The Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo (AFTCREE), Malam Denja Abdullahi, has unveiled the “Cultourmetre,” a digital tool to monitor the progress African countries are making in tourism and the creative economy.
The AFTCREE LOC chairman said on Monday that the expo was designed to provide Africa with a concrete roadmap for expanding its share of global trade through the culture-tourism corridor.
The Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo (AFTCREE) is scheduled to hold from Nov. 24 to 25, in Abuja.
“The expo, which has ‘Optimising Africa’s Comparative and Competitive Advantage for Accelerated Trade and Economic Growth’ as its theme, will gather policymakers, investors, development partners, and cultural stakeholders from across the continent, ” he added.
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Abdullahi noted that a central target of the expo is the launch of Agenda 2030, an ambitious initiative aimed at increasing Africa’s current contribution to global trade from less than 3 per cent to at least 10 per cent by the year 2030.
“Our mission is to raise Africa’s share of global tourism and creative industry revenue by promoting collaboration, peer review, and investment attraction across the continent.
“The LOC is pleased to confirm strong institutional support for the Expo, including endorsements from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under the leadership of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the African Union (AU) Social Secretariat in Addis Ababa, and other regional partners.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, led by Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, is hosting the historic Expo in partnership with Afrocultour Limited.
“The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, will serve as Special Guest of Honour and officially declare the Expo opened,” AFTCREE LOC chairman said in a statement.
According to him, in preparation for the Expo, they have engaged a broad range of stakeholders, including African envoys, non-African foreign missions across America, Asia, Europe, and Australia, tourism boards, development finance institutions, tour operators, airlines, and creative industry bodies.
“These engagements are expected to make the Expo a truly continental platform for policy dialogue, business matchmaking, investment fair, and cultural exchange,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Chuks Akamadu, the Managing Director of Afrocultour and Chief Executive Officer of the Expo, described culture and tourism as Africa’s “low-hanging fruits” for economic transformation.
He lamented that despite Africa’s exports totalling about 614.58 billion dollars in 2023, the continent still accounts for less than three per cent of global trade and only five per cent of global tourism revenue.
“These figures are unacceptable, and that is why AFTCREE provides a platform to change the narrative,” Akamadu said.
According to him, Africa must reduce its dependence on foreign aid by harnessing its vast cultural wealth, creative talent, and tourism potential.
NAN/Wumi