Creative Industry

Gambia Tourism Minister Leads Major Delegation to Akwaaba 2026

Published

2 months ago

August 28, 2026

Joel Ajayi

The 2026 Akwaaba Travel Trade Expo is set to provide a major platform for The Gambia to showcase its tourism potential, strengthen business relationships and deepen its footprint in Nigeria and the wider African travel market.

The Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) will participate in the 2026 edition of the Akwaaba Travel Market, scheduled for September 13–15, 2026, in Lagos, bringing together key players from across Africa’s tourism, travel and aviation industries.

As part of its participation, Team Gambia will host a Destination Gambia Promotional Cocktail Reception on September 12, ahead of the main expo. The event will bring together travel agencies, tour operators, airlines and aviation stakeholders, logistics companies, investors and other tourism industry professionals.

The reception is expected to provide a strategic business platform for The Gambia to engage directly with the African travel trade, promote its tourism products and experiences, and explore opportunities for partnerships, investment and increased visitor traffic.

Leading the Gambian delegation is the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Honourable Abdoulie Jobe, accompanied by Deputy Permanent Secretary Mrs. Amie Njie; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gambia Tourism Board, Mr. Momodou Bamba Saho; and Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board, Mrs. Ida Jeng Njie, alongside tourism stakeholders from The Gambia.

A major focus of The Gambia’s participation at Akwaaba 2026 will be the promotion of the country as an emerging Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination in Africa.

With the continent experiencing growing demand for business events, conferences, exhibitions and corporate gatherings, The Gambia is seeking to leverage Akwaaba’s extensive network of travel professionals and industry decision-makers to promote its potential beyond traditional leisure tourism.

The country will use the platform to highlight its facilities, hospitality infrastructure and opportunities for hosting conferences, corporate events and other business-related gatherings. The MICE focus is also expected to create opportunities for closer collaboration between Gambian tourism operators and their Nigerian and regional counterparts, while encouraging greater business travel between the two countries.

Akwaaba Travel Market as the only travel expo in West Africa has become an important meeting point for tourism and travel professionals across Africa and international markets, providing a platform for destinations, airlines, tour operators, hotels, travel agencies and other industry stakeholders to develop commercial relationships.

For The Gambia, participation in the 2026 edition represents an opportunity to increase destination visibility in Nigeria, one of West Africa’s major travel markets, while strengthening ties with the broader regional tourism industry.

The GTBoard sees the event as part of its broader destination marketing strategy aimed at diversifying tourism markets, developing new trade partnerships and creating opportunities for the Gambian private sector.

Through its presence at Akwaaba 2026, The Gambia is expected to use Africa’s leading travel trade gathering to position itself as not only a leisure destination, but also a competitive hub for business tourism, investment, events and regional travel.

The participation underscores the growing importance of intra-African tourism and the need for stronger partnerships among destinations, travel businesses and aviation stakeholders across the continent.

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Creative Industry

CAFA Targets $500bn Fashion Economy At Canex Wknd 2026

Published

1 week ago

November 1, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) will present its roadmap to grow Africa’s fashion economy from an estimated $30 billion to $500 billion at CANEX WKND 2026 in Lagos.

Marking its first anniversary on November 5, CAFA will unveil a joint stand with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly the National Arts Theatre, on November 5, 2026.

CAFA President, Aare (Prof.) Lai Labode, said the institution works with African governments to align sourcing, production, trade and intellectual property policies, ensuring African creativity generates greater value for African businesses and communities.

Nigeria became the first country to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter on November 5, 2025, when the Honourable Minister Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa signed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Speaking ahead of the unveiling, Minister Musawa said: “Afroliganza seeks to build a structured, values-driven fashion economy rooted in African heritage, led by African institutions, and positioned for global impact.”

On employment potential, the minister emphasized that Investment in fashion will create millions of jobs, particularly for women and youth.

Registered in Rwanda, with an office in Kigali and a desk at the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, CAFA is also working with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards African Union adoption of the Charter. Rwanda is progressing towards becoming its second participating country and the first in East Africa.

Its first year saw fifty nations gather at the Egbaliganza-Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta and a signed MoU with Türkiye’s ASRIAD.

CAFA’s programmes promote processing African raw materials into finished apparel locally. ‘Own What We Create’ addresses intellectual property protection, while the CAFA Certified Seal and CAFA Heritage Mark support standards and authenticity. African Global Fashion Houses are currently being established across international markets.

The African Global Fashion Games will debut in Nigeria in 2028, bringing designers together under national colours. Held every three years, the Games will alternate between African and international hosts, combining competition with investor meetings, deal signings and policy discussions. Its Instant Craft event gives competing nations identical materials and a fixed clock, placing skill at the centre of the contest.

CAFA is inviting creatives, fashion designers, artisans, diplomats, economists, investors and policymakers to its CANEX stand. Visitors can explore the roadmap, ask questions and identify opportunities to contribute through design, manufacturing, investment, research, trade and international partnerships. The stand will be open daily from November 5 to 8.

CAFA calls on the African Union to adopt the Charter, and governments to sign the Games Register and form national teams.

“Fashion has always told the world who Africa is. Now Africa will decide what fashion pays,” Aare Prof. Lai Labode said.

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