Revamping tourism sector: Lessons from Majete
The hour of triumph is always hidden in moments of crisis.
By 2003, Majete Game Reserve—a 700 km² jungle which was declared non- hunting area in 1955 and proclaimed a game reserve in 1976—was in its hour of crisis.
Samuel Kamoto, Majete community extension coordinator, knows the story better.
“There were few game species. By 1992, for instance, most large animals were poached including a herd of over 300 elephants. There was rampant poaching, logging, charcoal burning and cultivation.
“There was poor or no infrastructure, just an 18 km road from Mathithi to Mkulumadzi. Scouts had limited resources. Funding grossly inadequate,” he says.
All these negative factors summed into zero tourist revenue.
For a game reserve with tourists being the main source of revenue, ‘zero tourist revenue’ meant the steady death of the then government run Majete Game Reserve.
However, as Majete struggled in its moment of crisis, triumph emerged. In 2003, government, through the public private partnership (PPP) entered into a 25-year agreement with African Parks (Majete) Limited (APM) to run the game reserve.
“The underlying wisdom was to restore, develop and manage Majete Wildlife Reserve as a model public-private partnership (PPP) with Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW),” says Kamoto.
African Parks pumped in K93 million for groundwork in kick-starting the process of revamping Majete. Since then, things have completely turned better for the game reserve which is situated in the Lower Shire Valley at the southern most section of the Africa’s Great Rift Valley.
In terms of infrastructure, says Kamoto, the road network has increased from 18 km to 300 km.
“We have also built an electric perimeter fence; predator proofed which is 142 km. In terms of building, we have built an office block, mechanical workshop, viewing hides, heritage and Education centre, entrance gates, 42 staff houses, four scouts camps—all electrified, boreholes, waterholes, airstrip, and many more tourism infrastructure,” he says.
Two years ago, APM invested K197.6 million in the five star Nkulumadzi Lodge right inside the reserve.
In terms of restocking programme, APM extension coordinator Stella Mzumara told The Nationtwo years ago that the reserve ‘now has 99 sable antelopes, 106 waterbucks and 311 impala, all from Liwonde Park’.
She added that the reserve also introduced predators such as cheetah, leopard and ‘there will be introduction of lions in 2014’.
These measures, according to Kamoto, have seen a turnaround in revenure for Majete.
“In terms of tourist visits, we have seen an increase from 1 699 in 2007 to 5 934 in 2012. This has also helped to boost the income to Majete. For instance, our revenue has increased from $24 000 in 2007 to $228 000 in 2012,” he says.
However, Majete has not been short of challenges though.
Mzumara told The Nation that there are increased elephant breakages along the fence and also increased animal human conflicts that put strain on resources and manpower to repair and maintain the fence.
Still, Majete’s success story led President Joyce Banda in August this year to ask APM to consider taking over the management of the troubled Nkhotakota Game Reserve and Liwonde National Park.
