Osinbajo, Lai Mohammed, Sirika, Others For 5th National Tourism Transport Summit And Expo
The fifth edition of the National Tourism Transport Summit and Expo organised by the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), will host core and allied industry stakeholders from April 25 to 26, 2022 at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja.
The two-day event is themed: ‘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 summit seeks to explore such areas as human capacity training for quality labour mobility, development and marketing of the Nigerian tourism potential, and infrastructural development in the intra-modal transportation sector among others.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, 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 lined up speakers who will the event aimed at ensuring Nigeria’s preparedness for successful participation in the AFCFTA Agreement include Building and Efficient Intraafrica 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 a 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 will be 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 its 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 December 20, 2019, and deposited her instrument of ratification of the Agreement on December 5, 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.
(Tribune)