Africa Tourism Partners has announced the top five finalists for the 6th edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge 2024.
The Challenge opened on the 01st of November 2023 for the youth to submit their projects. The Challenge closed on the 01st of March 2024 and attracted over 154 entries from innovators across Africa.
The organisers revealed that 143 entries were received from all over the African Continent.
As part of the process, the projects were submitted to the judges for adjudication to determine the qualifying projects. Devin Itaagie – Uganda, Kedumetse Liphi – Botswana, Joseph Owiredu – Ghana, Ajena Jafar – Uganda and Gerald Muema – Kenya qualified to proceed to the next level of adjudication. The shortlisted innovators will present their demo/ Minimum Viable Product at the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit scheduled for 28 to 31 May 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Namibian innovators were also recognised and allowed to compete amongst themselves. Sarome Natalia Nalooliwa Hamata, Sarah Anghuwo and Rosalia Laudika are the top 3 finalists for the 2024 and 6th Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation challenge.
The countries that participated in the Innovation Challenge include, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge is an exclusive platform being provided to innovative African youth in travel and tourism looking for funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace to find the required support for their programmes.
Hosted by the Government of Namibia through the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners, UN Tourism, BDO and other partners, the 2024 Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit is scheduled for 28 to 31 May 2024.
Speakers for this year’s Summit include Teofilus Nghitila – Executive Director of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia, Samiya Abdulkadir Godu – President, Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association, Evah Mosetlhane – Tourism & SMME Development Consultant, Botswana, Mbali Mngomezulu – Manager Of Business Development @ Mastercard | Grading Assessor Accreditation CATHSETA, South Africa and more
Namibia is ready to showcase herself to the visitors and take them through some breathtaking moments. One of the greatest attractions that Namibia Boasts about is the Sossusvlei desert. Sossusvlei is all salt, clay, and sand, with remarkable red dunes arching and curling seemingly forever. The popular tourist attraction is in the southern part of the Namib Desert and is part of the Namib Sand Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site. These dunes are among the highest in the world.
Meanwhile, registrations for both physical and virtual participants are ongoing. Interested persons may visit the event’s website.
About Africa Tourism Partners
African Tourism Partners (ATP) – www.africatourismpartners.com is a UNWTO-affiliated award-winning Pan-African tourism development and strategic destination marketing advisory firm. The firm specializes in tourism and MICE strategy formulation, investment facilitation and promotion, research, master planning and destination market development and capacity building across Africa’s travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation and golf sub-industries.
ATP’s clients and partners include but are not limited to UNWTO, World Bank, Mastercard Foundation, NEPAD, AfCFTA, South African Tourism, Ghana Tourism Authority, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Convention Bureau, Rwanda Chamber of Commerce, SAACI, RwandAir, SAA, Ethiopia Airlines, Tanzania Tourism Board, Kenya Tourism Board, Uganda Tourism Board, Gauteng Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Tourism Business Council of South Africa, Nigeria and more.
About UNWTO
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
