The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and the National Tourist Board (NTB) have commissioned the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 24-bedroom hotel, kitchen and classrooms of the Hotel and Tourism Training Centre (HTTC) at the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology’s Brookfield campus in Freetown.
The commissioning took place on the 14th of May 2021. According to a report from the Ministry of Tourism’s Information Officer the project is being supported by the Sustainable Tourism Development and Promotion Project (STDPP) financed by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Tier 2.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager of the National Tourist Board, Fatmata Kroma said the implementation of the project started on the 20th May, 2012 after the execution and signing of the MoU between the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Government of Sierra Leone. He said the total fund committed was USD2,990,000 for a period of three years to undertake development initiatives proposed by NTB which covers sector governance, product development , marketing and capacity building.
She added that the project almost stalled at some point but that with negotiations by both the Minister of Trade and Industry and the Tourism Ministry, the project was repackaged and approved in February, 2020 at the tune of USD1.5 million.
In his statement, the Principal, MMCET, Dr. Phillip Kanu said that tourism must be at the forefront if the nation should move towards development.
He applauded the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Memunatu Pratt and the Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Professor Alpha T. Wurie for their roles in reviving MMCET.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Edward H. Sandy said that one of the best ways to transform the nation is to strengthen its human capacity in meeting the demands of the labour market, domestically and internationally and noted Sierra Leone’s numerous potentials particularly in the tourism sector that are largely untapped.
Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister, Dr. Pratt in her keynote address said despite the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism and hospitality sector, her Ministry has undertaken many reforms and infrastructural developments with focus on positioning the industry to becoming a powerful catalyst for improving the socio-economic conditions of Sierra Leoneans.
She said that the success and competitiveness of Sierra Leone’s destination highly depends on the competence and quality of her human resource capacity that requires suitable expertise in order to provide the appropriate services for the tourism and hospitality industry, hence the turning of the sod for the construction of the training college was a clear signal of the expected increase in demand for a technical tertiary training college on hospitality management.
She added that the drive to the transform of the sector is based on five pillars; tapping into new markets, developing new products, promoting investments, building new partnerships and strengthening human capital. She said under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio human capital development has been prioritized as the flagship programme aimed at generating a critical sector of highly educated, trained and skilled citizens with the capacity to undertake research and development as well as pursue innovations and learning and start productive Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
She said that the repackaged STDPP prioritizes the HTTC to address several needs.
The Minister applauded the government of President Bio and particularly the former Minister of Finance, Jacob J. Saffa for their roles in ensuring that the STDPP was launched.
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