International soccer star Didier Drogba has helped his country, Cote d’Ivoire, strike gold by helping to collect MOUs for a total of $15 billion in commitments to back tourism projects in the West African country.

The breakthrough comes ahead of the UNWTO Forum for Africa, which will take place in Abidjan next week (February 20-22) and the influential Forum de l’Investissement Hotelier Africain (FIHA), which takes place in Abidjan next month (March 23 – 25).

The former Chelsea striker – and now UN world tourism ambassador – was part of a successful global push to promote the rising success and attractiveness of Cote d’Ivoire’s tourist economy.

Under the banner, Sublime Cote d’Ivoire, Didier Drogba was a key player in a team of top Ivorian business and political leaders, as well as showbusiness figures, who took a roadshow to Dubai and Hamburg.

They returned with more than 15 billion dollars of funding commitments for a variety of tourism projects, from hotels, to resorts and coastline development. All the backers have been invited to attend FIHA.

Cote d’Ivoire’s boasts a GDP growth rate of about 8% in 2019 and, as a destination, it’s in third place in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 2 million international visitors, behind South Africa and Zimbabwe, ahead of Uganda, Botswana, Kenya or Mauritius (according to UNWTO 2018 data).

Philippe Doizelet, managing partner of Horwath HTL, the world’s largest and most experienced hospitality consultants, has been guiding Cote d’Ivoire’s efforts.

FIHA is known for its ability to link up the new investors with developers, consultants, contractors, hoteliers and political leaders. Last year’s successful FIHA in Marrakech attracted 300 delegates from 28 countries.