Namibian President Hage Geingob was in the US last week to attend the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. While in the States, he addressed the Africa Policy Forum at GW's Elliott School of International Relations, where he posed for a photo with Master's of Tourism student Martha Mulokoshi. In addition to her studies, Martha is contributing to a variety of sustainable tourism projects for the International Institute of Tourism Studies. After graduating in May, she plans to return to her native country to support its laudable efforts to advancing environmentally, economically and socially responsible tourism. “I look forward to working with the Ministry of Tourism and with the National Tourism Board to contribute positively to socio economic development and to help Namibia grow as a destination for tourism, employment and investment.”
Namibia is a global success story that for nearly twenty years has been taking significant steps to protect its cultural and natural heritage through well-planned conservation. In fact Namibia is one of the only countries in the world to cite habitat and natural resource protection in its constitution. In 1996, the government gave communities the authority to create their own conservancies, allowing them to benefit from conservation. Today, nearly 190,000 people in 82 conservancies responsibly manage their natural and cultural resources. As a result, lions, cheetahs, black rhinos, zebras and other native wildlife populations have been restored and communities are deriving significant income from the steadily increasing numbers of visitors drawn to the country's natural and cultural wealth.
