Akwaaba at 20: Celebrating Decades of Driving Africa’s Tourism Growth

The 20th edition of Akwaaba was a significant milestone, as industry players and participants from across Africa came together to celebrate the continued evolution of this premier tourism conference.

Despite the host country’s current economic challenges, the organisers held the event with optimism, raising the flag for travel and tourism in the belief that the sector will rise to its full potential.

Travel and tourism stakeholders acknowledged significant progress in the growth of tourism across Africa. However, during one of the panel sessions at this year’s Africa Travel Market Akwaaba, experts pointed out both the challenges and opportunities that shape the region’s tourism development.

The panel identified several key obstacles, including restrictive visa policies, underutilization of technology, limited involvement of local communities, and poor infrastructure. The cumbersome process of obtaining visas between African countries was flagged as a major deterrent, further compounded by the high cost of visas in some nations, making travel within the continent less accessible.

Speaking at the 20th AKWAABA Africa Travel and Tourism Market, in Lagos, Davidson Mugisha, Managing Director of Wildlife Tours in Rwanda, emphasised that honest and friendly immigration officers across Africa are crucial to transforming the continent’s tourism industry.

He stressed on the topic “Transitioning the African Tourism and Travel Economy using Adventure,” Mugisha highlighted the pivotal role immigration officers play as the first point of contact for tourists while further advocated for tax reductions on airline travel across Africa to boost tourism, stressing the need for seamless travel within the continent.

“Africa must work on enabling smooth intra-continental travel, ensuring uninterrupted internet connectivity, securing destinations, and encouraging product development and diversification.

“For Africa’s tourism sector to truly transform, the process must start with immigration officers, whose attitudes and behaviors leave a lasting impression on visitors,” he said.

Mugisha urged governments to sensitize immigration officers on the importance of being honest, welcoming, and professional in their duties, and to steer away from corrupt practices like accepting bribes.

Mugisha also emphasized the importance of investing in community-based tourism to increase revenue. “We must focus on building tourism from the grassroots, and ensure our immigration officers contribute positively by being both honest and hospitable.”

Dr. Adama Bah, Chairman of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia, underscored the pressing need for improved connectivity across Africa. He advocated for the introduction of low-cost airlines to make travel within the continent more seamless and efficient. “One of the biggest obstacles to African tourism is poor interconnectivity. It took me 10 hours to travel from The Gambia to Lagos, with layovers at four different airports. This is unsustainable,” he noted.

During the discussion on how to implement the proposed changes, Convener Akwaaba, Ambassador Ikechi Uko who also was the session’s moderator, emphasized that meaningful progress can only be achieved through collaboration, partnerships, and the political will from the government.

He referenced the recent reduction in Visa-On-Arrival fees by the Nigerian government, which was prompted by feedback from foreign participants at the Akwaaba African Travel Market. Uko mentioned that this adjustment provided significant relief for visitors and facilitated smoother entry for many into the country.

On Payment Solution for Tour Packages

MTN Nigeria while adding to the discussion on payment solutions for tour packages, Mr. Bayo Omomowo, a representative of MTN Nigeria, highlighted how the company has transformed the payment process with the introduction of their mobile payment platform, Momo, now operational in about six African countries.

Omomowo explained that with Momo, Nigerian clients can easily pay for travel packages in naira through the platform, where available, removing the need to convert currency before making payments to other African countries.

“Nigeria has the largest Momo user base in Africa, presenting a vast market for tourism businesses. We can collaborate to digitalize payments, enabling seamless cross-border transactions and personal remittances.

We are currently partnering with major payment platforms and can extend that collaboration to support your tours and products as they become available. You can also promote your bookings and packages through our platform,” he said.

However, Akwaaba served as a vital platform for tourism key players to leverage in achieving their goals, particularly in promoting their markets. Countries like Kenya, The Gambia amongst others is capitalizing on the strength of Africa’s travel market to grow their visitor numbers.

Over the years, Akwaaba has successfully brought together top officials and stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry to foster deeper discussions about the sector’s growth in West Africa.

Just like previous years from 2018 up until date Akwaaba recognized the importance of engaging youth in promoting tourism in Nigeria, encouraging active involvement in showcasing the country’s rich historical sites. During a panel discussion, young participants emphasized their willingness to contribute to the sector’s growth and urged stakeholders to support youth-driven initiatives in tourism development thereby sincerely mentor youth while doffing the hat for the organiser Ambassador Ikechi Uko for his selfless support toward the tourism industry most especially engaging youth and encouraging them.

The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John who also saw the youths drive in the promotion of tourism commended their effort stressed that youth are storytellers, digital nomads, and entrepreneurs reshaping our tourism landscape propelling tourism growth with 70% of under 30 promoting tourism assets with also, 65% of domestic trips in 2023 and while driving 150% startup growth in the last three years.

“Social media engagement in travel content has surged 300% among Nigerian youth since 2021. Hence, 80% of our tourism workforce is under 40, bringing innovation and digital savvy to the sector. Our goal is to train young Nigerians, women and indigenes in tourism, hospitality and entrepreneurship skills which every Nigerian should have a stake in the development of the industry and economic contribution to the country.”

Dr. Bah also emphasized the importance of investing in tourism education for Africa’s youth, equipping them with the skills necessary to develop robust and competitive tourism enterprises.

Earlier at the panel discussion, event specialist Edi Lawani said, “Africa must be intentional about creating new experiences centered around entertainment and sports to enhance the tourism industry. It’s crucial to engage Gen Z meaningfully to secure the future of the sector.”

The event however ended with no fewer than 100 African tourism practitioners honoured with Africa Travel 100 Global Leaders Award as recipient laud the organisers efforts for recognising commitment within the travel and tourism sector.

Some of the recipients of the award includes Lucy Maruhi, Chief Executive Officer, Shelter Connections and Events, Kenya, Dr Raphael James, Curator of Centre for Research, Information and Media Development (CRIMMD, Sheikh Ahmed Nyang, Head of School, Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia; Alisa Osei-Asamoah, President, Tour Operators’ Union of Ghana, (TOUGHA); Dr Gabe Onah, Chairman, Carnival Calabar, Fifi Rurangwa, Chief Executive Officer, The Xperts; Fatou Mas Jobe, Former Minister for Tourism and Culture in Gambia; Abubacarr Camara, Director-General, Gambia Tourism Board and Dr Adama Bah, Chairman, Institute of Travel and Tourism of the Gambia, Patrick Kamanga, Managing Director, Deans Travel Centre Ltd., Kenya.