The President of the African Tourism Board (ATB), Mr. Cuthbert Ncube has conferred the Board’s Global Brand Ambassador of ATB on Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, National President of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) for his uncommon leadership style and championing the cause of tourism promotion in Nigeria.
Chief Odusanwo honour was one of the highlights on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in its annual flagship event; the Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo during the closing ceremony of the 6th edition of the Summit and Expo held in Abuja.
Chief Abiodun Odusanwo who is the Convener , National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo in collaboration with public and private sector industrial players and stakeholders of the industry, bagged the award in view of the needed enlightenment campaigns and much promotion and publicity he accorded the AfCFTA regime implementation that if researched papers presented at the Summit are to be adequately adhered to, Africa’s dream of a liberal single market economy would be achieved.
Mr. Ncube who stated that ATB aims at ensuring that Africa becomes one tourism destination of choice in the world, noted that it is the promotional activities of the likes of Chief Abiodun Odusanwo at the ITPN in tourism professional certification and promotional activities such as the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo that the dream of entrenching Tourism as a vital sectorial player in African economy will be realizable.
In his acceptance speech, Odusanwo who expressed his gratitude for the honour done to him by the leadership of the African Tourism Board, stated further that the award is a wake-up call for him to do more in his efforts at promoting travel tourism and hospitality in Nigeria and Africa as a whole in terms of professional certificate of the manpower that will deliver competent service in the industry in entrench tourism as the preferred sector in national and continental economic diversification drives.
Chief Odusanwo further call on all stakeholders and key players in the industry to cooperate with one another in mutual synergy for the growth and development of the industry, stressing the Nigerian tourism industry should not suffer much policy summersault if players in the industry, particularly the organized private sector are united in their goals for a dynamic and purposeful industry that tourism is meant to be.
Mr. Ncube who was in Nigeria at the instance of the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo, had earlier delivered a paper at the Summit titled: Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and the AfCFTA Agreement said Africa has the potentials and capacity in both material and human resources to bail itself out of its scourge of underdevelopment if the people will look inward rather than outside for its developmental solutions.
Caption:
Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, National President of ITPN (left) receiving the Certificate of conferment as the African Tourism Board Global Brand Ambassador from Mr. Cuthbert Ncube, President of ATB at the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo Gala Night held in Abuja.
