Major
stakeholders in the transportation and tourism sectors of the Nigerian economy
will gather in Abuja on Monday, April 25, as the two-day fifth National Tourism and
Transport Summit gets underway at
the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Expected
to attend are local and international airlines, tour and travel operators, aviation
and maritime industries regulators, Road traffic safety agencies, motor
insurance companies, etc.
The
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, will be the Special Guest of Honour at the opening ceremony,
and will deliver the keynote address on Empower
Youths, Empower Africa: Employment Opportunities for Africans in Tourism,
Hospitality and Transportation. The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi
Sirika, will lead discussions on Building
an Efficient Intra-Africa Transportation System: The Way Forward on African
Transportation and Tourism through AfCFTA Regime. Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister
of Information, will lead the CEOs of media agencies under the Ministry of
Information and Culture at the Media Roundtable to discuss The Role of Media and ICT in Tourism and Transportation Marketing.
The
National Tourism Transport Summit and Expo is the annual flagship event of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria
(ITPN) under the able leadership of Chief Abiodun Odusanwo. The theme: ‘African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Strengthening
Connectivity, Effect and Partnership’ was chosen in recognition of the need
to facilitate cooperation and partnership within the African continent in order
to ensure the successful implementation of AfCFTA.
Odusanwo,
who is the national President of ITPN/ and Chairman MOC, ITTS&E 2022, disclosed
that the Summit will explore such topics as human capacity development,
branding and marketing of Nigeria’s tourism potential, infrastructural
development in the intra-modal transportation sector among others.
The
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu will present the lead paper on
‘National Skills Qualification, Panacea to Mobilization of Labour Across the
African Union; The‘CEO’s Business Roundtable: Intra-Africa Trade Opportunities
for Private Businesses, is to be under the auspices of the Abuja Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (ACCI) with the President, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar and
Director General, Ms Victoria Akai leading the panel of discussants.
The
Sub Theme: AfCFTA Regime Efficacy: – How
Effective Collaboration of Relevant Gatekeepers Can Make the Difference’ has Mr
Babatunde Irukera, Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and
Consumer Protection Commission, as the lead Discussant.
Others
are ‘One
Africa Roundtable: Creating Economic Transformation for Africa via
Collaborative Efforts’ and will be led by the Managing Director of the Nigerian
Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Alhaji Abubakar Abba Bello alongside
representatives of the Economic Commission for the West African States
(ECOWAS); While‘Africa’s Tourism: A Global Destination for World Investment’
will be discussed under the purview of Mr. Folorunsho Coker, Director-General of
the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).
The
National Tourism Summit and Expo have since its inception in 2018, offered the
a platform for public and private sector stakeholders, producers, and consumers in
Nigeria and the African Continent to come together, share ideas, experiences,
exchange knowledge and showcase their skills in the growth, development and
promotion of the nation’s economic endowments, this time, by promoting the
ideals of the AfCFTA Agreements and leveraging on it.
African
Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a flagship project of Agenda 2063 of
the African Union. It is Africa’s own development vision which was approved by
the 18th ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2012 and signed by Nigeria on 7 July 2019
followed by the inauguration of a National Action Committee to coordinate the
implementation of the AfCFTA on 20 December 2019 and deposited her instrument
of ratification of the Agreement on 5 December 2020.
Others
are operators of the tourism and hospitality industry including tourism resort
operators, National Parks Services; museums and monuments, State Tourism
Ministries and Boards, Festivals and tourism events managers; Hoteliers,
Restaurants and fast-food operators; conferences and events managers; as well
as service providers in the banking, oil and gas industries.
The
Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo programme will feature Host City Walk,
Tourism Transport Summit, Exhibition-B2B and G2B sessions, Tourism Transport
Membership and Fellowship inductions, and The Gala Night which will also
feature Awards to deserving stakeholders in the industry.
With reports by AviationMetric
