they did perhaps 30 years ago. Tourism in Kenya is big bucks and it accounts for around 60% of the country’s total GDP. National Parks in Tanzania such as Tarangire and the Serengeti are known throughout the world due to the advancements in technology. Tanzania is really pushing these regions as their number one earner, and with more people visiting the country that inevitably creates more jobs. Many of these high density tourist areas are in the middle of nowhere, far from the nearest towns and cities so many lodges and camps in these remote regions have trained up and employed local villagers as guides and as staff within the resorts. Chumbe Island is an example of this. Who knows the region better than the local people who in some cases have lived there for generations? Employing local people in somewhere like the Sasakwa Lodge or the Serena hotel chain not only changes the lives of the local people but also brings them above the poverty line. Full time employment for one member of a village family can be enough to send the families children to school. From there the prosperity of the people living in the village increases as they have working men and women who have children in full time education.
Tourism is not just helping people in remote areas of Africa but it’s also bringing in money to the cities and towns in Africa creating new jobs for many people including tour guide positions, mountain climbers and taxi drivers. In Africa if you don’t have an education there is very little you are able to do with your life but with this new influx of money comes a new lease of life for the people living here. The more tourists that visit the country increases the chances of more international development and with that comes more local jobs.
Tourism isn’t going to completely eradicate poverty but it will help some of the people who are currently below the bread line… you have to start somewhere.
