The seminar was organised in the framework of the 38th Meeting of the World Tourism Organization Commission for Africa, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 24 to 27 April 2002. It addressed the issue of the role of tourism as a catalyst for sustainable development through three closely related topics. 2002 being the International Year of Ecotourism, the first topic addressed in the seminar was "Ecotourism a tool for sustainable development". The second topic addressed was "Tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation" and the seminar concluded with presentations and discussion about "Development Assistance for Sustainable Development through tourism"