The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), alongside regional development partners, has pledged support for the Tourism Private Sector Confederation of the ECOWAS/CEDEAO region, COPITOUR, to enable it to build stronger structures, institutions, and partnerships towards developing the region’s economy.
   
The partners, which include the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, European Union (EU) and GIZ, also renewed their commitment to collaborating with COPITOUR and the ECOWAS Commission.
   
This comes as FTAN hosted the body for private sector tourism operators in Abuja after it had been comatose for years. FTAN, as well as regional governments, assured collaboration with the body to reposition it as West Africa’s leading voice for private sector tourism.
   
Speaking at the Consultative Meeting on the ECOWAS Framework for the Recognition and Accreditation of Regional Business Associations, FTAN President, Dr Aliyu Badaki, said: “We believe that bringing the tourism private sector together under one regional platform will create new opportunities for collaboration, investment, knowledge sharing and policy alignment.
   
“Tourism remains one of the strongest instruments for economic diversification, job creation, cultural exchange, and regional integration, and together we can unlock its enormous potential.”
   
He further charged the participants “to focus on practical outcomes that will strengthen our institutions, enhance regional partnerships, and position tourism as a key driver of sustainable development within the ECOWAS community.”
   
Responding, the President of COPITOUR, Mr Racine Sy, commended the ECOWAS Commission for its commitment to regional partnerships and development, as well as the GIZ, for what he described as their sustained meaningful “contributions to regional integration and sustainable tourism development.”
   
According to him, the gathering “provides the opportunity to reposition our organisation to effectively play its role as the leading regional tourism private sector body and a pathfinder for tourism development, policy advocacy and regional cooperation within ECOWAS.”
   
Meanwhile, the regional partners urged COPITOUR to be focused on its goals, create institutions and structures that would bring about effective and sustainable development.