Hospitality leaders from across Africa will converge on Lagos on July 11 and 12 for the eighth edition of Hotel Managers Conference Africa (HMCA), 2026 edition.
Discussions will centre on raising service standards, strengthening policy support, improving workforce capacity and positioning Africa’s hospitality industry for greater competitiveness.
Speaking during a breakfast meeting with members of the Association of Nigeria Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Tojum Hospitality and Convener of HMCA, Olugbenga Sunday, said the conference had evolved into one of Africa’s leading hospitality gatherings since it began in 2016.
The conference, with the theme: ‘Raising the Bar: Sales, Service and Standards for a Competitive Africa,’ will hold at the Grand African Ballroom of Lagos Continental Hotel and is expected to attract participants from across Nigeria and 13 other African countries.
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Sunday said the conference started in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, before expanding to Port Harcourt, Owerri and Lagos as part of a deliberate strategy to take the initiative across Nigeria’s regions before broadening its continental reach.
“So over the years, the conference has grown to become one of the major conferences we have today on African soil. The event has attracted participants from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, with one edition recording physical attendance from 27 states, while recent editions have continued to draw delegates from West, East and Central Africa,” he explained.
He disclosed that this year’s edition had already confirmed participants from 13 countries, including Ghana and Uganda, saying that organisers expect more increase in continental participation.
Sunday explained that the vision behind the conference was to bridge long-standing gaps.
“We saw the gap between the local brands and these branded hotels, which are international brands. The same people working in these local brands are the same set of people working in these international brands. But they are not behaving the same way,” he said.
He noted that eight years of sustained engagement had begun to yield visible improvements across the industry.
“I will tell you this, over the years, the conference has drawn all the leading expatriates and by and large, we are actually bridging that gap,” he furthered.
According to him, participants would benefit from keynote sessions, panel discussions, mentoring opportunities, masterclasses, business networking and exhibitions showcasing hospitality, technology and operational solutions.
Challenges
Sunday acknowledged persistent challenges facing the hospitality industry including multiple taxation, poor infrastructure, flooding, electricity costs and insecurity, urging governments to pay greater attention to policies affecting the sector.
On government collaboration, he said the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Creative Economy had continued to identify with the initiative, while this year’s conference had also secured the endorsement of the Ghana Tourism Authority.
Sunday said the conference would also feature the graduation of nearly 90 students from the Hotel Managers School, who had completed programmes in Hotel Management and Operations, alongside an awards ceremony recognising outstanding hotels and hospitality professionals.
The breakfast meeting formed part of ANJET’s engagement with stakeholders in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry to promote dialogue on issues affecting the sector and amplify initiatives supporting tourism development across the country.
