From: Segun Babatunde in Bauchi
The National Tourism Transport Summit and Expo, a tourism and transportation industry combined event of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), the fifth edition in the series of the program, comes up on Monday 25th to Tuesday 26th of April, 2022 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja
with the theme: ‘African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Strengthening Connectivity, Effect and Partnership’
In reaffirming the need for developing programmes of international cooperation and partnership within the African continent that will improve and strengthen the basic conditions necessary for the successful implementation of AfCFTA, the 2022 International Tourism Transport Summit seeks to explore such areas as human capacity training for quality labour mobility, developing and marketing of the Nigerian tourism potentials, infrastructural development in intra-modal transportation sector among others.
According to a Press release signed by Chief Abiodun Odusanwa, National President ITPN and Chairman,Main Organising Committee NTTSE 2022, and made available to newsmen yesterday,
the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, who is expected to be the Special Guest of Honour at the Opening Ceremony of the Summit will deliver the Keynote Address on the Theme: ‘Empower Youths, Empower Africa: Employment Opportunities for Africans in Tourism, Hospitality and Transportation’.
Other speakers at the event aimed at ensuring Nigeria’s preparedness for successful participation in the AfCFTA Agreement include: Building and Efficient Intra-Africa Transportation System: – The Way Forward on African Transportation and Tourism Through AfCFTA Regime to be led by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika. Chief Executive Officers of Media Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture led by the Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed will pilot discussion on Media Roundtable: The Role of Media and ICT in Tourism and Transportation Marketing;
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 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 has since inception in 2018, offered the 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.
Participants at the two-day event will be drawn from major key players and stakeholders in the transportation and tourism sectors such as the air transportation; i.e. airlines, tour and travel operators, administrators of the aviation industry; the maritime industry which includes sea transport, boats and sea cruising operators; Road Transportation including major transport owners, car hire services, Uber, Road Traffic and Safety Agencies including the FRSC, Motor Insurance Companies; State Transport Ministries and Agencies; Rail Transport Services.
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. END