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3rd Africa Youth in Tourism Summit- Day 2, Accra-Ghana, 28-30 August 2021.

Calling all young tourism innovators

Young innovators have braced themselves for the 4th Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit & Challenge 2022. To be hosted by the Namibia Ministry of Environment, Forest and Tourism (MEFT) and convened by Africa Tourism Partners in collaboration with UNWTO and BDO South Africa, the tourism innovation challenge is an integral pillar of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit. This is scheduled to take place in Windhoek, Namibia from 27 to 29 July 2022.

The 2021 and third edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge was held in Accra, Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Ghana Tourism Authority in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners, UNWTO and BDO. The event attracted over 200 physical delegates and more than 1,600 online participants from over 38 countries.

The Innovation Challenge’s thrust is to empower young African innovators between the ages of 18 and 35 years by facilitating platforms for business partnerships, market access, networking and mentorship platforms and funding solutions from the global marketplace. To date, there has been an overwhelming response, with entries received from several African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Karibu Ayilu, a young innovator from Nigeria, one of the competitors, believes that the annual Youth Challenge encourages the youth to participate in tourism through collaborative work and employment creation. “I entered the youth challenge to become a good tourism ambassador for my country, and the African continent, through innovation. My aim is to promote sustainability and take part in programmes tailored to minimise the the impact of climate change and to contribute toward youth development.” Another young innovator, Rodgers Chiluba from Zambia, also believes that tourism needs to be taken seriously and requires innovative minds to transform the whole value chain in this era and beyond. The Africa Tourism Innovation Challenge is a platform that calls for innovators running innovative and solution-driven projects that go beyond technology, but are related to the travel and tourism industry, to submit their projects for review and adjudication by an expert panel of judges. Shortlisted innovators are later introduced to industry leaders and potential partners for mentorship and support. The winner of the Africa Tourism Innovation Challenge will receive a seed grant of US$1,000, whilst first and second runners-up receive US$500, among several benefits.

The selected top five candidates will be required to present a five minute demo to the judges, for selection of the winner, first and second runners-up, at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge scheduled for 27-29 July 2022 in Namibia. The Finals of the Innovation Challenge will be held in Botswana on the margins of the annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) and Awards to be held from 24 to 26 October 2022.

For more information, contact: rejoice@ africatourismpartners.com