NANTA takes Pan-African campaign to Ghana, seeks borderless travel, stronger African tourism
Maureen Aguta
The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) is leading a high-level delegation to Ghana in a renewed push for seamless intra-African travel, stronger regional tourism partnerships, and the dismantling of barriers limiting the growth of the continent’s travel industry.
The four-day strategic retreat, organised in collaboration with Ghana’s Safari Valley Resort and supported by Ibom Air, is themed “Africa for Africa: Tourism, Unity and Shared Growth.” It is expected to bring together travel industry leaders, tourism stakeholders, and policy advocates from Nigeria and Ghana to address issues ranging from Afrophobia and xenophobia to restrictive travel policies and weak regional tourism integration.
Speaking ahead of the retreat, NANTA President, Yinka Folami, said the initiative reflects the association’s commitment to promoting African unity through tourism while rekindling the long-standing historical ties between Nigeria and Ghana.
According to him, both countries have consistently demonstrated leadership in advancing the ideals of Pan-Africanism, cultural cooperation, and economic collaboration, making them natural partners in driving a new agenda for regional tourism development.
“From the intellectual foundations laid by our leaders during the independence movements to decades of cultural exchange, trade and commerce, Nigeria and Ghana have repeatedly chosen partnership and collaboration over division,” Folami said.
He described the visit as far more than a tourism engagement, noting that it symbolises a renewed commitment to building a more connected Africa.
“This is a historic handshake—a reaffirmation that Africa is not merely a collection of countries separated by colonial borders, but one community connected by history, culture, trade, enterprise and people,” he stated.
Beyond the bilateral engagements, the NANTA Executive Council will also use the retreat to chart the association’s future direction following its Golden Jubilee celebrations held recently in Ibadan.
Central to its deliberations, Folami said, will be strategies for advocating easier movement of people across African borders, promoting policies that stimulate regional tourism, and encouraging Africans to explore destinations within the continent as readily as they travel outside it.
He stressed that reducing travel restrictions and strengthening cooperation among African nations would unlock enormous opportunities for tourism, investment, job creation, and cultural exchange.
Adding a lighter touch to the programme, the NANTA President joked that the Nigerian delegation would also participate in a friendly Jollof Rice contest with their Ghanaian hosts.
“I have informed our Ghanaian brothers and sisters at Safari Valley that our NANTA delegation has a very capable chef, so they should prepare for a spirited and friendly Jollof Rice competition,” he said.
The retreat is expected to conclude with renewed commitments by stakeholders to deepen tourism collaboration, encourage freer movement across the continent, and position travel as a catalyst for African integration and shared economic growth.