Last month, Marriott International revealed some ambitious growth plans centering on Africa.

Strong demands for the brand drive the quickened growth across the continent, says a news release from Marriott International. The growth is capitalized by new hotel signings, marking the brand’s entrance to Mozambique. The signings put the brand on pace to increase its portfolio by 50 percent with more than 200 hotels and 38,000 rooms by 2023. The new hotels will create and support an estimated 12,000 new jobs.

“Marriott International’s acquisition of Protea Hotels followed by the acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has given an impetus to our organic growth on the continent. Today we are seeing strong owner interest in our brands, backed by our combined loyalty program, the collective strength of our global platform and our highly-experienced, local teams,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.

As of October, Marriott International was present within 21 African countries, including Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali and Morocco.

“Africa is a very compelling story for us. With our history on the continent, our footprint and strong pipeline, a diverse portfolio of brands and a robust management infrastructure, we believe that we enjoy the trust and the confidence of Africa’s hotel development community,” Kyriakidis added.

According to the release from Marriott International, the company plans to introduce other select brands to the continent, including Aloft Hotels, Element, Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott.