Finalists announced for African youth in tourism
Africa Tourism Partners has announced the top five finalists for the sixth Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge 2024. The Challenge opened on 1 November 2023 for the youth to submit their projects. It closed on 1 March 2024, and attracted over 154 entries from innovators across the continent.
As part of the process, projects were submitted to judges for adjudication to determine the qualifying projects. Devin Itaagie – Uganda, Kedumetse Liphi – Botswana, Joseph Owiredu – Ghana, Ajena Jafar – Uganda and Gerald Muema – Kenya qualified to proceed to the next level of adjudication. The short-listed innovators will present their demonstrations at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit scheduled for 28 to 31 May 2024 in Windhoek.
Namibian innovators were also recognised and given the opportunity to compete amongst themselves. Sarome Natalia Nalooliwa Hamata, Sarah Anghuwo and Rosalia Laudika are the top three finalists for the 2024 and sixth Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation challenge.
Countries which participated in the Innovation Challenge include, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge is an exclusive platform being provided to innovative African youth in travel and tourism looking for funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace in order to find the required support for their programmes.
Hosted by the Namibian government, through the environment, forestry and tourism ministry, the event is hosted in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners, UN Tourism, BDO and other partners.
Speakers for this year’s summit include Teofilus Nghitila, executive director in the tourism ministry, Samiya Abdulkadir Godu, president of the Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association, Evah Mosetlhane, tourism & SMME development consultant, (Botswana) and Mbali Mngomezulu, manager of business development at Mastercard.
African Tourism Partners (ATP) is a UNWTO- affiliated award-winning pan-African tourism development and strategic destination marketing advisory firm. The firm specialises in tourism and strategy formulation, investment facilitation and promotion, research, master planning and destination market development as well as capacity-building across Africa’s travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation and golf sub-industries.
ATP’s clients and partners include but are not limited to UNWTO, World Bank, Mastercard Foundation, NEPAD,AfCFTA,SouthAfrican Tourism, Ghana Tourism Authority, Tourism KwaZuluNatal, Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Convention Bureau, Rwanda Chamber of Commerce, SAACI, RwandAir, SAA, Ethiopia Airlines, Tanzania Tourism Board, Kenya Tourism Board, Uganda Tourism Board, Gauteng Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Nigeria and more.
The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability, and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.