The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed her support for the upcoming Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo (AFTCREE) in Abuja, Nigeria.
The event, scheduled for November 24-25, 2025, aims to harness Africa’s cultural and creative assets for accelerated trade and economic growth.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala urged African nations to leverage the opportunity provided by the upcoming event to harness their cultural and creative assets for accelerated trade and economic growth.
In a letter dated July 24, 2025, personally signed and sent to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afrocultour, organisers of the high-profile Expo, Mr. Chuks Akamadu, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala wished the organisers a successful and impactful event.
She said: “The theme of this Expo, ‘Optimising Africa’s Comparative and Competitive Advantage for Accelerated Trade and Economic Growth’, is timely and highly relevant.
“Africa is immensely endowed with cultural and touristic opportunities. Now is the time to leverage these advantages to integrate more supply chains. At the WTO, we believe the future of trade lies in services.”
The WTO DG, who is former Nigeria’s Finance Minister, expressed appreciation for the invitation to speak at the event, saying: “I look forward to engaging in the future.”
The initiator of AFTCREE, Mr. Akamadu, in an interview with THISDAY, said the expo “is a timely response to the deplorable disparity in global trade where the entire continent regardless of our tourism and creative industry assets and potential contribute less than three per cent. This is beneath us.
“The expo is likewise designed to address the concerns of African nations and industry leaders who lament the current situation where the continent boasts of a paltry five per cent share of global tourism revenue valued at over $11 trillion.
”But without looking too far, the theme of the Expo captures its very essence: ‘Optimising Africa’s Comparative and Competitive Advantage for Accelerated Trade and Economic Growth’.
“From Nigeria to Algeria; from Egypt to Tanzania; and from Rwanda to Kenya, Africa boasts of unique tourism resources that can be harnessed to give other regions of the world a good run for their money.
”If you also come to the creative industry, we are no longer in the 70s, 80s and 90s when Africa was more or less under the yoke of Western music and motion picture industry.
”Things have since changed, for Afro music to be gaining incremental ascendancy globally and our artistes like Burna Boy, Fally Ipupa, Davido, Asake, Tyla, Diamond Platnumz, Wizkid, name them, making Africa proud in the global entertainment firmament. Ditto the movie industry where Nigeria now ranks second globally.
“It is therefore, paradoxical that we still hold the short end of the stick in terms of global trade share and global tourism revenue share.
”So, the expo presents a platform for policy makers, industry leaders, investors, scholars and practitioners across Africa to collectively identify possible gaps, share experiences and cross-fertilise ideas on how best to harness Africa’s abundant tourism and creative industry resources for inclusive and mutually-supportive trade and economic growth.
“While the expo might not be a cure-all, it is, at a minimum, a timely strategic intervention that would reposition the tourism and creative industries on the continent and individual nations-states of Africa for sustainable growth and development.
”More than anything else, it is set to boldly supply the private sector buy-in and collaboration required for optimal economic outcomes and trans-generational impact.”
He added: “The expo will make a strong case for the mainstreaming of culture and tourism into the struggling economies of African nations with convincing logic, statistics, empirical evidence and case studies.
”Because research has shown that one of the major reasons why we are where we are today is that a majority of African countries have yet to recognise tourism as a major economic driver and a veritable path to economic diversification, hence the levity with which they treat that potential money-spinner as though it’s a sector that deserves to be domiciled in the domain of leisure – not business.
“This explains, in part, why Africa is left behind on issues of destination management, tourism infrastructure, regulatory framework, packaging and marketing of tourist sites.
”The impact therefore is going to be huge on both Nigeria and Africa because the expo aspires to prevail on leaders and policy makers to rethink their unhelpful notion of tourism, provide a basis for its prioritisation and voluntarily make a commitment for a speedy departure from our old ways, so as to enable Africa contribute at least 10 per cent to global trade and take home at least 20 per cent share of global tourism revenue respectively by the year 2030.
” Here is an opportunity for Nigeria as the host country to lead from the frontlines, and we are glad that the federal government appreciates our efforts and is solidly behind us.”
According to him, the expo will feature policy dialogue, business and investment forum, peer review session, gala night, among others.
”We have a number of countries like Algeria, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and United Arab Emirates whose relevant ministers have been selected as lead speakers.
”The Director-General of World Trade Organisation, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development as well as the Head of Mission of AFREXIM Bank are also on our keynote speakers’ list.
‘We are also expecting a strong delegation from African Union Commission; and Nigeria being the host country, a select number of governors whose states are culturally rich and tourism-strong will also be on ground to support the expo’s official host, Hannatu Musawa, Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.”
The Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo scheduled for November 24-25, 2025 in Abuja, is expected to draw stakeholders from across the continent and beyond, with the aim of boosting trade, tourism, and cultural exchange.
