Business Insider Reporter
The Serengeti District Council in Tanzania’s Mara Region has introduced a dedicated training programme aimed at equipping local youth with customer service and hospitality skills, in a bid to improve their access to employment opportunities in the region’s expanding tourism sector.
The initiative, which targets young people living near the world-renowned Serengeti National Park, was unveiled by Acting District Executive Director Victor Rutonesha during a press briefing at his office. Journalists had visited to learn more about the council’s collaboration with the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) on conservation and tourism development.
Mr. Rutonesha said the programme is designed to help young people from Serengeti and across the Mara Region secure jobs in tourism-related enterprises – ranging from hotels to service businesses operating outside the park.
“We introduced this programme after realising that many of our youth lack hospitality skills – this is said with the best of intentions,” he remarked. “This shortfall may stem from traditional customs and norms that do not always encourage customer service, even in personal business dealings.”
He warned that unless deliberate steps are taken now, the wave of new investment flowing into the Serengeti area could sideline local youth due to lingering cultural and behavioural barriers.
“A key issue is that some local traditions discourage courteous service, particularly in mixed-gender settings,” Mr Rutonesha noted. “For example, in certain communities, it may be seen as disrespectful for a woman to give instructions to a man. A woman might order a specific soda from a male hotel worker, only to be handed a different one with the dismissive response, ‘Drink this – yours isn’t available,’ and no apology. Such practices have limited job prospects for local youth, especially young men, in companies where women hold managerial roles.”
He stressed that many young people are still bound by traditional attitudes and lack awareness of the value of customer care in business.
This, he said, has led many employers to recruit staff from other regions, such as Kilimanjaro, rather than from Serengeti itself.
“As leaders, we cannot allow this situation to persist,” Mr Rutonesha declared. “We’ve started to raise awareness and educate local youth and women, particularly in communities surrounding the park, where more large-scale hotels and businesses are being established.”
Looking ahead, he revealed that several new tourist hotels are planned for construction in villages adjacent to the park, particularly those with officially approved land-use plans.
While he did not specify the number of developments underway, he confirmed that the council is receiving a growing number of applications from investors interested in building luxury accommodations, including five-star hotels. “These large investments are being set up in communities that have earmarked land for tourism and hospitality development,” he said. “It is therefore essential that local residents prepare themselves to welcome and engage with visitors in a spirit of professionalism, hospitality and trust.”
