Hamat Bah, Najib Balala, and Alain St. Ange
By Fatou Touray
When a new book on Africa’s tourism future is released on April 4, Senegal’s Independence Day, one name is expected to resonate deeply with Gambian readers: Hamat Bah.
The book, The Complexity and Complementarity of Tourism, by the Senegalese tourism expert Mouhamed Faouzou DÉME, offers a sweeping examination of the forces shaping the continent’s travel industry. But it is also, in part, a tribute—and Mr. Bah, The Gambia’s former minister of tourism, stands prominently among the honorees.
Mr. DÉME’s central argument is that Africa’s tourism ambitions will succeed only through collaboration rather than competition. Tourism, he writes, is not a stand-alone sector but an ecosystem, linking biodiversity, infrastructure, cultural heritage, and government policy. The concept he calls “complementarity” suggests that neighboring countries must align their strategies, market jointly, and share standards if they hope to unlock the continent’s full potential.
For Gambians, the recognition of Mr. Bah carries particular significance. During his tenure, he championed community-based tourism initiatives and worked to deepen cooperation along the Senegambia corridor, emphasizing the cultural and economic bonds between Banjul and Dakar. Mr. DÉME credits him with advancing a model in which local communities are not spectators to tourism development but direct beneficiaries.
“Their boldness, Pan-African vision, and commitment to sustainable and inclusive tourism have set a standard for the industry,” Mr. DÉME said of Mr. Bah and the book’s two other honorees.
They include Najib Balala of Kenya, widely credited with raising his country’s global tourism profile through marketing campaigns and wildlife conservation efforts, and Alain St. Ange of Seychelles, who contributes the book’s afterword and has long advocated for ecotourism and Pan-African partnerships.
In that afterward, Mr. St. Ange reinforces one of the book’s recurring themes: that nature is not merely scenery but a strategic asset. Protecting biodiversity, he argues, is essential not only for environmental sustainability but also for the long-term economic survival of nations that depend on beaches, wildlife, and cultural landscapes.
Two launch events are planned to underscore the book’s message of unity. The first will take place in Dakar on April 4, coinciding with national independence celebrations. A second event is scheduled for later in April in Banjul, where Mr. Bah will be honored in a ceremony highlighting the shared history and intertwined tourism fortunes of Senegal and The Gambia.
Mr. DÉME, a senior Senegalese government official with more than 30 years of experience in tourism policy, has served as a technical adviser to several ministers and contributed to Senegal’s development blueprint, the Plan for an Emerging Senegal. He currently leads the African Francophone Tourism Council and the National Observatory for Tourism Development in Senegal, advocating regional cooperation and data-driven strategy.
International organizations, including the World Travel Tourism Network and the International Hospitality Institute, have recognized his work.
For Gambians, however, the book’s deeper message may lie closer to home. By placing Mr. Bah at the center of a continental narrative about sustainability and shared growth, Mr. DÉME underscores a larger point: that The Gambia’s tourism story is inseparable from Africa’s broader journey toward unity, resilience, and prosperity.
Comments are closed.