Sunday, 12 July 2015

West African travel business pushes ahead at Accra Weizo


Filed under: Art and Travel |
Looking at the hall that morning at La Palm Royal Beach Resort, especially with the good number of travel and tourism professionals, companies, government representatives, and personalities, it baffles that the preparation for the successful one-day travel event only started this April.
From Ghana, the host country, Nigeria, the organizer, Benin Republic, Togo, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, among others, the well-attended Accra Weizo, lived up to its core objective of integrating the West African region for better economic gains.
The airlines, IATA, hotel chains/owners, tour operators, travel agents, destination managers, travel media among other major players in travel and tourism in West Africa were on hand to discuss way forward for the industry in the region.
But before major papers were presented by industry experts on topical issues, Ikechi Uko, CEO, Akwaaba Travel Market, the organiser of
Accra Weizo, in his opening remarks noted that the quest for seamless integration informed the theme the maiden edition of Weizo which is: “Seamless Travel in West Africa”.
For him, the issue of regional integration championed by ECOWAS founding fathers has not been given due attention and corresponding action, hence Accra Weizo, a one-day travel event, pushes for realization of the West African regional integration goal, starting with the travel and tourism industry.
“It is unfortunate that ECOWAS still lags behind other economic blocks in Africa, especially East and Southern Africa where regional integration is yielding huge socio-economic results. Despite ECOWAS’ almost 300 million people spread across 15 countries, the region has not been able to sustain a viable integration.  Yet, with over 40 airports the economy of the region cannot sustain a viable travel and tourism industry, due to many obstacles to integration and seamless travel. These lapses are what made Accra Wiezo imperative”, Uko said.
With that in mind, Olufemi Adefope, head, HRG/GSA for Delta Airlines in Nigeria, set out with his paper presentation, which was the first at the event. Tagged ‘Trans-border Investment in Travel Business’, the aviation expert underlined issues that negate seamless travel in the region and also preferred solutions.
According to him, top among challenges associated with doing business across West Africa include; bad road network, unauthorised check points, unfriendly nature of investment policies, high taxes and tariffs. Despite the challenges, he noted that there are lots of business opportunities in the West African sub region, which also offer more opportunities for growth in the travel, tourism and aviation sectors, but only when the bottlenecks are removed.
According to him, a recent World Bank report has it that “Africa has less than 1 percent of the global air service market despite having more than 12 percent of the world population”.  “I see opportunities for growth in this assessment, and this makes Accra Weizo timely”, Adefope said.
Following his country man, Frank Nneji, MD, ABC Transport Limited, also presented his paper titled ‘Doing Business across West Africa’.
As the pioneer of road transport across the West African coast, the ABC boss, represented by Uche Odega, a manager, took the participants through the challenges of doing business across the region, especially border bureaucracy that results in delays, language barriers, extortions among others.
The transporter said that with a population of 340million, estimated to hit 400million by the year 2020, the region can sustain regional trade, facilitate tourism and other exchanges and also grow the economies of member states. He therefore called on countries in the region to make further efforts at truly integrating the region because the region will achieve less with the present state of things.
In furthering the seamless travel across the region, Kwabena Adjei, group chairman, Kasapreko Company Limited, in his paper tagged: “The role of the private sector in regional integration”, noted that trade among member countries in the region is key to economic development, while a flourishing private sector within regional integration would translate into numerous benefits to member countries, such as job creation, revenue generation, exchange of knowledge/skill acquisition, economic stability and growth, and promotion of culture and tradition ties among member states.
He however warned that before the region enjoys such benefits, pitfalls such as high tariffs and strict border controls, local laws that supersede that of ECOWAS, political/economic instability, language barriers among others issues must be tackled.
After visiting the stands that participated in a mini exhibition at the event, Professor Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River State, and chairman of the day, in his speech read on his behalf by Professor Evara Esu, his deputy governor, said tourism is a major potential for the development of the sub region and it is important to come together to have a seamless travel in West Africa for the growth of the economies.
According to the newly sworn in governor, the time had come for West Africa to open its borders to be able to attract tourists from all over the world to help improve the economy, as well as, the wellbeing of the people.
On her own path, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts, Ghana, said that tourism is a major factor that could help bring the West African sub region together for effective development.
Tourism can create a forum, like Accra Weizo for experts to share ideas to help develop countries and serve as a link to reinforce the relationships between countries.
She was thankful to the organisers for the timely efforts that has brought the best in travel and tourism in the region to Accra and hoped that the gains from the event would be sustained to build the necessary bridges across the borders for the region to truly have seamless travel.
Earlier, the presence Florence Ita-Giwa, a senator and leader of a band in the famous Carnival Calabar, added colour to the event. She took time to market the carnival to the West African guests at the event and even extended invitation to them on the coming carnival.
But the highlight of the event was an interlude and beautiful performance by a team from Calabar Carnival, whose performance was a tip on the iceberg for the willing guests. The carnival parade also flanked the deputy governor while he read the governor’s speech. It was awesome for the guests most of whom were experiencing the carnival for the first time.
Another highlight was the awards given to deserving personalities in the travel and tourism industry across West Africa. For her efforts at growing Ghana’s tourism receipt, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister of Tourism Culture and Creative Arts, Ghana, was honored with Tourism Person of the Year 2015 Award, Kkwabena Adjei, group chairman, Kasapreko Company Limited, bagged West African Personality of the Year 2015 Award, Wanle Akinboboye, CEO, La Campagne Tropicana, emerged Tourism Man of the Year-Nigeria 2015, while Frank Nneji, MD, ABC Transport Company, was honoured as Travel Personality of the Year West Africa 2015.
Of course, the governor of Cross River State was honoured as Chairman of the event.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Wanle Akinboboye, noted that Accra Weizo is coming at a time every country across West Africa needs the interdependency and cross pollination to achieve common goals. He noted that the awards was a boost to the private sector to take more risks, governments to seat up and truly offer enabling business environment, dismantle roadblock across the borders and other obstacles to free movement and trade integration.

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