KAMANJAB: Thirty tourist guides from the Kunene and Erongo regions on Friday received certificates after completing their on-the-job training programmes at a lodge outside Kamanjab in the Sensfontein Constituency.
The tourist guides include a total of 16 from Ombonde People’s Landscape in the Kunene Region, while 14 are from the Brandberg Landscape conservation areas in Erongo.
Officiating at the event, Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta said tour guide is one of the most important professions in the tourism industry.
He said the training, which covered Levels 1, 2 and 3, was funded by the German Development Cooperation GIZ in cooperation with his Ministry with a primary goal of promoting economic activities based on the sustainable use of biodiversity.
The Namibian government appreciates the continuous cooperation with the German Development Cooperation by enabling the system to capacitate the local tour guides in addition to other value chains supported programmes such as nature-based tourism, crafts, digital value creation, wildlife-based value chains and installations of water infrastructure at some tourism campsites owned by community members.
“These are all assets that have been employed to improve the lives of the local communities and therefore I call on all conservancy committees to support their communities especially school learners, communities with no electricity, boreholes and clinics to spend over 50 per cent of their generated money from concessions and conservation activities,” he said.
He warned conservancies that would fail to channel money generated from tourism activities to expect harsh punishment from his office in 2024.
Several graduates thanked the ministry for the training opportunity and called on the GIZ to assist them again in furthering their certificates to Level 4.
The training was conducted by Ongula Homestead Skills and Technical Education Academic vocational training.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency