Memorandum submitted by International
Institute for Environment and Development
"To what extent does DFID's Country Assistance
Plan identify accurately the challenges which Kenya faces, and
outline appropriate strategies to help Kenya make faster progress
towards the MDGs?"
These comments refer specifically to tourism
and biodiversity.
TOURISM
One of the key objectives of the Kenya CAP is
"To promote sustainable economic growth which benefits poor
people". Given this objective, it is quite surprising that
DFID fails to mention tourism as a significant potential source
of pro-poor growth[16]—even
though this is mentioned as a key element of the Kenyan Government's
Economic Recovery Strategy.
Kenya is one of the most popular tourism destinations
in Africa and tourism is a key foreign exchange earner for the
country. In 1999 (latest available data) the tourism economy (the
tourism industry plus linked economic activities) accounted for
nearly 10% of Kenya's GDP and nearly 30% of its export earnings.
However, the current national tourism policy does not recognise
poverty reduction as a key objective, rather it is geared towards
wildlife conservation, personnel training, marketing and promotion.
The PRSP notes tourism as a promising sector for economic growth
but does not pick up on its pro-poor potential that could make
a huge contribution to achieving the MDGs.
Tourism's potential contribution to pro-poor
growth rests on a number of factors (see DFID-funded research
at www.propoortourism.org.uk for more detail):
— Tourism delivers consumers to the
product rather than the other way round. This opens up huge opportunities
for development of SMEs, local access to international consumers,
markets for other goods and services (compatible with para E8
of the CAP).
— Tourism has considerable potential
for linkage with other economic sectors—particularly agriculture
and fisheries. Realising these linkages will increase the proportion
of tourism revenue retained in the host country (para B10).
— Tourism provides opportunities for
off-farm diversification.
— Tourism provides relatively labour-intensive
opportunities.
— Tourism employs a relatively high
proportion of women and can contribute to gender equality (para
C6).
— Tourism products can be built on,
and help to preserve, natural resources and culture. These are
assets that some of the poor have, even though they may lack financial
assets, and whose protection can serve as a safety net for some
of the poorest (compatible with paras C6, E9).
The CAP notes that it will work with the government
in a limited number of areas which have a high potential to impact
on poverty (para E9). We suggest that tourism is one of these
areas. In particular this would require efforts by DFID to support
increased local participation in the industry. Although this has
been a long stated goal of the government, policy on foreign investment
and control has worked to the disadvantage of local entrepreneurs.
Attempts to increase domestic investment have often been crippled
by state interferences. Local ownership, even of low technology
and low capital outlay enterprises such as curio and souvenir
businesses once dominated by indigenous Kenyans, has now been
overtaken by Asian entrepreneurs. Overall, a focus on pro-poor
approaches to tourism development in Kenya could significantly
contribute to MDGs 1, 3 and 7.
BIODIVERSITY
The CAP also fails to highlight the importance
of biodiversity—although again alluding to this rather vaguely
under the umbrella of natural resources. Like much of sub-Saharan
Africa, Kenya has a comparative advantage in its biodiversity
resources and is also largely dependent upon them for its social
and economic development. Biodiversity conservation can underpin
the achievement of many of the MDGs:
— Income poverty (MDG 1): Wildlife
can provide opportunities for jobs, small and micro enterprise,
and payments for environmental services—eg through wildlife
based tourism, wildlife trade, conservation services.
— Hunger (MDG 1): Biodiversity underpins
food security, and FAO has emphasised that there are close causal
linkages between reducing hunger and the sustainable management
of natural resources and ecosystems. Numerous studies have noted
the importance of wild food products, particularly to the poor,
for whom securing access to such resources is important for sustaining
their livelihoods.
— Health (MDGs 4, 5 and 6): Biodiversity
provides the base for health care provision world wide. The majority
of the world's modern drugs have their origin in natural products.
Many people rely on wild resources for traditional medicines—WHO
estimate that up to 80% of the world population is dependent on
these medicines. This is particularly true of the poorest people
who can't afford modern drugs and/or don't have access to clinics
and doctors.
— Water supply (MDG 7): It is urban
as well as rural populations that are dependent on the goods and
services that biodiversity provides. In addition to the direct
benefits of food and other goods, conservation of areas such as
water catchment forests and floodplains is vital to sustain delivery
of ecosystem services that provide urban centres with services
such as water supplies and flood control.
There are about 80 legal statutes relating to
conservation and management of biodiversity resources in Kenya
but most fail to reconcile and integrate conservation goals with
human needs—focussing on protected areas, endangered species
and other "existence value" priorities. Policies that
do recognise the full value of biodiversity are often hampered
by poor governance, political patronage and widespread corruption.
DFID support to mechanisms that link biodiversity conservation
with poverty reduction and improved livelihoods will be critical
to realising the contribution of Kenya's comparative advantage
in biodiversity to achieving the MDGs.
February 2004
16 Although it could be argued that this is indirectly
alluded to in DFID's focus on, interalia, natural resources
given that Kenya's tourism industry is based on wildlife and coastal
areas. Back
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