One Conversation, One Collaboration at a Time
Something transformative happens when industry leaders gather to solve problems together. Much more powerful than networking or knowledge sharing, is the form of collective intelligence that emerges, to truly move the needle forward in developing tourism that actually works for Africa.
Industry leadership goes beyond individual expertise or organizational success. It emerges when experienced practitioners, visionary thinkers, and passionate advocates create space to collectively address the challenges that no single organization can solve alone.
One thing is clear: Africa’s tourism potential cannot be unlocked by an individual or organization alone. It requires a cross-sectoral collective mission. When the industry improves for all, it results in immense returns for the ecosystem, and this includes the organizations and the individuals who work within it.
Our Test Case: The West Africa Tourism Roundtable
Red Clay is proud to have convened the West Africa Tourism Roundtable series as our test case for this principle. Hosted by our venue partners, Radisson Blu Anchorage on Victoria Island, we brought together hoteliers, tourism professionals, destination managers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, demonstrating this approach in action. The success of these sessions owes much to Radisson Blu Anchorage’s exceptional hospitality and commitment to supporting industry dialogue.
Four years later, we are still receiving testimonials about the partnerships, collaborations and projects that emerged from those sessions. People still ask: “When is the next roundtable?”
The answer lies in understanding why convening matters, and the importance of bringing the right voices together around the right challenges at the right time.
The Magic of Sustained Focus
The West Africa Tourism Roundtable Series featured global industry leaders and practitioners, coming together with a clear objective, to unpack elements of tourism in post-COVID Africa, understanding that the recovery our industry needed, required a form of collective intelligence, to learn from others and to brainstorm on possibilities for the industry of the future.
Over five sessions in the course of one year (ambitious goal!), we were able to truly have sustained focus over a period of time that allowed participants to build on previous discussions, deepen relationships, and develop sophisticated approaches to complex challenges.
Top L-R: Anita Mendiratta, Dr Belinda Nwosu, Brian Efa; Bottom L-R: Daniel Gray Mwanza, Joel Omeike, Kojo Bentum-Williams
For us at Red Clay, the magic came from the themes that kept coming to the surface over time, showing the interconnected nature of the issues and the need for a systemic approach to addressing the bottlenecks that impede tourism’s progress on the continent.
The top three themes?
The need for accurate data, a truly enabling business environment and patient capital for long-term investment in human capital and the destinations.
- Without reliable tourism statistics, policymakers cannot plan effectively, investors cannot assess opportunities properly, and practitioners cannot measure progress meaningfully.
- Regulatory frameworks, visa policies, infrastructure, business registration process, all require a cohesive and coordinated approach from policy makers to ensure tourism enterprises are able to thrive, and not merely survive.
- Long-term investment is key to a sustainable tourism growth strategy. Tourism is ultimately a people business, and destinations succeed when they invest consistently in capacity building over time.
The Sessions:
Each session built on the previous ones, creating a comprehensive exploration of West Africa’s tourism landscape from multiple angles.
Session 1: Domestic Tourism and COVID-19
Trends and paths to sustainable hospitality, travel and tourism business in West Africa
Speakers: Dr. Adun Okupe, Kojo Bentum-Williams, Moyo Ogunseinde
Session 2: AfCFTA and Tourism Entrepreneurship
Lessons from the field in West Africa
Speakers: Dr. Belinda Nwosu, Daniel Gray Mwanza, Sirili Akko
Session 3: Health, Safety and Security
Destination Competitiveness in West Africa
Speakers: Dr. Tagbo Azubuike, Anita Mendiratta
Session 4: Sustainability in Tourism
How can sustainability thinking become more relevant in tourism development in West Africa?
Speakers: Paul Onwuanibe, Joel Omeike, Olivia Ruggles-Brise
Session 5: Hospitality and Tourism Trends
Projections for 2022 in West Africa
Speakers: Damilola Sobo-Smith, Brian Efa
Top L-R: Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Paul Onwuanibe, Sirili Akko; Bottom L-R: Damilola Sobo-Smith, Moyo
Ogunseinde, Dr. Tagbo Azubuike
The Lasting Impact: One Conversation, One Collaboration at a Time
The true measure of successful convening goes beyond what happens during the sessions: it really is about what happens afterwards.
The West Africa Tourism Roundtable has delivered on this measure in remarkable ways, proving that building tourism that works for Africa happens one conversation and one collaboration at a time.
Feedback from participants shared the strategic partnerships that emerged (government agencies connected with private sector partners leading to policy collaborations and public-private initiatives), business collaborations (complementary partners, creating new ventures and working on projects together), knowledge networks (academics, consultants, and practitioners continue to generate research, reports, and thought leadership for the region), investment flows (the viable projects that emerged have resulted in investors identifying opportunities and partners across West and East Africa, deploying capital in previously overlooked markets and segments, and for us, the insights from the roundtable continue to influence tourism policies and development strategies in West and East Africa.
When is the Next One?
We regularly receive inquiries about when the next Africa Tourism Roundtable will convene, a recognition of an ongoing need: that Africa’s tourism potential continues to require this kind of focused, multi-sector collaborative leadership.
As we consider future convenings, we carry forward the understanding that industry leadership in tourism is never about individual success. It is about creating the conditions where collective intelligence can address the challenges that define entire regions.
This is how we build tourism that works for Africa.
The West Africa Tourism Report, which synthesizes the insights and outcomes from the roundtable series, remains available for stakeholders working on tourism development in the region. Please send an email to request a copy. The partnerships, collaborations, and projects that emerged from the roundtable continue to shape West African tourism today.