As part of his commitment to social, fair and sustainable tourism in Africa, Inocent Nayang Toukam, President of Batoufam Culture et Tourisme (BCT) and President of the Africa section of the International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO), carried out a strategic mission in Bamako on 10 and 11 April 2025.
This visit is part of a drive to strengthen regional cooperation and promote social, solidarity-based and sustainable tourism. Mali, a pioneer of social tourism on the African continent, in 2004 hosted the very first African chapter of the organisation. Today it has several member organisations involved in consolidating the social sustainability of tourism in West Africa.
In a regional context in search of inclusive and resilient solutions, the aim of this mission was to strengthen cooperation between ISTO Africa and African public authorities, and to encourage their commitment to social, solidarity-based and sustainable tourism.
President Nayang Toukam was received by Mali's Minister of Crafts, Culture, the Hotel Industry and Tourism, Mamou Daffé, assisted by two of his advisers. During the meeting, the President of ISTO Africa presented the orientations of the recently established Africa Coordination Committee. This committee, made up of member organisations from Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau, is working to raise awareness among African public authorities of the benefits of social, solidarity-based and sustainable tourism, and to encourage their support, as well as that of the national tourism promotion bodies under their supervision.
In a bid to dialogue and strengthen links with national stakeholders, a working dinner was organised by the President of ISTO's African section. The meeting was attended by the members of the delegation formed locally by Mr Motié Dara (President of the Malian Network for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism - REMATOURD), and:
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- Mariko Bintou Sidibé, Director of PROMO-ART Culture and Tourism and Vice-President of REMATOURD,
- Mohamed Lamine Maïga, President of the Association pour la Paix, la Culture et le Développement Durable (APCD), and REMATOURD organising secretary,
- Lassana Coulibaly, President of the Festival Interculturel de Kénédougou, and active member of REMATOURD.
During this dinner, four African authorities were also invited, who were also in Bamako to support the cause of protecting women and families: Queen Adjignon Natabou (Benin), Naba Diebado (Burkina Faso), Sultan Kane Mansour (Niger) and Sultan Moussa Bezo (Chad).
The fruitful discussions highlighted the fundamental role of social, solidarity-based and sustainable tourism as a vehicle for cohesion, development and peace. The guests shared their respective experiences of social and cultural sustainability in their respective regions.
At the end of the evening, President Nayang Toukam officially entrusted the four traditional authorities with the mission of acting as ISTO Africa Ambassadors in their respective countries. They accepted enthusiastically and pledged to join and actively promote the social sustainability of tourism and ISTO.
