Kenya’s tourism revenue exceeds USD 1 billion in the first half of 2023. Experts are issuing a new red alert on growing food insecurity in East Africa due in part to violent conflict and the global economic environment. They call on the leaders of member countries to action.
Tourism revenue in Kenya exceeds USD 1 billion in the first half of 2023.
The tourism sector is benefiting from the ongoing global recovery. Data from the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) shows the sector recorded $1.06 billion in the past six months, up from $807.79 million in 2022. Visitor arrivals fell from 642,861 to 847,810 tourists. This represents an increase of 32%.
As a reminder, air transport and tourism have been among the sectors hard hit by Covid-19 and are expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
“The tourism sector in Kenya has seen a remarkable increase in international arrivals. This has had a positive effect on the country’s tourist receipts “, report our colleagues from the newspaper The East African.
New red alert on the food crisis in East Africa
From Arusha in Tanzania, agricultural experts and their partners have issued a new red alert on food insecurity in East Africa, widely blamed on climate change. They call for urgent interventions to deal with the crisis which now affects 63% of the population of the sub-region. ” The impact of climate change is visible throughout the region. We need to address the underlying causes “, warned Jean Baptiste Havugimana, director of the productive sector at the secretariat of the East African Community (EAC).
This expert quoted by The Citizen fears that there will not be enough rain in the coming season. He took advantage of the visit of the cyclists to the headquarters of the organization to call on the governments and other stakeholders of the EAC Partner States to address the underlying causes of the crisis. “In East Africa, climate change is having devastating effects on food security, leading to crop failures and livestock losses,” said Max Middeke, GIZ Program Manager. He implored regional leaders to act quickly to help manage the adverse effects of climate change “and reduce the threat of food insecurity”. In the EAC, Mr. Middeke continued, the situation has reached a point where livelihoods have been threatened due to the severity of the impacts of climate change. Apart from climatic adversity, other reasons associated with growing food insecurity in East Africa include violent conflict and the global economic environment.
The East African Business Council (EABC), in its report released last month, said the factor of climate change cannot be overlooked as it has led to droughts and lower soil fertility.
Findings from the Eastern and Southern Africa Smallholders Forum (Esaff) reveal that natural disasters and conflict are among the factors driving the food crisis in the region this year. Conflict-torn DR Congo (DRC) leads the pack with an estimated 25 million people facing food shortages. South Sudan, which has not fully recovered from years of civil war, has 7.7 million people at risk of not having enough food.
These alarming statistics on the impending food crisis in the region were released during a discussion organized by Esaff on food security. The situation was equally alarming in Kenya, the region’s largest economy, which was subjected to a prolonged drought that severely affected agriculture and livestock.
Kinshasa: the special economic zone of Maluku comes into operation
The first tiles and earthenware manufactured by the Saphir company located in the pilot special economic zone of Maluku will soon be delivered to the Kinshasa market. Investors from the Special Economic Zones Agency (AZES) and experts from the DRC’s financial authorities appreciate the quality of the products available during their visit to the site this Friday. “The two parties are finalizing the pricing of these products before they are marketed”
Given that economic operators in the area benefit from tax breaks, the sale of products must not create a form of unfair competition for investors in the sector, we read on the OKAPI radio site.
