Biographies of the guest speakers
Secretary General Of The World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism, Spain
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Minister Of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana
Director - Innovation, Education And Investments, UN Tourism, Spain
Director, Africa Department, UN Tourism, Spain
Director, Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade AFCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Deputy Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Namibia
Executive Director of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
High Commissioner, Tanzania
Chairperson, National Youth Development Agency, South Africa
UNDP Resident Representative, Namibia
Chief Executive Officer, Airline Association of South Africa, South Africa
Director – BDO Advisory Services, South Africa
Deputy Executive Director Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Consultant, Strategic Development & Advisory, BDO Advisory Services, South Africa
Chief Executive Officer, CPL Events, United Kingdom & Cape Verde
Director Of Audit, Wealth, Investment Management And Insurance, Absa Bank, South Africa
Founder, Hotelonline, Kenya
Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Business Council of South Africa, South Africa
Acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management and the founder and Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC), Cape Peninsula of University of Technology, South Africa
CEO, AirlinePros International, USA
CEO, Africa Tourism Partners, South Africa
CEO of Millvest Advisory, South Africa
Chairperson, Innovation Challenge and Africa Tourism Innovation Hub, Kenya
Regional Economic Communities Coordinator, ACFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana
Acting CEO, Namibia Tourism Board
CEO, Kardinal Technologies Inc, Nigeria
Senior Manager, L Marks, United Kingdom
Women and Youth in Trade Expert | Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programme Coordination (DIMPC), AfCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Executive Director: MSME Development, Innovation & Acceleration, Namibia
Co- Founder and COO, Creative Bibini Ltd I Development Partner at FOCAS | Award Winner Africa Youth in Tourism innovation - ATLF - UNWTO 2021, Ghana
Chief Strategy Officer, South African Tourism, South Africa
Principal Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry Development, Tanzania
Snr Channel Marketing Manager for Honeywell, United Kingdom
Managing Director, Adansi Travels Ltd, Ghana
Founder & CEO, INUA AI, Nairobi, Kenya
Founder and CEO of Direx, United Kingdom
Department Head, Senior lecturer, Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Uganda Hotel Owners Association CEO, Uganda
CEO and Co-founder of SNDBX International, Kenya
Senior Specialist, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Office of the Executive Director, UN Tourism
UN Tourism Senior Expert for Communications in Africa
Corporate Legal Counsel/Board Secretary Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana
Co-Founder and COO, AfroFuture, Ghana
Head of Digital Advisory, BDO Advisory Services, South Africa
Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Ghana Business School, University of Ghana,
Associate Professor, College of Science and Engineering, Qatar
Tanzania Safari Channel, Producer, Tanzania
Lecturer, Coordinator & Learning Development Facilitator, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Executive Director, Malawi Tourism Council, Malawi
Head of Digital Strategy, Transformation, and Innovation, MTC, Namibia
Associate Professor: Tourism Management, University Of South Africa, South Africa
IT Strategist & Business Consultant, CEO, Liranz Limited, Ghana
President, Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association
Director of Fortunatus Advisory LLC
Director, Tourism and Gaming, Ministry Of Environment, Forestry And Tourism, Namibia
Founder and Director, Rendzo Network, South Africa
President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Nigeria
Accountable Manager, Namibian Aviation Training Academy (NATA), Namibia
Senior Lecturer: Rhodes Business School And Champion Of Entrepreneurship, Rhodes University, South Africa
Tourism and Aviation Expert, Executive Concierge, Zimbabwe
Chief Executive Officer, Idea Hive
Tourism & SMME Development Consultant, Botswana
CEO Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana
Founder and CEO, Professional Marketing Services (PMS) Group, Kenya
Manager of Business Development @ Mastercard | Grading Assessor Accreditation CATHSETA, South Africa
Founder, Facilit8, Namibia
Regional Economic Communities Coordinator, ACFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana
Leads Investment Attraction Team, Namibia Investment Promotion & Development Board (NIPDB)
Chairperson and Executive Member, Hospitality Association of Namibia
Head of Enterprise Banking, FNB Commercial, Namibia
Executive Director, Directorate: ADS and Satellite Campuses, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia
Owner/Operator, Sandwich Dune Tours and Car Rentals CC
Managing Director- Kaya Tours & Mgt Ser.
Founder of Spree, Rwanda
Senior Lecturer, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
Director, Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination (DIMPC), AFCFTA, Ghana
Chairperson and Executive Member, Hospitality Association of Namibia
Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing, Ghana Tourism Authority, Ghana
Chief Operations Officer The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), South Africa
Executive Member, Conference Link, Namibia
Chief Executive Officer Small Tourism Enterprise Association, South Africa
CEO, Environmental Investment Fund, Namibia
Managing Director & Founder, Kelsi Investment Pty Ltd, Botswana
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich, physics
Co-Founder & CEO, Purple Elephant Ventures, Kenya
Founder, SMEs Compete, Namibia
Corporate Communication & Business Development Head, Millat Investments, South Africa
Digital & Communications Consultant, TV3 & 3FM, Ghana
Executive Director, Domestic Tourism and Strategic Research, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe
Founder, Kalinasho Trading cc, Namibia
Head Blockchain Centre of Excellence, Regional Director Blockchain Research Institute Africa and Board member of Hedera Hashgraph, Switzerland
Secretary General Of The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Spain
Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili is Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) since 1 January 2018 after being elected by the 22nd Session of UNWTO General Assembly. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, the Principality of Andorra, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) up to December 2017.
Between 2009 and 2010, he was Minister of Economic Development of Georgia.As a Minister of Economic Development of Georgia, Mr Pololikashvili was responsible for overseeing the country’s long-term fiscal growth strategies, advancing foreign trade and investment policy initiatives as well as for promoting the development of the tourism, infrastructure and transportation sectors. He was instrumental in launching an innovative policy for the development of tourism in Georgia, prioritizing the sphere on both the government and private sector agendas. During Mr Pololikashvili’s tenure as Minister of Economic Development, through key policy reforms, marketing activities, improvement of infrastructure and visa liberalization initiatives, Georgia nearly doubled the number of international tourist arrivals, from 1.5 million (2009) to exceeding the 2.8 million mark by 2011. Those reforms paved the way for sustainable tourism practices in Georgia and poverty alleviation initiatives, placing Georgia among the top tourism destinations in the region. Minister Pololikashvili successfully led the economic liberalization processes, introducing supportive policies for SMEs, and incentive programmes to attract foreign investment for the development of hard and soft infrastructure.
2006 – 2009 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain.
2005 – 2006 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In this capacity as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, he supervised the departments for administrative, budgetary, financial and consular affairs, as well as the Department for Human Resources Management. Mr. Pololikashvili was responsible for ushering in a new phase of more liberal and secure visa regimes, facilitation of processes to ease border crossing procedures, and deepening relations with various international organizations, including UNWTO.
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia
Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta (born 27 March 1968) is a politician figure and a legal practitioner who is serving as Minister of Environment and Tourism in the Cabinet of Namibia since 2015.
Shifeta was born at Ongenga in Ohangwena Region. He has been active in the SWAPO-led National Union of Namibian Workers and Namibia National Students Organisation since 1988. Shifeta has a Diploma in Public Administration. He has a BA degree in Political Sciences and he holds an LLB Honours. He has also been involved in the SWAPO Party Youth League.
Shifeta was first elected to the National Assembly of Namibia in 2004 as a SWAPO candidate. He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture in March 2005, and he retained his position after the 2009 general election. In a December 2012 Cabinet reshuffle, after the fifth SWAPO congress, Shifeta was moved to the post of Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism.
In President Hage Geingob’s Cabinet, appointed in March 2015, Shifeta was promoted to the post of Minister of Environment and Tourism.
Minister Of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana
Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer is the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture in Ghana. He is also Member of Parliament for Sekondi Constituency in the Western Region of Ghana. He previously served as Deputy Minister for Energy.
Andrew Mercer is also a lawyer with extensive corporate, commercial and finance sector practice experience. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Minister, he served as Lead Attorney and Chief Executive of Messrs. Mercer & Company, a corporate and investment law firm based in Accra. He previously served as the head of the Legal Division of First Atlantic Bank; overseeing the Legal, Company Secretarial and Corporate Affairs Departments of the Bank.
Presently, he serves on the Constitutional, Legal & Parliamentary Affairs, the Privileges and the Special Budget Committees of Ghana’s Parliament. He previously served on the Communications Committee of Parliament.
He previously served as Member of the Ministerial Advisory Board of the Ministry of Energy and has also served on several Boards of corporate entities in both the public and private sectors including that of the Ghana National Gas Company. He holds a certificate in Oil, Gas and Mining Governance from the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
Director - Innovation, Education And Investments UN World Tourism Organisation
Natalia Bayona leads the innovation, education and investments strategy of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations specialized agency for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism worldwide.
With a diverse background on politics, destination management and business, she has become the first innovation director at UNWTO, has introduced entrepreneurship and education as key factors for tourism and development, and has positioned UNWTO as an innovation benchmark within the wider United Nations system as recognized in the UN 2020 Mapping of Innovation, Data and Digital Capacities. Furthermore, she has joined the UN Executive Leadership Programme for Sustainable Development led by the UN System Staff College (UNSSC).
Her work consists of identifying the most disruptive startups and investment projects and matching them with Member States and leading corporations. As an advocate of youth and technology, she seeks to make entrepreneurs grow for a promising future in all regions.
During the last 4 years, Natalia has developed 20 UNWTO Startup Competitions and Innovation Challenges with outcomes such as more than 214 million USD in support for entrepreneurs and pilots for safe travel. Moreover, she has designed the Tourism Tech Adventures innovation forums and co-created the UNWTO Tourism Online Academy, the pioneer platform for advancing skill development for the sector in collaboration with the most prestigious universities such as IE University, Sommet Education, Swiss Education Group, the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Externado de Colombia University, currently with over 15.000 students from 191 countries. Furthermore, she has created the UNWTO Technical Committee on Tourism Online Education and acts as its Secretary to ensure education is at the forefront of the global agenda.
She has also opened the Multilateral Investment Cooperation area for tourism and has built a network of more than 290 investors interested in the sector and is currently working on high-impact projects to recover tourism, including the Investment Readiness for Green Finance Mechanisms in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) from the World Bank Group. In this same vein, she has been a coordination member of the Global Tourism Crisis Committee (GTCC) where UNWTO Member States, UN Agencies and Private Sector Associations – IATA, ACI, CLIA, among others – gather to discuss actions to address current issues. Within this framework, Natalia has led the UNWTO Healing Solutions for Tourism Challenge, the UNWTO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Global Startup Competition and the UNWTO Jobs Factory as specific projects to support destinations and employment.
On 2022, she has launched the first series of tourism investment guidelines: UNWTO Tourism Doing Business, starting with the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and moving on with countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uruguay. Also, she has developed the brand-new UNWTO Digital Futures for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Programme which aims to provide digital training on connectivity, business growth, e-commerce, big data and analytics, payments, and security to 1 million beneficiaries by partnering with the largest technology companies.
Furthermore, her short-term goals include a variety of high-impact projects such as (1) co-creating the first Tourism International Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (2) opening of the UNWTO Tourism Innovation Lab in collaboration with IE University as a world-ranked institution on online education and entrepreneurship by QS Rankings, (3) positioning women leadership in tourism through supporting innovation and startups, and (4) supporting countries to advance their investment promotion strategies in order to facilitate business creation in tourism, hospitality and food & beverage with tools such as the above-mentioned guidelines.
As recognition for her work, Natalia has been awarded the IIPT (International Institute For Peace Through Tourism)’s 5th “Celebrating Her” prize for “Innovation & the Empowerment of Women Through Tourism” at ITB Berlin 2021, an acknowledgement that is only given to 3 women from all over the world each year. Natalia is also a part of the “100 de COTEC” network which gathers experts who speak Spanish from multiple areas of knowledge for analyzing social, economic and technological challenges that innovation faces.
Recently, she has also been recognized as one of the 10 Colombian nationals in Spain contributing the most to the country’s positive image, as one of the 150 most influential people in tourism in Spain by Sergestur, and as part of the women-led think tank The Club G100 as Colombia Country Chair for Smart and Sustainable Cities.
Natalia graduated in Government and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia and holds an Executive MBA from the IE Business School. Nowadays, she is part of the World Economic Forum (WEF) network as a European Digital Leader and is an Eisenhower Fellow as the first Colombian on the Women Leadership Program for creating the first Tourism for Tomorrow Programme: a high-level network focused on joining public-private efforts for high-impact investments in digital education and innovation for tourism’s sustainable development and post Covid-19 recovery. Additionally, she enjoys sharing knowledge by teaching at universities – Harvard (USA), Cornell (USA), Externado (Colombia) and Bilkent (Turkey) – and public schools in Colombia as part of her give back to youth and her country.
In 2017, she served as the Vice President of International Development for the Spain Startup – South Summit and organized the first South Summit Pacific Alliance, connecting the main stakeholders of the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru.
Having worked in ProColombia for ten years, she has lived in six countries where has developed strategies to boost exports, foreign investment and tourism for Colombia. Her career started in 2006 as part of the team that created the first international tourism campaign for Colombia: “Colombia, the risk is wanting to stay”, which sought to change the image of the country abroad. The successful execution of this campaign in more than 15 countries was possible thanks to her work.
Originally from the Seychelles, Elcia Grandcourt joined the World Tourism Organisation, a United Nations specialised Agency for Tourism in 2013 as Director, of the Regional Department for Africa. Elcia began her tourism career studying Hotel Management in Singapore at the Singapore Hotel Association and Education Centre (SHATEC). Thereafter, she occupied various positions in operations, reservations and sales mainly in hotels, including leading international brands such as Le Meridien and Hilton Worldwide Resorts. She was part of the rebranding team when Hilton Worldwide Resorts took over the management of the then Northolme hotel in Seychelles. She worked with the Seychelles national airline and destination management companies before joining the public sector to Seychelles Tourism Board as deputy CEO before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer, a position she occupied prior to joining UNWTO. Passionate about tourism, Elcia is honoured to be able to contribute towards sustainable tourism development in Africa.
Elcia also holds a Master in Dynamics of Cooperation, Conflicts and Negotiation in International Relations and Diplomacy.
Director, Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade AFCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Ms. Emily Mburu-Ndoria, is the Director of Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, based in Accra, Ghana. She was formally the Head of Trade in Services Department at the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat. She has worked extensively as an independent consultant providing expertise in the area of trade in services in Eastern and Southern Africa through the provision of analytical and training services. She has worked in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariats and been instrumental in assisting countries in Eastern and Southern Africa in developing their negotiating strategy and position for the WTO, EPA, COMESA, EAC and SADC, particularly on issues related to trade in services.
Previously, Ms. Mburu-Ndoria was a trade policy expert at UNCTAD working with the Trade Negotiations and Commercial Diplomacy Branch in the Division on Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities. She has a lot of working experience on assisting African countries in the negotiations at the multilateral and regional levels, and broadly on issues related to trade in services, investment and competition policy.
Furthermore, she has participated in several studies relating to trade negotiations and trade in services as well as participated in many international, regional, national meetings, seminars and workshops on international trade and development. Ms. Mburu-Ndoria holds a Master of Commerce in Management Practice, specializing in Trade Law & Policy from the University of Cape Town, an MBA from Webster University in Geneva and a Bachelor Honours degree in Economics and Mathematics from Egerton University, Kenya.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism
Legislative Profile: Member of the National Assembly (2015-present) and appointed as the Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in March 2021 till present.
Personal:Born on 19 January 1978, Zambezi Region
Education: Student: Diploma in Business Administration, Business Management College (2014 ) Certificate: Executive Office Assistant, Business Management College (2013-2014); Certificate: Computer Literacy, Business Management College (1999); Certificate: Typing Skills, City Commercial College (1996).
Career: Kongola Pioneer Band (1989); Member: Interim Swapo Party Youth League Committee (1993); Branch Executive Member of NANSO, St Kizito College (1992); Student Representative Council Chairperson, St Kizito College (1993-1995); Regional Executive Member of Representative SPYL (1994); Regional Chairperson, Caprivi Regional Youth Forum (1994); Board Member of National Youth Council (2001-2010); Regional Pioneer Representative, SPYL (2001-2007); District Secretary: Katima Urban SPYL (2007 to date); Regional Protocol Chairperson Swapo Party (2012 to date); Member of Local Authority Tender Board of Katima Mulilo Town Council (2011- 2014); Administrative Officer: Ministry of Education, Zambezi Region (1996-2013); Acting Accountant: Ministry of Education, Zambezi Region (2013-2015).
In March 2021, Hon. Heather Mwiza Sibungo was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. Hon.Sibungo is passionate about Forestry and Tourism.
Legislative Interests: Politics
Chairperson, National Youth Development Agency, South Africa
Waseem is the CEO of the National Youth Development Agency. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He is passionate about developing young entrepreneurs, national youth service and finding pathways to opportunities for young people. He is also an independent audit committee member at Brand SA, Mpumalanga Tourism Authority and the Health and Welfare SETA. He is a former category winner of the SAICA 35-under 35 in 2016, a part of the 2018 Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans and a 2019, SADC’s Most Influential Young Leaders. The NYDA has part of the program design for addressing youth unemployment built over the last two years one of the largest National Youth Service programs on the African continent.
Ms. Alka Bhatia is the UNDP Resident Representative to the Namibia country office.
Ms. Bhatia has been with UNDP since 2010. Prior to her post in Namibia, she worked in the Lesotho and Malawi country office respectively, as an Economics Advisor where she provided strategic policy advisory services to the UN Country Team and Government.
Ms. Bhatia is a national of India and has over 30 years of experience in poverty alleviation, trade, and sustainable development. She has vast experience in providing strategic policy advice on sustainable development to Governments and UN Country Teams.
Prior to joining the UNDP, Ms. Bhatia was a civil servant in her country, working on trade policy formulation, implementation, and regulation. She represented India in the WTO in Geneva during the DOHA Round of multilateral trade negotiations for 4 years. Thereafter she also served as the Economic Affairs Officer for the World Trade Organization in Geneva, where she worked on Enhanced Integrated Framework for LDCs as well as trade related development issues.
Ms. Bhatia holds a Master of Arts from the Panjab University, in Chandigarh India as well as training in International Economics and International Trade from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland.
She loves music, flowers, and cooking. Ms. Bhatia can be reached at alka.bhatia@undp.org
Chief Executive Officer, Airline Association of South Africa, South Africa
Aaron Munetsi currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at AASA. Prior to joining AASA, he held several commercial management positions at South African Airways, including Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East and as its Acting Chief Commercial Officer. For 10 years, he served on the board of Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Business, and after leaving SAA in 2018 he joined the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) for a stint as its Director: Government, Legal and Industry Affairs. For the past year he has been working as an aeropolitical and business strategy advisor to airlines.
Aaron holds diplomas and certificates in marketing, strategic management and leadership from the University of Zimbabwe, University of Witwatersrand Graduate Business School and the Gordon Institute for Business Studies.
Christelle has more than 23 years’ consulting experience and carries out and heads project teams for macro research, economic impact assessments, valuations, marketing and organisational strategies, market feasibility studies, financial viability assessments, business case assessments and transaction advisory assignments.
Christelle has also facilitated numerous workshops and large meetings and is proficient in using a range of facilitation approaches and tools.
Consultant, Strategic Development and Advisory, BDO, South Africa
As a Consultant, Inga conducts feasibility studies, strategies, economic impact studies, financial evaluations, business market evaluations and market research.
She has worked as a management consultant for a financial and economic advisory firm, providing development consulting and research services, with a strong focus on evaluations, social, economic, urban, and institutional development.
With over 7 years of working experience, Inga’s expertise includes conducting quantitative and qualitative research and data analytics; project management; economic analysis; strategic development; and stakeholder management.
QUALIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Chief Executive Officer, CPL Events, United Kingdom & Cape Verde
Linda Pereira is the senior partner and CEO of the L&I Communications Group. In additionto her long and respected career as one of the most influential voices in the Meeting Industry, she is also Executive Director of CPL Meetings & Events. Respected internationally as a speaker, consultant, strategic communication expert, writer and as an educator, she has been an invited speakerin over 149 countries on all continents.
She is an expert in communication and corporate diplomacy, and has a vast experience in cross-cultural communication strategies, localisation, and public speakingand as a master of ceremonies.
She has worked on the major events which marked the last 30 years of modern history, from World EXPOs, to Football and Sports Championships, various EU Presidencies and major political events. She is also an invited lecturer at five different international Universities where she lectures strategic meetings management and corporate diplomacy and protocol.
She is absolutely passionate about associations and sits on a variety of international association boards herself. Linda is also a consultant to a variety of international Governments and associations. She was considered one of Portugal’s five most influential people in the industry and has received various international education awards as well as the medal of honour for responsible entrepreneurship for her commitment to promoting culture and heritage and for Social Responsibility initiatives.
She has also been voted business woman of the year for three consecutive years. She sits on various Advisory Boards, and Education Committees and presides over three- She is also the Chair of the Association World Congress for 2022. She was president of the Global Council for Women in Leadership for two mandates. She is currently special advisor to the Minister for the Economy of Cape Verde and sits on the Advisory Council for the Leader Magazine and the Venues of Excellence Certification Board. She also sits on the Board of The Portugal-India and Portugal-Holland Chambers of Commerce. She presides the Crossroads platform focused on up-scaling and attracting investment for start-up businesses. She sits on the Portugal Chapter of Women In Tech, a Global Association. She is a business development consultant to the MICE business sector in Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macau, Georgia, Ghana and Cape Verde.
She is currently a member of the Women’s Africa PCO Alliance. In 2021 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for the MICE Industry. Linda has recently been elected one of the Global 100 women leaders.
She considers her two daughters as her greatest achievement.
Director Of Audit: Wealth, Investment Management And Insurance, Absa. South Africa
He is the Director of Group Internal Audit: Investment Management and Insurance at Absa Bank South Africa and an academic with a vested interest in the Futures as a discipline. He has presented on this subject matter at several conferences and organisations and has received numerous accolades. He is a PhD Candidate (Wits) and holds an MBA (Stellenbosch), MCOM (Wits), BSc Hons Management (UJ), BSc IT & Mathematics qualifications.
Håvar Bauck is an experienced entrepreneur, business developer, and commercial strategist with two decades of emerging-markets experience spanning the travel and hospitality sector as well as telecommunications. He is one of the founders of HotelOnline, a leading, pan-African travel technology company providing services to more than 6,000 hotels in 27 countries.
Originally from Norway, he has lived in Kenya, Nigeria, DRC, Belgium, and Norway, conducted business across Africa, Europe, and Asia, and visited 54 countries. Håvar speaks five languages and holds a Masters degree in Business and Economics from BI Norwegian Business School.
Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Business Council of South Africa, South Africa
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. Tshifhiwa is a strategic, versatile and innovative marketing, tourism, communications and business executive. His experience spans 20 years, with a track record of visionary leadership, strategic project development and execution, travel and tourism events management and
communications.
Tshifhiwa holds an MSc in International Business, Leadership, and Management from the University of York, Bachelor of Business Administration on Marketing Communications (Institute of Marketing Management) Diploma in Marketing (Institute of Marketing Management) and a National Diploma in Tourism Management (University of Johannesburg).
In the 20 years since his first foray into the world of work, Tshifhiwa has worked for various companies in the tourism value chain including South African Tourism, Myriad Marketing, FEDHASA, Rennies Travel, SARS and others. He has also consulted for various companies.
Tshifhiwa has also served as a member of Tourism Transformation Council, Tourism Grading Council of South Africa, and currently serves on the global Board of Advisors for “The Sigmund Project” which supports innovation and collaboration in Tourism across the globe. Tshifhiwa has positioned himself as a thought leader and advocate for the South African tourism sector. He is an ambassador for tourism development in South Africa and Africa. He regularly writes, debates and comments on tourism development and growth in South Africa.
Acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management and the founder and Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC) in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at Cape Peninsula of University of Technology, South Africa
Prof Michael Twum-Darko, Ghanaian-South African, obtained his PhD in Information Systems from University of Cape Town (RSA), Masters in Computer Science from American Institute for Computer Sciences in Birmingham, Alabama (USA) and Honours Degree in Computer Science from now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana).
Michael spent thirty-two (32) years as a lecturer Computer Science, Business Information Systems, strategic management in Ghana, Botswana, and South Africa. He has also spent 13 years out of the 32 years as an IT Project Management and Software Development consultant and IT/Business strategist in South Africa.
Michael is a Fellow of the Institute of Analysts and Programmers (UK) and has served on many high-profile committees in Botswana and South Africa as an academic, and IT/Business strategist
He is currently the acting Head of the Graduate Centre for Management and the founder and Head of Centre for Business Innovation and Incubation (BIIC) in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at Cape Peninsula of University of Technology.
Achma’s passion for aviation was inherited from her father, who had worked with the Royal Air Force, the Indian Airforce and the Zambian Air Force, where he trained many of the recruits in the newly formed Air Force in the newly independent Zambia.
In the era after she graduated, the only career in aviation that welcomed women was the cabin crew department, which was not approved by her father. So Achma began her working life as a travel agent before joining Air Namibia in Windhoek, where she started her life as an Interline Accounts Supervisor and gradually worked her way up to become the Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. Her years at Air Namibia, is what she considers her ‘most formative years’ as she says that she had four additional jobs, as a wife, a mother to her son and daughter, a housekeeper, and a student!
She joined Air Seychelles at their headquarters in Victoria as the Chief Internal Auditor, which consolidated her knowledge of the airline business. “Working with small international airlines gave me insights into the entire length, breadth and width of the business” says Achma. “This prepared me for the bigger roles I was to play eventually in my working life.” Thereafter, she got the opportunity to realize her dream to work for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as Senior Internal Auditor, enlightening her into the macro-economic workings of the global aviation industry. After some years with IATA, her continuous yearning to learn more made her move to USA to work with American Express as Director, Enterprise Risk Management.
Thus, after having traveled far and wide, amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge on the workings of the airline industry inside out, Achma decided it was time to do something of her own. She co-founded AirlinePros, which offers a wide range of services to the airline industry. AirlinePros today is an award-winning global leader providing airline and travel representation, distribution, and commercial solutions with over 70 airline clients and more than 40 global locations. A Fellow of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) from the UK, Achma is also an MBA from the University of Manchester.
Kwakye Donkor is the CEO of Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), a Pan African tourism advisory firm and a UNWTO award-winning firm. He is a renowned Pan-African strategist and expert in areas of tourism development, strategic and destination marketing, destination brand management and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition/Events). He is a recognised and highly respected personality in Africa tourism space, and speaks at global conferences, seminars and think tank fora.
Kwakye has demonstrated expertise in destination master planning as well as strategy formulation and execution, business transactional advisory and leadership development worldwide across education, finance, and hotel development. His expertise and experience have earned him the privilege to regularly serve on expert panels and think tank fora facilitated by international organizations including UNWTO, AU, SADC, The World Bank Group, GIZ, BBC, CNBC Africa, Channel Africa, ENCA, SABC and others across Africa.
He is the convener of the annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum & Awards, Africa MICE Masterclass, Africa Youth in Tourism Summit and Africa Women in Tourism Summit series.
Miller Mulamule Matola has more than 25 years of management experience within the global travel, tourism, hospitality, convention industry and investment facilitation environments.
His competencies range from executive management, business administration, project management, destination marketing, nation branding to strategic planning and execution. With demonstrated business management skills, at both operational and strategic levels,
Miller has managed several large non-profit and for – profit organisations during his management career; having been CEO of Tourism KwaZulu Natal, Durban ICC and Brand South Africa respectively. Uniquely, he possesses unprecedented knowledge and networks amongst global decision makers in the Tourism, Business Events, Trade, Investment and Development sectors, both in business and government. Miller has proven stakeholder relationship management skills, having worked at executive management level with various Business, Government and Civil society stakeholders globally.
At present, Miller is Founder and CEO of Millvest (Pty) Ltd, a South African advisory and project management company focusing on the tourism, hospitality, energy and convention industries. He is a non-executive director of the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and a member of the Premier’s Economic Growth Advisory Council and Tourism and Agriculture Work Group of the Limpopo Province.
Chairperson, Innovation Challenge and Africa Tourism Innovation Hub, Kenya
With over 25 years of experience in the international Hospitality & Tourism industry, he has been a prominent presence in the field. He is currently leading the commercial activities for Portier Technologies, a company that provides the industry with technology which enhances the guest experience and enhances engagement with the hotel.
Barry was chosen as one of the Global 100 most influential leaders in the industry during the Global Mice Congress in Mumbai this year and has been a regular invited speaker at several international Hospitality & Tourism conferences around the world.
With proven commercial understanding, product, and business development skills, he has also been appointed to the adjudication panel for the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation competition. And will act as a mentor to one of the winners.
Regional Economic Communities Coordinator, ACFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana
Ms Gemma Matshediso Mbegabolawe is an international trade, investment and Agricultural economist/expert currently employed as Regional Economic Communities Coordinator at the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat in Accra, Ghana.
Ms Mbegabolawe has professional experience spanning over a period of 30 years. She has worked for several institutions amongst
others; as Director – Agriculture and Agribusiness, Director Business Facilitation as well as an Executive Director-International Business at Mumbai, India, all at the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC). Her roles were focusing on investment promotion as well as aftercare and business facilitation.
Before joining BITC, Ms Mbegabolawe worked for the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Department of International Trade (2005 to 2016), during which she also served as a Trade Attaché in Brussels, Belgium (2010 – 2015). Ms Mbegabolawe however, started her career with the Ministry of Education as a teacher (1992 – 2004) before joining the Ministry of Agriculture as an Agricultural Economist
(2004-2005).
Ms Mbegabolawe holds a Master of Science degree in Management of Natural Resources and Sustainable Agriculture from Agricultural University of Norway, Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education from Botswana College of Agriculture as well as Diploma in Agricultural Education from the University Swaziland. She also attained the World Trade Organization (WTO) Diploma in Trade Policy; Third Country training Programme: Investment Promotion for African Countries; Trade Facilitation – Using efficient trade logistics as a driver for export competitiveness and Trade Remedies as well as Antidumping course among others.
Mr Bonnie Mbidzo is a tourism expert with an extensive background in the sector. With over 16 years of experience in the tourism sector, he brings a wealth of expertise to the table. He is the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Namibia Tourism Board. He has vast executive management experience having worked as a senior executive in a group of companies involved in tourism & hospitality, petroleum, and transport he brings a diverse set of skill. With his leadership as the Head of Industry Services at Namibia Tourism Board, he played a pivotal role in promoting and developing Previously Disadvantaged Namibians. His academic qualifications, include a BAED from the University of South Africa, BJuris, LLB Honours, and LLM from the University of Namibia, highlight his dedication to continuous personal development. Mr. Mbidzo also devotes time to networking, mentoring, and engaging with young people, emphasizing his commitment to community and professional development. His passion is the promotion of SME.
Cornelius is a driven and innovative individual with a passion for using technology and its ability to transform the world. With 5 years of experience working with top-tier travel companies, I have honed my leadership and strategic management skills and have a proven track record of success in developing strategies for consistent business growth.
As a tech entrepreneur, I have cultivated key skills that I consider to be instrumental to my success. These include leadership, strategic planning, business and product development/management; I also strongly value inquisitiveness and a culture of reading.
My vision is to see a world where African countries can compete and achieve dominance globally, and believe that this can only occur when they have the right tools to do business from around the world. This is why we are building Kardinal: because we believe travel remains the key instrument for business growth. We are building a travel solution that caters specifically for African businesses, bringing ease, transparency and easy access to financial support.
Dan is a leader in corporate innovation and startup acceleration. With a proven track record of developing startup ventures and driving innovation for renowned clients like Sumitomo Corporation, Lloyd’s of London, and Metro Bank etc. Dan is passionate about delivering impact and positioning clients as industry leaders in innovation. Developing 9 Ventures that collectively raised $12 million in seed funding, generating a remarkable commercial value of $170 million across both developed and emerging markets.
Dan collaborates closely with C-Suite and high-performing teams to implement innovation best practices. He’s confident across diverse sectors, including Finance, Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, and Energy. Dan excels in identifying promising opportunities, shaping business models, assessing commercial viability, and setting up for early-stage investment readiness.
Being deeply immersed in all aspects of corporate innovation and startup acceleration, Dan has a genuine passion for sharing new ideas and enjoys giving back to others as a startup mentor, thought leader, and speaker.
Women and Youth in Trade Expert | Directorate of Institutional Matters and Programme Coordination (DIMPC), AfCFTA Secretariat, Ghana
Gonaya Monei Sethora is the Women and Youth in Trade Expert at the AfCFTA Secretariat Headquarters in Accra Ghana. One of her main responsibilities in her current position is to create an Action plan for the integration of women and youth in trade issues in the AfCFTA , as well as negotiating for the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade
Prior to joining the AfCFTA Secretariat, Ms. Gonaya Sethora was the President and Founder of Business Woman Africa, a social enterprise whose mission was to develop strategies, frameworks, and supportive policies that empower young African women in business. During the pandemic of 2020, Business Woman Africa (BUWA) developed a mobile application in Botswana called buwamarket that provided a secure, free online trading market. Business Woman Africa was endorsed by the African Union Ecossoc and received funding and support from international institutions such as the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, the AU APRM Secretariat, and the UNDP. In 2019 Ms Gonaya was awarded Best Youth in Leadership and Best Female Youth of the Year at the Botswana Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Annual Awards following positive contribution of her Organization Business Woman Africa in fostering women economic empowerment. Gonaya is also the Managing Director of NQ apparel store , an African fabric print shop retailing imported African prints from Ghana, Nigeria and Togolese Kente in Botswana ,Gaborone.
Prior to joining the AfCFTA Secretariat, Gonaya worked as a Youth Policy Development Consultant for the African Peer Review Mechanism.
She has also served as Botswana – Ghana Trade Representative at the Botswana Honorary Consulate in Accra, Ghana. Her primary responsibility as Honorary Consul was to lead commercial diplomacy between Ghana and Botswana.
Gonaya possesses a Master of Business Administration from Kwame Nkurumah University of Science and Technology and is presently a candidate for an MSc in International Relations at the same institution.
Executive Director: MSME Development, Innovation & Acceleration,
Dino is an accomplished ‘intrapreneur’ and the Executive Director of MSME
Development, Innovation, and Acceleration at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB). He is charged with crafting institutional mechanisms and designing strategic initiatives aimed at the scalability of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), positioning himself at the vanguard of MSME development, nationally.
As a proud Namibian, Dino is passionate about making a difference through his
numerous non-profit roles. Guided by his life mantra of “adding value”, he is
unwavering in his commitment to driving substantial, positive transformations within the MSME sector, focusing on pivotal areas such as job creation and business scalability.
Dino’s academic credentials include an undergraduate degree in Entrepreneurship
and a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation from the Wits Business School in South Africa. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the same
institution, with his research concentrating on the defining factors of successful
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Namibia, specifically within the MSME sector.
Beyond his role at the NIPDB, Dino has made significant contributions to numerous organizations. He has served as the Deputy Chairperson of Namibia’s 4IR Taskforce and currently chairs the Julinho Sporting Football Club. He previously held the Chairperson position at Tigers Sports Club. Dino also maintains an influential role in the private sector as a Chairperson and Non-Executive Director on various boards in Namibia.
Co- Founder and COO, Creative Bibini Ltd I Development Partner at FOCAS | Award Winner Africa Youth in Tourism innovation- ATLF- UNWTO 2021, Ghana
Eugene Allotey has over 7 years of experience in the IT field. He has spent most of his career working at Creative Bibini managing IT-related project portfolios as well as managing large, complex multi-use development projects. He began his career as a Project Manager and is now the Chief Operations Officer for the company.
As Creative Bibini’s Co-Founder, COO and Senior Project Manager, Eugene is responsible for defining and implementing a state-of-the-art information technology architecture, developing and implementing governance, project management processes while ensuring the successful deployment of services that meet Creative Bibini’s mission and client requirements. As a Senior Project Manager at Creative Bibini, Eugene approaches all projects with a strong strategic focus and an emphasis on team building while always maintaining a clear path towards achieving project goals. He is a true believer in building solutions that follow values and agile practices, mentoring and motivating teams to improve processes, eliminating team impediments, and facilitating meetings and decision-making processes.
Eugene is a Co-Founder and Development partner at FOCAS, a real-time customer service feedback software that won the Africa Youth in Innovation Challenge Award in 2021.
Eugene holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing Strategy from the University of Ghana Business School. He is also a Member of the Project Management Institute (Global and Ghana Chapter) as well as a certified Digital Marketer from Google.
Chief Strategy Officer, South African Tourism, South Africa
Siya is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in Consulting, Financial Service, Public Sector, and Tech startups, specializing in driving Customer Insight Strategies by adopting Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Transformation.
Siya joined SA Tourism from Deloitte Africa where he held the position of Associate Partner responsible for driving Data Management and Cognitive Advantage business across multiple industries such as Telecommunications, Energy & Resources, and Financial Services.
Before joining Deloitte Africa, Siya worked at Standard Bank – Africa Region, where he led the Customer Insights & Analytics team that was responsible for delivering “fit for purpose” AI solutions across 14 countries in the retail sector. Furthermore, Siya was instrumental in launching the digitized Customer Insight 360 solution which significantly improved customer engagement and business profitability.
He has previous experience as Chief Technology and Data Officer at Knowledge Factory which involved developing and deploying data processing activities, GIS Spatial data, and innovative solutions.
Siya holds a Master’s degree in Digital Business from Wits Business School, a Post Graduate Diploma in Digital Business from MIT and Columbia Business School, a Fintech Program from Oxford University – Said Business School, and various certificates in financial services from Unisa.
Principal Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry Development, Tanzania
Fatma is a graduate of Hotel and Tourism Management from Intercollege (now University of Nicosia, Cyprus) and currently serves as the Principal Secretary of The Ministry of Tourism and Heritage in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The Ministry is in charge of the overall development and regulation of the tourism and heritage portfolios as well as overseeing the implementation of the Isles national Tourism Policy. With over 20 years experience in the Tourism Industry, She has trained and worked in Senior Management Positions in various prestigious hotels in Tanzania, Cyprus, Egypt and the UK. Her experience working with the Hotel Association of Tanzania, Tourism Confederation of Tanzania, Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors and Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce, all of which are Tourism Non Profit Organizations, has also equipped her with advocacy, negotiation and mediation skills.
Snr Channel Marketing Manager for Honeywell, United Kingdom
Felix is a qualified chartered marketer and a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. Based in London, Felix works as a Snr Channel Marketing Manager for Honeywell and manages over €300m revenue channel marketing programme in Europe. He has more than 20 years of marketing, sales and business strategy experience working for blue-chip organisations in the UK, Sweden and Germany.
Before joining Honeywell, he worked at Lafarge Tarmac, UK, as a customer marketing manager overseeing go-to-market strategies and engaging customers whilst enhancing their experiences through strategic and digital marketing.
At Lafarge Tarmac, Felix was seconded by the business to Construction Products Association, UK, an establishment that oversees the regulation of UK built environment. He was part of the industry team supporting the UK government to develop construction industrial strategy. As part of his secondment, he undertook a comprehensive industry research, and consulted with some of the UK government ministers and parliamentarians to develop and publish the UK Construction Industrial Strategy.
Prior, Felix also worked as a Senior Sales Manager at Marcus Evans Group, Sweden. He was later transferred to the head office in UK to lead a 28-member sales team. Marcus Evans Group is one of the world’s leading business intelligence companies focusing on providing information and connections to accelerate performance.
He holds an MBA from the University of Hertfordshire, UK; BA Hons in Business Management, Kingston University, UK, and BA Market Economist, IBA, University of Southern Denmark.
Whilst studying in Denmark, Felix undertook 3-month work placement in Frankfurt, Germany. Working as an intern with DvK Buying Company. During this time, he identified suppliers across Europe to source products, clothing, and luxury apparel for many of the world’s largest departmental stores including Target, Neiman Marcus, John Lewis, Debenhams, Macy’s and BK Berlin.
Felix’s diverse skill-set include Channel Marketing, Channel enablement, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing (including SEM/SEO), Account Based Marketing, Marketing Capability Building and Activation, Commercial Excellence, Market Research, International Trade & Export, Lead Sourcing, Sales, Project Management, Strategy, People Management, Project Management, Coaching, Mentoring and P&L and General Management
Gideon Asare, a rising figure in the travel industry and a visionary leader, serves as the Managing Director of Adansi Travels, a prominent name in Ghana and Nigeria’s travel sector, and the Business Development Director for Pacific Global DMC in Dubai. An esteemed alumnus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, Gideon holds a BSc in Natural Resource Management and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Management and Technology, Washington, USA. His academic accolades include a distinguished honor in Travel Sales and Operations from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Canada, and a diploma in Leadership and Management from Harvard Business School.
Renowned for his dynamic leadership and passion for travel innovation and technology, Gideon has been instrumental in transforming Adansi Travels into a leading brand in the Ghanaian travel and tourism industry. Under his guidance, the company has experienced remarkable growth over the past 11 years, offering exciting tour packages globally and bringing joy to thousands. His recent achievement includes leading Adansi Travels in a successful fundraising venture, enabling the launch of five new subsidiaries focused on education, health tourism, and customer loyalty.
As a panelist at the Africa Youth and Innovation Summit and Challenge in Windhoek, Namibia, Gideon Asare will share his insights on demystifying startup funding as a barrier to innovation and success. His commitment to driving innovation, embracing change, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies aligns perfectly with the summit’s theme. Gideon’s dedication to customer satisfaction and his forward-thinking approach continue to redefine the travel industry, making him an inspiring figure for the youth and a beacon of excellence in his field.
In the dynamic realm of technology, where innovation takes the front seat, Humphrey stands out as both an astute entrepreneur and a seasoned professional services maestro. With a career trajectory that showcases a brilliant blend of business acumen and technological prowess.
Having sculpted several tech startups from their nascent stages to thriving enterprises, Humphrey’s expertise isn’t just limited to ideation and inception. It extends into the intricate arenas of building formidable professional teams, curating state-of-the-art consulting organizations, and spearheading practice development. From the nuances of consulting delivery to the hands-on role of a client account executive and service delivery.
Humphrey has also made significant strides in the tourism sector by identifying the potential that technology has to enhance the tourism industry. He has played a role in promoting innovative solutions that improve the overall travel experience. He is committed to leveraging technology to enhance the tourism sector and make travel more convenient and enjoyable for all. His passion for positive societal impact extends to tourism, where he continues to foster innovation and elevate the travel experience for people around the world.
He envisions a world where technology and education break barriers, through cyberspace, tourism, health, and fintech driving positive change. His passion for community empowerment is evident in his active involvement in transformative initiatives. Navigating the global business landscape adeptly, he’s made a significant impact in areas like Education Technology, AI, and cyberspace, combining visionary strategy with hands-on execution in customer experience enhancement, strategic partnerships, and impactful marketing campaigns.
Every venture under his guidance benefits from his acumen in resource mobilization and meticulous project management. The tech space, often turbulent and unpredictable, finds a steady hand in leaders like Humphrey.
Ibukunoluwa Salau is the Founder and CEO of Direx (getdirex.com), a travel-tech startup dedicated to helping travel and hospitality providers in Africa grow their businesses through digitalization. Direx oers a range of cloud-based solutions, including a payment and booking engine, a fully integrated back-oce system, a website builder, and many more.
Ibukunoluwa, a technologist, has extensive experience in the development of digital products, having been involved in the tech startup ecosystem since 2017 in a wide range of capacities.
Prior to launching Direx in 2022, he founded and built Afriktrip, one of the leading online travel marketplaces for booking local tours, activities, and things to do across 28 African countries. His work has been featured in a variety of tech and media outlets both locally and abroad, including Disrupt Africa, ProductHunt, Startup.info, BenjaminDada, TechBuild Africa, and Web in Travel.
Ibukunoluwa, a Nigerian, is a passionate advocate of using technology to tackle Africa’s challenges. He strongly believes that technology and entrepreneurship have a vital role in the long-term success and advancement of the African continent, especially for the younger generation. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and currently lives in the United Kingdom.
Department Head, Senior lecturer, Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Dr Isobel Manuel holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality, a Postgraduate Diploma in Heritage Conservation and Management, a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Cum Laude) and a Master in Leisure Project Management. She is at present employed as a senior lecturer in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek. She is also the Head of Department which oversees both the academic department and commercial NUST Hotel School.
She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors at the Windhoek Country Club and Deputy Chair of the Council on the National Arts Council of Namibia. Her involvement in local community projects and activities speaks to her portfolios on the various government boards and of which she takes great pride to be able to share skills and knowledge for the upliftment of the respective entities which in turn benefits the community at large.
As a seasoned academic her research interests are of cultural, creative, heritage, and sustainable tourism management which seeks to empower local communities more specifically women, and which she has published in various journals and book chapters.
In her spare time, she is an avid reader of novels and biographies and enjoys spending time with her husband and four kids.
Jean Byamugisha is the CEO of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, the only trade association for the Hotel Sector in Uganda. With over 600 member hotels, UHOA is the biggest as well as one of the oldest private sector Associations in Uganda’s tourism sector.
Ms. Byamugisha is the first female CEO of the Association as well as the youngest CEO in the history of UHOA. When Jean took over as CEO, the Association had 202 Members and she has steadily grown the association to 625 members in 6years, making her one of the best performing CEO’s in the history of UHOA. She has also been recognized as one of the 20 Best performing CEOs in Uganda in a national survey carried out in December 2018 and 2019. She was voted among the top 100 women in Tourism in Africa in 2017 as well as one of Uganda’s Top 40 CEO’s under 40 in 2018. She was also voted as one of Uganda’s 50 most admirable women in 2020.
Ms. Byamugisha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Management from Makerere University, one of Africa’s oldest and best universities as well as a host of post graduate certifications from different international training institutions. Jean is very passionate about the tourism industry and has acted as Mentor to many hospitality students in different universities in Uganda. In her spare time, Jean is an avid reader and traveller.
Fondly referred to as the chief entrepreneur in East Africa, with over 15 years of experience. Mr. Mwinamo has constantly been involved in policy development and championing for a better SME growth environment. His high entrepreneurial empathy and strategic mind has seen him inspire the success of many businesses. His rhetoric constantly challenges the status quo and seeks to initiate new ideas on how entrepreneurs can receive the support they need to grow their businesses.
He is the co-founder and CEO of SNDBX. He serves as a board member of Amnesty International, member of the Steering Committee at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs and recently appointed by the Nairobi Governor as a board member of Mbagathi Hospital in Kenya”
Senior Specialist, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Office of the Executive Director, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
José Ricardo Díaz Ardila currently works in the Innovation and Digital Transformation team of the Innovation, Education and Investments Department of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). During this period, he has been in charge of the UNWTO Acceleration Programme, the UNWTO Rural Tourism Competition and the UNWTO Sustainable Development Goals Global Startup Competition.
His experience includes previous work for the Youth Chapter of the Hotel and Tourism Association of Colombia (COTELCO) and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts in the Sultanate of Oman. Recently, he has collaborated as Mentor Coordinator for the EUvsVirus Hackathon, a project from the European Commission to find solutions for COVID-19 challenges.
UN Tourism Senior Expert for Communications in Africa
Kojo Bentum-Williams is the Founder and Publisher of Africa’s leading travel and tourism Publication, VoyagesAfriq. A communication professional with over 12 years in working in travel and tourism trade. His cross-cutting knowledge in the industry include working as PR official at the Ghana Tourism Authority and Press Secretary to Ghana’s Former Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture.
He is currently the Senior Expert for Communications in Africa at UN Tourism and aide to the Secretary General. He has regularly contributed to several Tourism publication and reports including the annual Africa Tourism Monitor Report published by the Africa Development Bank (AFDB), New York University Africa House Journal and Casa Africa’s Encounter with African Journalists in Spain. He is a columnist in Leading Spanish NewsPaper EL-Pais on African Tourism.
Kojo has worked closely with several African Tourism Ministers, Convention Bureaus, and CEOs of National Tourism Boards in Africa as well as the Africa’s Tourism Private Sector.
Corporate Legal Counsel/Board Secretary Botswana Tourism Organisation, Botswana
Ken Agyapong Jr (Kenny) is a Ghanaian-American Entrepreneur and a Philanthropist.
He attended public High School in the Bronx, New York and graduated top of his class. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from Utica College of Syracuse in 2012. He further his education at Johnson Wells University, Providence Rhode Island in 2014 where he received his Master of Business Administration in Business Administration.
Kenny began his career in events and entertainment Management by organizing major parties while studying at Utica College of Syracuse in his dorm room.
As a child of first-generation African immigrants, his West African roots are present in everything. He moved to Ghana in 2014 to work. As the Director of Net2TV a subsidiary of Kencity Group, a company owned by his family.
In 2015 Abdul; his good friend from New York, came up with an idea to have a festival in Ghana and consulted Kenny to partner him to plan it. After two years of research and planning.
They settled on an afro-festival dubbed Afrochella. The maiden Afrochella took place in the year 2017 at the Polo Club in Accra- Ghana, and has become the biggest culture festival in West Africa under the company ‘Culture Management Group’.
Head of Digital Advisory, BDO Advisory Services, South Africa
Qualifications
Experience
Specialist Skills
Digital Transformation, Process Improvement Technology Strategy, Process Consultant | Process Automation, Data Analytics Cloud Transformation |
Professional Memberships
Other (Conferences)
Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Ghana Business School, University of Ghana,
Dr Kobby Mensah obtained his PhD in Journalism from the University of Sheffield, UK, and holds an MSc in International Marketing from Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
He is a Chartered Marketer (CIM, UK). A member of Political Marketing Specialist Group (PMSG) of the Political Studies Association (PSA), UK; Associate Editor, African Journal of Management Research, UGBS; Member of Palgrave McMillan Board on Political Marketing Management Book Series. Kobby serves as Chair of the Sales and Marketing Compliance Committee of Accra Brewery Ltd (ABL).
He consults for corporate and political institutions on political marketing, corporate communications, social media deployment and tourism marketing. Kobby recently developed the FOCAS Software, an innovative data-driven customer feedback system that tracks and evaluates service performance.
Associate Professor, College of Science and Engineering, Qatar
Prof. Kamilla Swart is Associate Professor and Director of the Masters in Sport and Entertainment Management (MSEM) program at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar. She also serves as Senior Research Associate, School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg. Previous positions include Director of the Centre for Tourism Research in Africa, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town. Her research interests include sport, tourism, and events, focusing on mega-events, policies, strategies, monitoring and evaluation, legacy, sustainability and inclusion; in the developing context, and in the global South in particular.
Kamilla has nearly 30 years’ experience in sport, tourism and events that spans academia and the private sector and has consulted broadly in both the public and private sectors. She served as Sport and Facilities Manager at the Cape Town 2004 Olympic bid and a sponsorship consultant for Octagon SA. She headed up the Durban Events Corporation, a public-private partnership with the City of Durban to use events to attract tourism. She also led the 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup research agenda.
Kamilla has an established track record of research excellence, having published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, 25 book chapters, and numerous conference presentations and technical reports. Kamilla co-authored the first U.S. text on sport tourism (2002) and recently co-edited the Research Handbook on Major Sporting Events (Edward Elgar, 2024). She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Destination Marketing and Management and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. Kamilla served as Co-Chair of the World Association of Sport Management 2023 Qatar Conference. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Qatar Olympic Academy and the Advisory Committee (research pillar) of the UNESCO Chair on Governance & Social Responsibility in Sport. Kamilla is committed to building local capacity and empowering the next generation.
A journalist from Tanzania, mostly producing tourism, travel and conservation contents for Tanzania Safari Channel under Tanzania Broadcasting corporation (TBC).
A tourism and travel connoisseur and social media influencer with more than 20k followers on Instagram. My work as a journalist and a TV documentary producer is mostly about tourism, nature and conservation. I have produced a number of documentaries for Tanzania National Parks, Game reserves and forest reserves.
I’ve also reported for Meetings Africa 2023 by South African tourism and also I did impactful stories on Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation summit and challenge 2023. Also took part in producing a
documentary and new stories for ATLF 2023.
Lecturer, Coordinator & Learning Development Facilitator, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Maipato Caroline Mmako is a lecturer, Coordinator and Learning Development Facilitator at the University of Johannesburg. Passionate about student success and student development, she has worked on an initiative called Africa by bus where she planned, organized, and facilitated 3 trips across 3 African countries with more than 250 students by bus. She presented at the South African National Resource Center (SANRC) on how the Africa by bus initiative encourages experiential learning and affords young people the opportunity to experience the different cultures in Africa while exploring the beautiful continent.
She forms part of the first cohort of fellows who were part of the Tennessee State University Research programme with a focus on student learning and adaptation; looking at the Nashville Next Plan. She loves working with young people and that saw her working in collaboration with a youth organization in Soweto where she led, collected, and donated over 250 books for the Nelson Mandela Day book drive.
She is also an avid reader and loves traveling.
Executive Director, Malawi Tourism Council, Malawi
IATA/UFTAA accredited consultant in International Travel and Tourism, with over thirteen years’ experience in Senior management. An entrepreneur, travel sales and Marketing expert. The Current Executive Director of the Malawi Tourism Council.
Head of Digital Strategy, Transformation, and Innovation, MTC, Namibia
Associate Professor: Tourism Management, University Of South Africa, South Africa
Magdalena Petronella (Nellie) Swart holds a DCom in Leadership Performance and Change, is an Associate Professor in Tourism at the University of South Africa, and a Certified Meeting Professional. Nellie has authored and co-authored accredited journal articles, book chapters and conference proceedings related to business tourism and tourism education. The training of tourism teachers is amongst her community engagement projects. She is an executive committee member of a number of tourism committees and serves on the editorial board of the IJTC. Nellie has organised national and international conferences and is often an invited speaker at business events.
IT Strategist & Business Consultant, CEO, Liranz Limited, Ghana
Mr. Nicholas Bortey, CEO and founder of Liranz Consulting, A leading IT Consultancy and Management Firm in Ghana, is as an accomplished authority in the realms of Business and Technology, showcasing his exceptional leadership within Ghana’s IT sector. His remarkable contributions have earned him accolades both locally and internationally, affirming his prowess. With a focus on IT Strategy and Business Consultancy, his reputation shines brightly, underscored by a history of successfully guiding enterprises in areas of Business Transformation, Digital Innovation, and Technology Consulting.
Mr. Bortey’s distinctive talent lies in aligning business objectives with the most fitting technological solutions, resulting in the prosperity of numerous ventures. Drawing from 20+ years of extensive
experience, his expertise spans Governance of Enterprise Information & Technology, Strategic IT Planning, Organisational Change Management, IT Services Management, IT Project Management, IT Consultancy, as well as Training & Capacity building.
His profound impact on the technology sector gained recognition from the West Africa Nobles Forum, which inducted him as a Noble in 2018. Has also received an “Africa International Award of Merit” by the West Africa International Press Ltd for his exceptional leadership within Ghana’s IT sector. Some of his honors include the following:
Mr. Nicholas Bortey has consulted for top industry players across various sectors including Oil and Gas, Education, Legal Practice and Non-Governmental Institutions on various assignments in Ghana and beyond the sub-region.
Mr. Bortey’s drive lies in empowering enterprises to optimize their operations and yield through a comprehensive Information Technology strategy. He advocates for businesses to perceive IT as a valuable investment rather than a mere burden, fuelling his unwavering commitment to elevating organizations
through the strategic implementation of technology.
President, Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association
Ms. Samiya Abdulkadir Godu is President of Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association, Chairperson of African of Alliance Young Entrepreneurs Association and Member of Executive Committee of International Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs Association. She is a disruptive young entrepreneur, an advocate working on adding value to education and entrepreneurship. She is a voice for young entrepreneurs towards having an enabling ecosystem for innovation and to having active participation in the world market. Currently, she is working on EYEA, by mobilizing all concerned bodies and stakeholders to work on the responsibility of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in their own communities and beyond. She works on strengthening our education system, promoting youth employment and entrepreneurship in all countries and regions. By building our collective talent pool and investing in entrepreneurship ecosystems across our continent.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Fortunatus Advisory LLC, Safiyya Akoojee is an astute legal & private advisor based in Dubai. She is a qualified South African Attorney maintaining her status on the High Court Bar in South Africa. She has
worked as an advisory professional, completing transactions on Foreign Direct Investments into Africa, offshore corporate strategy, legal counsel, UAE company establishment and a complete suite of advisory services.
Safiyya serves as the International Director for Thomson Wilks Inc., where she has practiced for 14 years, focusing on Middle East strategy & legal consulting. She advises a multitude of international clients both in the Middle East and the African continent. She has also served as President of the South African Business Council,
Dubai U.A.E and represented South Africa in procuring foreign direct investment.
Having held leadership posts in multiple businesses and providing global expertise with legal insights to advise corporations, companies, and executives alike. Safiyya has an acute business acumen and foresight allowing her to advise her clients on the intricacies of cross border transactions whilst providing access to laws and regulations. Safiyya has mandates representing clients across various businesses &
industry sectors, including oil, gas & energy; travel, tourism & hospitality; food manufacturing; real estate & construction, automotive and technology sectors.
She speaks regularly at conferences on international investments and the international legal environment providing insights to regulations and supporting business opportunities, whilst overcoming cross border and governmental challenges.
Safiyya holds degrees in Bachelor of Arts (Law, International Relations, English), University of Witwatersrand; Bachelor of Laws (LLB), University of South Africa; Post Graduate Certificate, Commercial & Corporate Law, University of London (awarded merit*); Post Graduate Diploma, Banking & Finance Law, University of London (awarded merit*); Masters of Law (LLM), Banking, Finance & Corporate Law,
University of London.
Director, Tourism and Gaming, Ministry Of Environment, Forestry And Tourism, Namibia
Business Strategist, Travel and Tourism Industry Expert, Product innovation and development Expert, Presenter, Negotiator, Speaker, Moderator, GALLUP Certified Strengths & Talent Development Coach, Mentor and Employee Engagement Expert. His talent DNA are Responsibility, Strategic, Futuristic, Focus, Self – Assurance.
He is a Director of Tourism and Gaming in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. He has over the years developed and launched many hospitality, tourism services & products and events. He has vast executive management and Board experience having worked as a Senior Manager and Board of Director in the travel, tourism, hospitality sector and medical fund industries in both private and public sector over the past 25 years.
He is experienced in pragmatic strategic and tactical business management in the hospitality, travel and tourism industry, strategic human capital, operations management, strategic marketing, product innovation and development, tactical corporate leadership, policy design & development, strategy formulation & implementation, employee relations and engagement, strength coaching and talent development, etc. He holds a Masters of Business Administration (MsM), Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Advanced Diploma in Business Administration and Diploma in Marketing Management. He is certified in Corporate Governance and Certified GALLUP Clifton-Strengths Coach.
Septi M. Bukula has specialised in public policy on entrepreneurship and small business promotion since 1993. He is the founder and director of Rendzo Network, a collaborative network of travel and tourism SMEs across South Africa, dedicated to strengthening their international competitiveness and market access. Most recently, he established TourismBRaIN, a digital platform connecting Africa’s travel and tourism SMEs for cross-border business referral and collaboration. The platform also facilitates sharing by public (government departments and agencies) and private entities of information on support programmes, incentives, trainings, tools, resources, and other opportunities relevant to Africa’s travel and tourism SMEs.
President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Nigeria
Mrs. Susan Akon Akporiaye an entrepreneur per excellence. A very focused and passionate person, a go-getter by nature. A firm believer that whatever one sets his or her mind to achieve is possible with God’s help. These sterling qualities have defined my entrance and contributions to the industry I currently serve in the travel and tourism industry.
Being the Chief Executive of Topaz Travels and Tours Limited (an IATA Certified Travel and Tourism Management Company), I am currently the National President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, the single largest travel and tourism trade body in West Africa. Interestingly, I am the second woman in the over forty seven (47) years history of the Association to attain this position, I consider this an acknowledgement and testament of true leadership qualities and exceptional persona.
In addition to the above, I am also the second deputy President of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria, (FTAN).
Contributions to the Industry-
Topaz Travels and Tours Limited in Abuja, is a company I conceived and started some seventeen years ago, and the company continues to thrive through diligence, value for customer satisfaction and professional knowledge. With my leadership, Topaz Travels has received several awards for astounding performance over the years.
Accountable Manager, Namibian Aviation Training Academy (NATA), Namibia
Senior Lecturer: Rhodes Business School And Champion Of Entrepreneurship, Rhodes University, South Africa
Professor Matshediso ‘Tshidi’ Mohapeloa (DBA -TUT, MBA -Mancosa BA -NMU), is currently an Associate Professor, the Acting Director of the newly formed Rhodes University Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (RU-CFERI) and Coordinator of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Enterprise Management at the Rhodes Business School. She is the Co-Chair of Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE)’s community of practice (CoP) in Entrepreneurship Learning and Teaching.
Prior to joining Rhodes Business School she supervised and assisted MBA students from Mancosa and TUT Business School.
Her diverse work experience ranges from developmental- business-academia. A researcher, a consultant, an academic and a development expert with extensive work in socio-economic and related issues. Areas of expertise include entrepreneurship with a social focus, engaging communities in research with impact, has a keen interest in strengthening innovative solutions that incorporates technology, to mitigate social and environmental challenge. Sees entrepreneurship as a means to an end through working with young budding entrepreneurs, corporate entrepreneurs (intrapreneurs), creatives and other entrepreneurial spaces to create social and innovative solutions.
Prof Mohapeloa publications, research and teaching based on her interests in entrepreneurship with the social impacts outcomes where innovation, sustainability and entrepreneurship benefits the community/ local citizens. Through community engaged research and projects focuses on support for township and survivalist entrepreneurs, cooperatives including those with social impact. Main target are young entrepreneurs, women–led enterprises and local community projects.
She authored and co-authored various research output and publications in peer reviewed journals, and international conferences. Some of her published work in the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, a chapter in an anthology on Teaching & Learning Entrepreneurship – by Learning in Higher Education (LiHE)
Career objective focus on stimulate young creative minds through knowledge sharing and skills development. With background in socio-economic combined with passion for youth, women, children and, people with disabilities (as groups made vulnerable by poverty).
Tourism and Aviation Expert, Executive Concierge, Zimbabwe
Ms. Winnet Muchanyuka is a seasoned aviation and tourism expert with an extensive background in both sectors. As the founding partner of Executive Concierge, she contributes to the travel, tourism, and hospitality consulting industry. With her leadership as the Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, she played a pivotal role in promoting and developing tourism in Zimbabwe, contributing to a key economic sector. Ms. Muchanyuka’s involvement as the immediate past President of the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe showcases her commitment to advancing the tourism industry. Her academic qualifications, including an MSc in Tourism and Hospitality Management from the University of Zimbabwe and an MBA from the University of Gloucestershire (UK), highlight her dedication to continuous learning. With over 30 years of experience in commercial and airport operations with various airlines, she brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Ms. Muchanyuka also devotes time to networking, mentoring, and engaging with women and young people, emphasizing her commitment to community and professional development.
Born in Ghana, Yaw Dwomoh has called South Africa his for home for 31 years.
He obtained a master’s degree in business management (MBA) and Executive Development in Digital Transformation.
Yaw has over 3 decades worked experience across multiple disciplines, notably:
Yaw worked in corporate for 15 years, holding various middle to senior management roles in Human Resources Management and Organisational Transformation. He left corporate in 2006 to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.
Having established Idea Hive in 2015 to provide video content solutions to clients, the business has now morphed into a Performance Marketing Agency with offices in Johannesburg and Nairobi employing 35 team members in both locations.
Idea Hive leverages on its extensive MarTech stack to deliver precision marketing solutions to our clients like Shell SA, McDonald’s SA, Sasol, RCL etc.
At Idea Hive, we believe that the world of marketing has evolved, and that Technology and Artificial Intelligence provide compelling opportunities for brands to reach their consumers with the right content, on the right platform in the right format at the right time.
He believes in empowering young people to blossom into their full capabilities.
Evah is a seasoned Business Consultant, Accredited Trainer, and Coach with broad knowledge of business and entrepreneurship ecosystems, enterprise development and specialised expertise in the Tourism and Hospitality industry and its value chains. Evah brings over a decade of experience working in the private sector(hotels), academia, and the public sector.
As a certified Tourism And Hospitality Analytics (CHIA, CAHTA) professional, her core areas of expertise in Tourism include full spectrum Tourism Consulting & Advisory, Tourism Impact Analysis & Economic Measurement, Tourism Policy, Planning & Development, Hotel Investment Analysis, and Sustainable Enterprising among others. Ms Evah is often deployed in national projects for tourism and related industries, sits on several tourism technical committees and provides expert representation in various regional and continental organizations such as Market Players, Trade Forward Southern Africa (TFSA) and African Organization of Standardization (ARSO)
Beyond her roles as a full-time Consultant, with a track record of mentoring SMMEs across different industries to success, Ms Mosetlhane continues to actively contribute to the entrepreneurship community in different capacities. She serves as a start-up mentor for the University of Botswana Open Innovation Programme (OIP), a facilitator in the Tourism Business Coaching and Mentorship Program (TBCMP), a coach for the Women In Trade Programme by Trade Forward Southern Africa (TFSA) as well as Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) among other roles where hundreds of businesses have been impacted. With her diverse engagement in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, she is adept at developing and implementing programmes to start, grow and achieve sustainable enterprises.
Ms Mosetlhane is mostly passionate about inclusivity and sustainability in the business landscape with a special interest in social entrepreneurship, youth and women entrepreneurship, community-driven ventures etc., in essence developing entrepreneurial solutions for sustainable development. She dedicates her free time to mentoring youth in and outside the tourism sector to navigate both their employment or entrepreneurship paths.
Akwasi Agyeman, is the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, the lead Public Service Agency in charge of regulating tourism in Ghana through marketing and promotion, licensing and classification of tourism facilities and services, investments, research and development. Prior to his appointment in January 2017, he was a shareholding partner of Global Media Alliance, a Media Consultancy and broadcasting company. As the Managing Director of its broadcasting operations, he was in charge of one TV Station and four radio stations. Until recently, he was the President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).
He holds an MBA in Marketing and Information Systems from Tulane University in Louisiana (2003), USA – an MBA Merit Scholarship Recipient. He also holds a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences (1993) and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA -1996) from the University of Ghana.
Founder and CEO, Professional Marketing Services (PMS) Group, Kenya
Joanne Mwangi-Yelbert is the founder and CEO of Professional Marketing Services (PMS) Group, an award-winning all-round marketing and communications agency providing employment to over 10,000 young adults.
An internationally acclaimed Marketing Guru, she is the immediate past Chair of the Kenya Tourism Board and President of the Stanford Seed East Africa Network.
Joanne was recognized as the top female entrepreneur in Kenya in 2010 and honored as one of the 50 Most Influential CEOs in Kenya, 2024, further solidifying her position as a leader and trailblazer in the business world.
She is a three-time finalist at The All-Africa Business Leaders Award, an Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) Global Woman of the Year award holder and a KPMG and Nation Media Group Top Entrepreneur of the Year.
She is a much sought-after public speaker where her eloquent, humorous and greatly simplified adaptation of the most complex theories, coupled with honest renditions of personal experiences and missteps, make her both memorable and immensely impactful.
Joanne Mwangi has an extraordinary track record for structuring complex deals and investments as a venture capitalist in Lion’s Den, a television series in the global Dragons Den and Shark Tank genre.
A pan African at heart, she is at home when traveling across the mother continent and believes tourism is the perfect catalyst for social economic prosperity.
Manager of Business Development @ Mastercard | Grading Assessor Accreditation CATHSETA, South Africa
I am a Business Development Manager at Mastercard, where I leverage my 20+ years of experience and expertise in the leisure and travel industry to drive growth and innovation across the African continent. I create and execute strategies that increase market share, revenue, and customer satisfaction for Mastercard and its partners in the hospitality sector.
A proven track record of generating over $300 million USD in sales revenue, developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, and identifying and capitalizing on new business opportunities. I am passionate about delivering high-quality services and solutions that meet the needs and expectations of my clients and partners. I am also a seasoned speaker, leader, mentor, and coach, who enjoys sharing my insights and knowledge with diverse audiences and inspiring others to achieve their goals.
Nrupesh Soni stands at the forefront of the rapidly evolving Namibian digitalization sector, blending innovation with impactful digital and marketing strategies to drive the industries forward. As the founder of Facilit8 Namibia, Nrupesh has distinguished himself as a digital strategist, entrepreneur, and disruptor, dedicating his expertise to the business development of companies and the overall enhancement of Namibia’s emerging industries infrastructure.
In the tourism sector, his efforts have not only provided robust solutions to contemporary challenges but have also laid the groundwork for the transformative Namibia Travel & Tourism Forum platform, significantly improving local engagement and business outcomes in a short span. Nrupesh’s approach to mentorship in the tourism industry is holistic, focusing on leveraging technology and strategic insights to elevate the employability and entrepreneurial skills of Africa’s youth.
At the Africa Youth In Tourism Summit, Nrupesh’s role in the “Mentorship Festival & Employability Clinic – Spotlight” segment highlights his commitment to nurturing future leaders through personalized consultations and strategic advice, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate and succeed in the dynamic tourism landscape.
Leads Investment Attraction Team, Namibia Investment Promotion & Development Board (NIPDB)
Selma Namutuwa (BScEcon, Polytechnic of Namibia, MBA Strategic Management,
University of South Wales) is a results-oriented investment professional with 12+ years of experience in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Namibia. Currently, she leads the Investment Attraction team at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB).
Selma’s leadership was instrumental in facilitating Namibia’s participation at Expo Dubai 2020, where she co-managed the national pavilion team and its program activities. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in being part of the team that organised the major events that promote Namibia as a favourable investment
location. These include, the Invest in Namibia International Investment Conference 2016, the 2019 Economic Growth Summit, she also contributed towards developing targeted investment promotion strategies.
Selma is passionate about driving economic development in Namibia and creating a thriving FDI landscape.
Chairperson and Executive Member, Hospitality Association of Namibia
Ally Karaerua is a qualified hotelier beside being a specialist in tour operation. He has over 20 years of experience at executive management level in Hotels, Resorts, and Tour Operations in East Africa, Germany, and Namibia.
He has a master’s in business administration (MBA) combined with earlier qualifications in
hospitality management from the prestigious Kenya Utalii College. His other qualifications are in Sales and Marketing, Law, and Digital marketing from the University of Cape Town.
Ally is currently the Managing Director of Natural Selection Safaris in Namibia. Natural
Selection Safaris is a conservation-based tourism company which manages boutique lodges in Namibia, Botswana, and Sour Africa.
Head of Enterprise Banking, FNB Commercial, Namibia
Connie-Marlene Theyse is the Head of Enterprise Banking for FNB Commercial in Namibia. She is an experienced Banker with a strong finance, operational and risk management background. She has held many senior management roles across various industries in Namibia. She completed her articles with Deloitte Namibia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Mercantile Law from theUniversity of Stellenbosch.
Executive Director, Directorate: ADS and Satellite Campuses, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia
Erling Kavita currently the Executive Director for Academic Development and Support at NUST, hold a B. Phil (cum laude) in Tourism Business Administration, MA Tourism and Business Administration (cum laude) from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a PhD in Tourism Management from the University of Pretoria (RSA). He worked at NUST for the past 20 years and previously worked at the UNDP as a Specialist for Protected Areas, Tourism Planning and Concessions and for UNESCO as a Project Manager for MDG-F Sustainable Cultural Tourism Programme. His main specialisation cut across sustainable tourism, ecotourism, local economic development, and policy formulation pertaining to sustainable development and improved livelihoods.
He has strong competency and experience in the implementation and adjudication of projects. He has more than 25 years in teaching, learning and academic administration at tertiary level. He developed more than 10 different degree programmes in management, hospitality, and tourism. He assisted the Namibia Qualification Authority (NQA) and other agencies in the SADC with programme reviews and the formulation of higher education qualification frameworks and/or level descriptors. Dr Kavita serve in various boards, councils and has developed numerous training manuals and conducted training to park managers, community rangers, tour operators and conservation agents.
Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia
Mr. Benedict Libanda is the first and current Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia. He holds a Masters in Development Studies obtained from the University of Free States and a Master’s in Business Administration from Leicester University. He comes with years of experience in environmental and climate finance, climate fund design and structuring, resource mobilization, project planning, and management. Mr. Libanda has successfully mobilized over US$400 million for climate investment during his carrier from agencies such as the Green Climate Fund, Agency for French Development, Swedish Environmental Fund, Global Environmental Facility, etc. Through his role at the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia, he is part of the Namibian team entrusted with the implementation of the Namibian Green Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap.
Owner/Operator, Sandwich Dune Tours and Car Rentals CC
As a dedicated Business Owner and Operator with a rich history of strategically positioning my tour company for success, I bring extensive experience in the Namibian tourism industry. My commitment to providing high-quality products and excellent customer service has been the cornerstone of my business. I excel in managing day-to- day operations while staying aligned with overarching company goals and consistently representing Namibian tourism at all levels.
Core Competencies
Professional Experience
Owner/Operator, Sandwich Dune Tours and Car Rentals CC, Nov 2018 – Present
Key Achievements
Professional Affiliations
Personal Attributes
Kenneth Kapitako is committed to driving the success of Namibian tourism through
strategic leadership, operational excellence, and an unwavering dedication to customer
satisfaction.
Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana or Mr. Tourism, is a multi-talented professional in the fields of media, marketing, public relations, tourism, hospitality, brand strategy, entrepreneurship, motivational speaking, and philanthropy. He is a holder of several qualifications, including a Masters Degree in Tourism Management from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; a Masters Degree in Marketing Strategy from the University of Ghana, Legon, Business School; a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration; an Associate in Legal Studies and Litigation from the New York Paralegal School; and an Advance Certificate in Public Relations and Advertising from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
Santana has served Ghana in various capacities, including as a Tourism Ambassador, Covid-19 Trust Fund Ambassador, Communications Manager for the Local Enterprise and Skills Development Program, and Ghana Reconstruction of Anomaly and Trauma Fund. He has received several awards both locally and internationally for his outstanding contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry.
Abeiku Santana is the CEO of Kaya Tours Ghana Limited & Kaya Management Services, a leading travel tourism and marketing communications agency based in Ghana, West Africa. The company was founded with the aim of providing exceptional travel and tourism trade business across Africa to the world. Under Santana’s leadership, Kaya Tours has grown to become one of the most reputable travel and tourism agencies in the region.
Recently, Santana was adjudged among the Top 100 Travel & Tourism professionals in Africa. He is a member of the Association of International Travel and Tourism Professionals, Skal.
Santana strongly believes in empowering the youth with knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to embrace a brighter future for generations to come. He also advocates for the use of technology and innovation to drive tourism forward, creating personalized experiences for travelers and creating new opportunities for economic growth.
Aline Murekatete is Destination management specialist and certified Project manager. With 3+ years of experience in destination (Rwanda) marketing and destination consultancy, she takes pride in bringing the destination management services to the destination management services next level.
She has been selected as one of Rwanda’s top 12 Tourism Incubation women-only cohorts and was the winner of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Competition 2020.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Travel and Tourism Management from Kenya Utalli College, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi.one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality schools.
Senior Lecturer, Department of Tourism Management, Tshwane University of Technology
Dr PPS Sifolo has wealth of experience and prodigious knowledge in the tourism sector and higher education. She is a senior lecturer focusing on Management, Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship subjects in the Department of Tourism Management at Tshwane University of Technology. She is a National Research Foundation rated researcher and the Future Professors Program candidate by the Department of Higher Education & Training. Portia completed her Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) which focused on the nexus between supply chain management and stakeholder management for the optimum growth of the tourism sector. She has a Master of Business Leadership from UNISA, her research project focused on marketing strategies for major economic regional players in Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa). She is the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Tourism & Sustainability in 2022 as well as Tourism Planning and Development (TPD) 2022 -2024. She serves as Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) expert for Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit & Challenge as a representative for British Council’s Innovation for African Universities programme in 2021-2022. She was an adjudicator for the National Tourism awards in South Africa from 2015-2019. She served as a Board member at LARASA (Leisure and Recreation Association of Southern Africa) from 2017-2018. She has passion for tourism leadership and tourism supply chains in Africa as economic development initiatives due to her international exposure, particularly in the African continent. She is a research supervisor and an examiner for various institutions. Her scientific interests include digital procurement of tourism establishments in Africa. She has co-authored in different books, published research papers in academic journals and participated in both domestic and international conferences.
Director, Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination, AfCFTA Secretariat, Accra, Ghana
Prudence Sebahizi is the Director for Institutional Matters and Programmes Coordination at the AfCFTA Secretariat. He provides technical and strategic advice to the Secretary General and to the AfCFTA Institutions by supporting all technical directorates. His priority is to develop and strengthen AfCFTA Institutional Capacity required to ensure full implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. He was the Chief Technical Advisor on AfCFTA and Head of the AfCFTA Unit/Interim Secretariat, from August 2016 where he provided technical and Strategic advice to the AfCFTA Negotiating Institutions.
As the overall coordinator of AfCFTA negotiations, he led a team of experts who provided technical assistance and strategic guidance to strengthen the capacity of the African Union Commission (AUC), to more effectively drive the AfCFTA preparatory process since 2015.
Prudence worked with the Government of Rwanda for more than 10 years in the areas of International Trade and Regional Integration and as Rwanda’s Chief Negotiator to the negotiations of the EAC Common Market Protocol since 2006. He was at the center of Rwanda’s accession to the East African Community (EAC) and he advised the government of Rwanda on Regional Integration while working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Office of the President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation respectively.
Prudence was a member of the team of Experts appointed by EAC Summit to advise Heads of State on the way forward for EAC Political Integration. He was also awarded a Certificate of Recognition by EAC Heads of State for contributing to the successful negotiations and conclusion of the East African Community Common Market Protocol. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Policy from Seoul National University, South Korea.
Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing at the Ghana Tourism Authority
Collins Ackwerh has over 15 years of experience in the tourism industry holding different roles in his career. He is the Deputy Director for International Marketing and Head of Digital Marketing at the Ghana Tourism Authority.
He is a passionate and solution-driven team player who led the successful digital marketing of the ‘Year of Return’ campaign and its successor ‘Beyond The Return’ in Ghana. He crafted several hands-on campaigns and online strategies to put Ghana’s tourism on the global tourism map.
His career started in 2002 with Ghana Computers Limited as a Laptop technician and Sales/Marketing Executive where he gained first-hand experience as a marketer for computers while pursuing his B.A. Hons. degree in Geography and Resource Development. After his education, he joined the Ghana Tourism Authority in 2006 where he has worked in various roles including Administration, Research, and Quality Assurance.
His dynamic nature has seen him play pivotal roles in a lot of events targeted at positioning Ghana as a preferred tourism destination in West Africa. He coordinated the team to re-brand the flagship Ghana Paragliding Festival. He also Coordinated the organisation of the African Choral Festival which brought in several choral groups to Ghana from the diaspora.
Collins has worked on several international events such as Africa Tourism Leadership Forum, UNWTO’s Women In Tourism Summit, Africa Youth In Tourism Innovation Summit (AYTIS), and the Ghana Chocolate Day at The Dubai Expo 2020.
He also served a s General manager for Accessworld Broadcasting
He holds an MBA in Information Systems Management from the Sikkim Manipal University (DL), India and a Bachelors degree in Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana. He has a certificate in Web-design and is an enthusiastic researcher.
Chief Executive Officer Small Tourism Enterprise Association, South Africa
Sonto Mbonambi is a professional in the international, local travel business and leisure market.
She boasts over a decade and a half experience in the tourism industry.
She is the current Chief Executive Officer for the Small Tourism Enterprise Association which is commonly known as STEA. This is a non–profit company whose primary mission is to empower SMME’s through engagement and participation in the tourism industry. It’s an Association that advocates for change that will advance and elevate its members within the industry.
She is also the Founder and Director of Nano Travel and Tours. A tour operator with head office in Johannesburg but with a national presence and footprint. Prior to this, she was with a tourism organization that grew tremendously whilst at its helm. It received numerous industry accolades as a recognition of its contribution to the industry. This included Finalists of the Lilizela Awards, Winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award for two years, the Mayoral Awards and the Tourism Excellence Award.
Prior to joining the Tourism field, Sonto worked for various industries both in private and public sector in senior and executive positions with a main focus in sales and marketing. She worked in major retail companies of South Africa, Agriculture and Oil industries.
She holds a junior degree in Psychology, a Diploma in Advanced Business Programme, The Bachelor
of Technology in Business Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales. She recently graduated in Advanced Ministry Studies from the CFC International Bible College. In 2017, ATQ News awarded her one of the Top 100 Women in Africa Travel.
Managing Director & Founder, Kelsi Investment Pty Ltd, Botswana
Keletso Tladi Known as Kelsi’, of 44 years old , The Managing Director and Founder of Kelsi Investment pty ltd, picked a market in security industry which is regarded as male oriented business as her introduction to business. The company has been in full operation for 11 years. It was formed in January 2005, and became operational in 2010. It is fully registered with the Register of Companies;. A young and dynamic Motswana woman, Ms Keletso Tladi, whose business management style is innovative. I work for the company on a fulltime basis. The company has been in full operation rendering services for Security and Events Management. The company that also offers training for starters in events industry. The business passion started as a mitigation to unemployment when she was a youth officer, realising that more youth are unemployed.
Kelsi did not only paved the way for many businesswomen, she always demonstrates how to apply entrepreneurial skills always and also her passion for learning more business skills leads her to pursue her Executive Masters in Business Administration.
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zürich, Physics
Digital innovator, entrepreneur focusing on Disruptive Digital Media and Blockchain.
Urs is the founder of DISEO – a decentralized Social Media, Commerce and Finance Ecosystem – a next generation system that offers brands and even governments to integrate their complete ecosystem into their own social platform to make them independent of the large centralized platforms. It’s a paradigm change, it’s a new Internet of Social Profiles.
All brand platforms are interconnected, enabling them to share users and content globally. This empowers each brand to achieve a critical mass of users it could not achieve alone – but all interconnected brands jointly can. Brands can easier access and interact with their audience. Interconnection adds richness of users, content and services which makes users to return daily. This massively increases income with higher sales and new revenues.
The system of DISEO has integrated user wallets and integrating banking services operated by regulatory compliant financial partners. It has a fair and transparent revenue share mechanism that allows each value contributor to create income, directly and instantly into their integrated wallet. In particular users and influencers earn for their data, engagement with brands and recommendation of their products. This leads to prolific digital activities and strong user growth while significantly reducing cost of service operations.
While brand platforms control the display algorithm – users exclusively and unconditionally control their data – countries gain legal, fiscal and monetary control on residents of their territory.
It’s a self-governed system of balanced interests with democratic and ethical values. Since users are verified to receive a wallet it even eliminates fake users, improves content quality and reduces hate speech and racism. The system can be applied to any industry, from sports and entertainment, travel to fashion, consumer goods, retail, publishing, insurance and even to govern-ment to include the entire ecosystem of the entire country.
DISEO is a truly innovative and worldwide unique system. It turns the existing Silicon Valley model of data exploitation upside down by transferring control to all stakeholder – in particular enabling countries to keep a bigger portion of the digital value chain inside the country.
Urs earned a PhD in physics from ETH Zurich – one of the top 10 universities worldwide. Physics made him experience technology long before the mass adoption of Internet. He has been pioneer in several new developments including VoIP, Mobile Marketing, Social Media, AI, Blockchain working with companies such as Adidas, Sony Playstation, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Diners Club, Helly Hanson, Gillette, UBS, CSS, AXA, Volvo and more.
He became entrepreneur in 1998 by co-founding one of Europe’s first Internet Telephony provider which became a unicorn, operating in 80 countries. He then moved from telecommunications to Social Media and Commerce that later on resulted in the foundation and development of DISEO. Urswas born and raised in Switzerland and is fluent in German, English, French and Spanish.
Francis Doku is a consummate communications professional with over two decades’ experience and currently the General Manager of 3 Group, responsible for TV3 and 3 FM, both owned and operated by Media General Limited. Before this role, he served as General Manager for MG Digital Limited and MG Radio Limited respectively.
His experience spans across the marketing communications and media value chain, including journalism, public relations, media planning, advertising, event management, digital marketing, tourism marketing with veritable know-how in each of these areas.
Between July 2009 and July 2014, he served as General Manager of Adams Media Limited (Carat Ghana). He left Carat to take up the role of Group CEO of The Rave Group, a multi-specialized communications services holding company with interests in media planning, creative development and production, content production, marketing and syndication, events and experiential marketing as well as digital marketing. He later established Maestro Africa Group Limited, a media planning and buying, experiential marketing, public relations and digital marketing company before joining Media General in 2017.
For over two decades he has been writing the Listening and Watching with Francis Doku column in the Graphic Showbiz, a column which critically reviews and previews radio and television programmes and presenters’ performances as well as other happenings in the entertainment, tourism, arts and culture space.
He has worked with global blue-chip media and communications companies such as MediaCom (Vizeum) and Carat. The global brands that he has had the privilege of working on over the years include Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Guinness, Gulder, MTN, Tigo, Vodafone, Nokia, Ariel, Pampers, Duracell, Gillette, Vicks, Always, Vlisco, South Africa Tourism, to name a few.
Doku has been hosting Travel Pass, the tourism show on Accra-based 3FM since 2019 and has over the years been one of the most sought-after pundits on tourism, entertainment and showbiz on radio and television. Francis Doku has a bachelor’s degree in BSc Administration (banking and finance option) and an Executive MBA (marketing option) both from the University of Ghana (UGBS), Legon, Accra.
His interests include travel, watching football, reading, listening to the radio and playing scrabble.
