About Us
Make Tourism Better
INTRODUCTION

The ICRT West Africa is part of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia (ITTOG). Adama Bah worked with the ICRT and Harold Goodwin from 1999 on a DFID-funded local economic development project in The Gambia. This initiative and Adama's subsequent project, Gambia is Good, have influenced developments elsewhere.  Sheikh Tejan Nyang joined shortly after, and ITTOG has diversified its activities.

OUR WORK

ITTOG is registered and accredited as a training provider by the NAQAA of The Gambia. ITTOG has had lots of international acclaim from winning Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award 2012 for contribution to people and culture and in 2014 short listed to the top 3 by the World Travel and Tourism Council Tourism for Tomorrow Awards for responsible tourism projects. The institute has been recognized by the World Bank as “the only institute in The Gambia offering structured learning in tourism backed by creditable partners” and from 2008 to date, the Institute has trained over 1120 students including students from the sub-region: Senegal, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria

In addition to the ICRT West Africa, ITTOG has a series of projects and works closely with My Gambia

Reports published include:

Goodwin H et al. (2002) Harnessing Tourism for Poverty Elimination: A Blueprint from the Gambia, NRI Report No: 2693

Bah A & Goodwin H (2003)  Improving Access for the Informal Sector to Tourism in The Gambia Pro-Poor Tourism, London

Goodwin H & Bah A (2006) The Gambia: paradise or purgatory? in The International Development Magazine DFID

ICRT West Africa activity

WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Citations 2026 

Responsible Tourism In Africa White Paper 2026

Tourism and the Wlidlife Economy in Africa White Paper 2026 

WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Sessions  2026

Watch a video on our contribution to No Women Left Behind

MEET THE TEAM

Adama Bah

Adama Bah

Chairman of the Board at the Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia (ITTOG), brings over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. In 1995, he founded Gambia Tourism Concern (GTC) and later co-established ASSET, a trade association for small-scale tourism enterprises. Since 2008, Adama has led ITTOG as Chairman, driving the growth of responsible tourism in Gambia. He also founded the International Centre for Responsible Tourism-West Africa, a regional training center dedicated to educating professionals on sustainable tourism practices. His work has significantly advanced responsible tourism and capacity building in West Africa.

Sheikh Tejan Nyang

Sheikh Tejan Nyang

Principal and founding member of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia (ITTOG), has been a pivotal figure in West African tourism. Awarded the Ballafong Award in 2011 for his contributions and named one of the 100 most influential personalities in West Africa in 2014, Tejan's career spans diverse roles. He began with Norway’s Saga Tours and served as Director of Tourism in The Gambia in 1990. After roles in the private sector and with the UN, he returned to government to coordinate The Gambia Tourism Master Plan. Tejan currently chairs the ECOWAS Tourism Committee on hotel classification and is a member of several key committees
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