The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. As a public-benefit federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government – in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – and many public and private sector clients in achieving their objectives in international cooperation in around 120 countries. Since 2004, GIZ has been a reliable and trusted partner of the African Union (AU) to enhance inclusive growth and sustainable development on the African continent in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

The “Support to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) II” program by GIZ (commissioned by the BMZ and co-funded by the European Union) works towards creating and consolidating the framework conditions for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), through support to partner institutions at the country, REC and continental level, through collaboration and partnership with institutions such as the AfCFTA Secretariat and others.

In 2023, travel and tourism contributed 6.8 percent to Africa's gross domestic product (GDP), up from 5.9 percent in 2022. This sector is estimated to account for 7.3 percent of the continent's GDP in 2024. According to UN Tourism, Africa experienced a 7 percent increase in arrivals during the first six to seven months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019. While progress has been made in various areas of the tourism sector, particularly at the local level, there is still a lot of work to be done by both public and private sectors to fully realize Africa's potential in this industry.

The AfCFTA’s Tourism, Creative, and Cultural Industries program was guided by the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services, and the commitments made therein by the AfCFTA State Parties to liberalize services under the tourism sector. The program provides economic, regulatory/legal, and political support, helping AfCFTA States Parties fulfil and effectively implement their commitments, by improving the regulatory environment through transparent and progressive regulations that facilitate trade, and through improving the standards and quality of the tourism services and products that meet the minimum international and regional standards.

The AfCFTA secretariat would like to roll out the implementation of the Program in pilot countries and RECs to advance commencement of trading under the AfCFTA, within the Tourism Sector. It is in this context, we would like to invite bids for a consultancy for Materials Development, Training and related ad-hoc Assistance for implementation of the AfCFTA Tourism Programme.