The Institute of Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), says the 2021 tourism transportation summit and expo is aimed at complementing the African Union’s efforts to integrate African countries.
Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, National President of ITPN and Chairman of the organising committee said in a statement released in Abuja, Nigeria, that the 2-day summit would begin on Monday Nov. 15 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja as planned.
Odusanwo said the programme would draw wider participants, stakeholders, investors and target audience interested in promoting the key objectives of regional integration efforts of the African Union and the ECOWAS.
The ITPN President said it is believed that these initiative could become not only a reality, but a positive socio-political asset to member nations and citizens when transportation and its value chain becomes efficient, safe, cost effective and sustainable.
He emphasized that, this will be done through the exploration of the International Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo platform for the desired outcome.
Odusanwo noted that the summit theme: “Tourism, Transportation, Connectivity and Partnership: Leveraging the AfCFTA regime for economic sustainability” is timely and assured of achieving the desired results by exhibitors and stakeholders.
The ITPN President said the theme was informed by the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goals for inclusive and sustainable development, through accelerated intra-African trade.
He said the summit had, since inception, offered unique opportunity to meet with national and international regulators, policy makers, operators, investors and clients in the industry.
“It equally offers participants the avenue to showcase and market their transportation and tourism services to over a thousand relevant and highly engaged national and international cross-sectoral delegates.”
“From aviation, maritime, railways, airport operators, road transportation, national and international travel, and mass transportation operators in the tourism and hospitality value chain,” he said.
Odusanwo stressed that the aim of the summit was to boost Africa’s trading rankings in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations.
“This is based on an agreement for establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area which was adopted on March 21, 2018, and came into force on May 30th, 2019 and took off on January 1, this year,” he said.
Odusanwo added that the event would help highlight the policy implementation modules developed for successive rounds of negotiation among trading partners in Africa.
The Chairman organizing committee expressed the need for developing programmes of international cooperation within the continent in order to improve and strengthen the basic conditions for sustainable development of tourism transportation industries.
The summit’s organisers believed that tourism and transport connectivity were critical to bridging transport and tourism policies and the creation of a liberalized market for easy and free movement of goods and services.
He said the summit also aimed to deepen the economic integration of the African continent in accordance with the Pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.
Hauwa Abu
