HiPipo Money

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British Airways’ corporate sales Chief Luke Goggin has been appointed asthe airline’s new area general manager for North Africa and Europe.

Luke, who is currently head of corporate sales for the airline, will takeup his role this month following Gavin Halliday’s move to becomemanaging director of flying reward scheme, Avios.

Drew Crawley, British Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “Luke’scommercial experience outside of the airline, as well as the last two yearshe has been working in our UK&I sales and marketing team, gives me greatconfidence that the momentum and strong results delivered by the team inEurope under Gavin Halliday, will continue.”

Following his appointment, Luke Goggin, said: “The last two years leadingBritish Airways’ corporate sales function have been fantastic.

“As a team we have been able to significantly improve all of our corporatecustomer satisfaction measures as well as building a more sustainablecommercial base for the airline. I am now really looking forward to workingwith my colleagues across Africa and Europe.”

“I’m delighted to be taking on North Africa and Europe role, especiallywhen we’re expanding the network across the region, launching some greatnew services from Heathrow to popular Mediterranean destinations such asMykonos, Santorini, Oporto, Malaga and Faro.”

Luke joined British Airways in November 2011, but started his sales careerin 2000 after a stint playing rugby for premiership side Exeter Chiefs.Prior to joining the airline he worked for nine years at Whitbread where hestarted as a national account manager before rising to become head of salesfor over 600 Premier Inn hotels.

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A week away from  final judging of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, the student competition which now draws over a 1000 entries across the continent and encourages students to either write an essay or design a poster about the benefits of satellite technology in the continent,  the Ghanaian government has put its weight behind the third edition of this unique event after it confirmed Minister of Education, Honourable Naan Opoku-Agyeman as guest speaker at the prestigious Gala Dinner to be held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra on the 5th February.

Industry players will gather for the announcement of the essay winner who will walk away with a once-in-a lifetime prize to see a rocket launch take off into space and a trip for the poster category winner to Eutelsat’s headquarters in Paris. In the spotlight for the final prize are finalists from 13 countries in Africa, namely Shiela Gerardo (Angola); Ulathi Mkwebu (Botswana); Maame Akua Kome (Ghana); Lavine Oluoch (Kenya); Michael Kauatjitotje (Namibia); Taiwo Kayode (Nigeria); Kanzira Aine (Senegal); Eshlin Vedan (South Africa); Wakhile Shongwe (Swaziland); Fransisco Kibasa (Tanzania); Victor Okoth (Uganda); Francine Mazala (Zambia) and Thabani Sibanda (Zimbabwe).

When the organisers, MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat set their sights on Accra for the Awards they collaborated to create meaningful engagement with students, the academic community and the scientific world in order to leave a lasting legacy in the hearts and minds of the young people of Ghana and to instill a passion for science in the younger generation. Students in Accra are gearing up to attend a captivating lecture to be delivered by the Italian (European Space Agency) astronaut, Paolo Nespoli on Tuesday, the 4th February which will be held at the University of Ghana. Nespoli, who will also be presiding over the Awards as Jury Chairman assisted by a panel of skilled industry experts, will share his adventures in space with his first flight in 2007 and a second long-duration mission on board the International Space Station in 2010.

In his support for this initiative, CEO of MultiChoice Africa, Nico Meyer said: “As a business, we understand the incredible value of collaborative relationships with governments and the returns yielded by communities when public and private sectors come together. We are very pleased by the government’s overwhelming support for the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards initiative and we are honoured to also have the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Honourable Joseph Oteng-Adjei scheduled to address Ghanaian students at the outreach lecture. It sends a very clear message about the importance of science and technology in today’s digital landscape. Digital services made available by satellite are growing in importance as powerful engines to drive economic and social progress.”

Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat, Michel de Rosen commented on the far-reaching impact of the Awards over the last 3 years.  “The number of entries received this year is a truly encouraging new milestone. Equally exciting is the turnout of young people in great numbers at the student outreaches held in local communities. It is an excellent indicator that Africa’s young minds are hungry to acquire knowledge and skills that will position them a cut above the rest. At Eutelsat, we are keenly aware that there can be no sustainable development in high technology environments without engineers, technicians and teachers to propel and stimulate young minds to the next stage.

We owe much of the emergence of this new generation of aspirant scientists who will change the world, to these Awards.”

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For the past 15 years, MTN Uganda has proved to be indispensable when it comes to technology advancements. In fact, one of my friends refers to MTN Uganda as the mother of innovations.

 I definitely buy into his description. We are talking about real game changers such as MTN Kabiriti; (a phone that became extreme popular due to its affordability and of course Bobi Wine’s massive endorsement. No phone has even got half the popularity that Kabiriti got), MTN Zone,MTN Mobile Money and MTN Broadband Internet.

At the end of January, MTN unveiled a specially branded, superior yet affordable tablet; MTN P@d T680 that retails at UShs 349,000/-  (less than 140 dollars) and is fully connected with 1GB Free Data and includes a protective cover.

This is currently the cheapest tablet on the market with one close to it going for Shs 599,000 (about 230 dollars) while the rest are over and above these prices.

In price terms, the MTN P@d T680 is the preferred choice yet its strength is not price. Rather, it’s the functionality and usability of this new device that is wooing those that have already purchased one.

Recently, I had a chat with a Kenyan friend currently studying in Uganda and she told me; “Hi, are the tabs still the same price. They are so cheap yet if you have one, u get the real tablet experience.”

I recently got a chance to have the MTN P@d T680 for a day,  I discovered that it has an Android 4.1 operating system, single SIM, 7 inches (1024*600) screen size, 3000mAh Li  Polymer battery, and has a 512MB+4GB internal memory among others.

Here is a complete summary of the items and specifications that come with the MTN P@D T680.

The bad: Its screen is 7.0 inches, a little smaller than competitors’ screen sizes. Maybe it would have been bigger.

Verdict: With a friendly price and superior functionality, I strongly believe that just like MTN Kabiriti redefined mobile phones ownership, MTN P@D T680 has the ability to spearhead the move towards mass market ownership of Tablets. 

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MTN Uganda hosted the prize giving ceremony of the February Golf Mugs at Kampala Golf Club following an all-day golfing event in which the MTN staff and other Kampala golfing fraternity participated.

This is the second edition of the MTN Monthly Golf Challenge at Kampala Golf Club which attracted players in all categories.Last month Frank Ngabo emerged the overall winner in the MTN sponsored monthly Golf Challenge with 70 gross, 3 points ahead of Gerald Kabuye his runner up.

In this months’ MTN Mug, Mr. Mukasa Eli playing in Men’s Group B took the winning cup with a score of 79 points net followed in second place by Jadur Patel with net score of 71 points. Mawejje Paul took the lead in Men’s category A with 71 points followed by Bale Achuti with a net score of 74 points as a Runner-up. In Group C Men’s category, Bonamira Paddy emerged as winner with a score of 68 net closely followed by Tumusiime Michael with 68 net.

In the women’s category, Aggie Konde took the first place with a net score of 63 while Ntegge Monica came in second place with68 net.

Representing the sponsors, MTN Senior Manager Events, Mr. Aggrey Kagonyera expressed MTN’s commitment to continue associating with the golfing familyadding that MTN would continue its support to the game of golf since sports is a priority for the company.

For the last 5 years MTN Uganda has continued to commit significant resources to the MTN Monthly Golf Challenge at Kampala Golf Club which runs throughout the annual golf calendar.

Speaking on behalf of the MTN Chief Marketing Officer Ernst Fonternel, Kagonyera who also handed over the cups to the winnerscongratulated the winners and urged all the golfing fraternity to not only work for the top prize, but enjoy the spirit of unity that the game of golf offers.

“For the last 5 years MTN Uganda has continued to commit significant resources to the MTN Monthly Mug which runs throughout the annual golf calendar. Over time, this property has evolved and today the Uganda Golf Club now fully runs and manages the Monthly Mug events”, he said.

In addition to this, MTN Uganda has over that last three years sponsored one of Uganda’s leading golf talents and upcoming pro-golfers, DeoAkope, to the tune to the tune of UShs. 174 million with an annual sponsorship of UShs. 58 million.

Akope has participated in a number of international golf tournaments under the MTN sponsorship and has flown not only the MTN flag high, but the Ugandan flag as well.

About MTN Uganda

Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30 September 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.4 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan,South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. More info on www.mtn.com

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Enhancing opportunities for the Ugandan woman’s national level engagement with the East African Community (EAC) integration agenda

At a breakfast on 4^th February 2014, Women stakeholders including national level women’s business associations; business women’s groups (Urban and Rural); individual women business entrepreneurs and key Government institutions deliberate on modalities of working together to enhance their participation in the East African Integration Process at Kampala Sheraton Hotel. Organized by TradeMark East Africa in partnership with the iCON Enterprise Foundation (formerly iCON Women & Young People’s Leadership Academy), the East African Business Council and the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP), the meeting themed “Enhancing Participation and Amplifying Voices of Uganda Women in Business and Trade in the East African Integration Process” is graced by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Amelia Kyambadde.

TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) an organisation funded by a range of development agencies with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through trade, established a regional women in business platform(East African Women in Business Platform) to position and catalyse the participation of women in EAC integration process. The platform’s key strategies are to: increase effective participation of women in business in EAC integration processes; improve economic contribution of women in business in EAC Partner States and; increase progression of women-owned enterprises in EAC from informal to formal status.

Allen Asiimwe, Director Trade Mark East Africa-Uganda, said “The Platform currently hosted by the East African Business Council (EABC) has member organisations at the national level who together with other women associations address issues with different levels of success, however the capacity of these organisations to adequately research, articulate and advocate on key policy issues affecting their engagement in EAC regional trade remains limited. This is why the breakfast meeting today is important to make aware and address the need to deepen the interventions at national level, develop a collective and coordinated approach and amplify Ugandan women’s voices in the EAC regional integration particularly on business and trade issues”.

“Most of the women in this country are in services which constitute over 50 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but face challenges especially when trading across the borders to include: travel security risks, poor infrastructure that increases costs of transporting goods across borders, discrimination and harassment by border officials, non/low level participation in policy development and implementation, lack of market information, inadequate access to finance and credit facilities, lack of access to currency exchange facilities, among others” Hon Amelia Kyambadde reiterated. “I am especially grateful for this timely forum and thank the organisers and the women groups altogether that are ensuring the Ugandan woman entrepreneur/trader is educated and takes advantage of the EAC integration agenda as per the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC under Articles 121 and 122 and the 4^th EAC Development Strategy (2011-2016) that outline the important role that women of East Africa play in the economic, social and political development of the region and the need for women to be accorded high priority as partners in the regional integration process”.she added. 

Deborah Kaddu Serwadda, Regional Director ICON enterprise foundation encouraged all stakeholders to take advantage of this meeting as an initial step to interact with key trade policy makers in the region, ask questions, have their voices heard as well as learn about their right as women traders across borders. “ I thank you TradeMark East Africa; iCON Enterprise Foundation; East African Business Council; and East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP).

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• The foundation has supported scientific and technical education in Uganda for over 50 years.
• 80 beneficiaries of the Madhvani foundation scholarship graduate at Makerere.
• More scholarships to be awarded for the 2014/2015 academic year

80 students with Madhvani Foundation Scholarships have graduated with honors degrees from Makerere University  at the recently concluded  graduation ceremony; the students are part of a group of over 250 students who were awarded scholarships between 2008 and 2010 worth over 1.6 Billion Shillings. 

Commenting on the students successful completion of their courses The Chairman Madhvani Foundation Scholarship Committee Mr. Anthony Butele said “The only way to empower the nation’s youth is through education, training and imparting them with skills which will help them not only look for jobs but to create employment, we therefore don’t  stop at just giving scholarships but also run a mentorship and further training programme for our beneficiaries through the Alumni Association, a group that aims to provide a common platform and networking opportunities to former beneficiaries”.

He continued “seeing the students graduate is very satisfying and important for us because it confirms the Ugandan students are serious about their education and that the funds are being well spent, this is a very positive sign for the future of the country. The Foundation is proud to be playing a small but meaningful part in the development of our nation”.

Speaking after the graduation ceremony one of the beneficiaries Nantale Cissy who graduated with a Bachelor’s in Medicine and Surgery said she was very grateful to the Foundation for paying for her studies which enabled her complete her course “at the time I sat the interviews I was at a dead-end none of my friends or relatives was able to support me financially and I was contemplating dropping out, the foundation gave me a new lease of life and I was able to focus on my books, today I am on the verge of achieving my dream of becoming a  gynaecologist, none of this would have been possible without the Foundation”.

Since the Foundation scholarship scheme was revived in 2003-2004 academic year over 1,000 students have been awarded university scholarships worth over 3.0 Billion shillings. SK Iyengar the secretary to the Foundation encouraged gifted but financially challenged students to apply for scholarships in the 2014-2015 academic year on the foundation website when the application period opens at the end of March 2014. “Potential undergraduate candidates must have completed the first year of University with Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA of not less than 2.2 with no retakes he pointed out while Post graduate students should have a minimum of a degree and work experience in the related field.

Mr. Butele concluded by calling upon institutions to provide practical training and skills development alongside theoretical teachings to enable their students translate what they are taught into the real world.

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Francine Mazala from Zambia wins essay prize and Lloyd Ossei Baffour from Ghana wins poster prize in the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards

In response to a growing need to popularise science and to create excitement about space technology in young people, MultiChoice and Eutelsat have been collaborating over three years on a unique pan- African student competition called the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards.

In Accra, Ghana, last night, the broadcasting industry and high-profile government members convened at the Golden Tulip Hotel for the announcement of the final winners of this year’s edition. Stakeholders unanimously expressed their commitment to investing in the future of education and to instilling a passion for technology and the sciences in the younger generation.

In her address, the Minister of Education, the Honourable Nana Opoku-Agyeman applauded the organisers for generating awareness of the importance of education in science and technology: “With the fast-changing digital landscape, we have an obligation to Africa’s youth to ensure that they are empowered to adapt and to use their educational system to make meaningful change to their country and the continent’s development agenda. The government recognises that it cannot single handedly tackle the challenges faced by the sector and that public-private partnerships can also accelerate progress.”

Of 1000 entries from 19 countries, this year’s DStv Eutelsat Star Awards winner Francine Mazala (Zambia) stood out as the winner of the essay category and has won a trip to Paris and onwards to a launch site to witness a rocket launch into space and runner up in the essay category was Eshlin Vedan (South Africa) who wins a trip for two to visit MultiChoice facilities and the South African Space Agency near Johannesburg, South Africa. In the poster category, first place is Lloyd Ossei Baffour (Ghana) who will visit Eutelsat in Paris and runner up in the same category is Angel Gabriella (Uganda).  The four winning schools attended by the overall award winners and runners-up respectively were also rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art PVR decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet. 

The DStv Eutelsat Star Awards comprises national and international adjudication. The first assessment of entries is at country level with a panel of local judges selecting  country winners and runners-up who go through a round of preliminary judging which culminates in the selection of the final winners.

A regional panel selects the top four entries. This year the panel was chaired by the inspirational European Space Agency astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, assisted by a panel of industry experts who commended the standard of the competition. “Congratulations to the winners for their understanding of Africa’s challenges and their knowledge of how satellite technology can change the course of development on the continent. Francine’s impeccable command of the language and technical ability was impressive. ”

Nespoli also urged young people to be tenacious in their quest for success. “Your future is in your hands to dream big and to achieve the impossible. Follow your dreams with determination and never give up – because dreams do come true. At one point going to space looked unachievable but here I am today living my purpose and living my dream as an astronaut with two flights into space as one of my life’s biggest achievements.”

Nico Meyer, CEO of MultiChoice Africa added his congratulatory message to the occasion. “These Awards have afforded young people the opportunity to not only grow their confidence levels but to represent the continent on the global stage. MultiChoice Africa is encouraged every year by the success of these awards to plough more resources into this initiative as it becomes more evident that the future and development of this continent lies in the hands of young people.”

Michel de Rosen, Eutelsat’s Chairman and CEO highlighted the growing value of space for technological advancement, social inclusion and economic growth and encouraged young people to follow their dreams. “The quality of entrants was once again a strong sign that space and satellite communications resonate significantly in the hearts and minds of the younger generation. We are immensely proud to partner with MultiChoice on this initiative and to have the opportunity to meet some of Africa’s future great minds.”

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 “Exciting line-up scheduled for Meetings Africa 2014”

VISITORS, Exhibitors AND BUYERS attending Meetings Africa 2014, can expect a world class show complete with global trade show experts. This is the view of the South African National Convention Bureau Executive Manager, Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo. Africa’s largest business events show is scheduled to take place in just under a month, and plans are being finalised for what will be possibly be the best business events trade show to date.

“Meetings Africa is attended by local and international buyers from South Africa and the rest of the continent. We are all set to deliver what we promise this industry:  a world class business events trade exhibition show and, possibly most important, a show which is truly representative of our theme: Advancing Africa Together,” says Kotze-Nhlapo

Meetings Africa 2014 will kick off with the annual BOND Day (Business Opportunity Networking Day) on Monday, 24 February 2014. BOND Day is designed to provide educational and networking opportunities for the South African business events industry. The day will start with the Event Greening Forum’s 2014 Conference at Meetings Africa. This half-day event will be packed with information on Responsible Tourism, with a specific focus on business events.

Two educational tracks will follow after lunch which is open to all exhibitors (at no cost). Global business events expert, Rob Cameron from the International Association of Convention Centres will be presenting on “Research and the Meetings Industry – Making the Most of a Critical Resource” and Linda Pereira, CEO of L&I Communications Group (Portugal) and Niki Clarke global hosted buyer qualifier (USA), will be presenting topics on how to maximize on business opportunities.

Association Day will take place from 09h00 in the Bill Gallagher room and will be attended by association representatives from across the African continent and member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Africa Chapter. The objective of the event is to build the national and Pan-African association communities, to promote their engagement with international associations and to create major macro-economic benefits and lead development for the country.

Association day will be followed by the ICCA African Chapter – Client /Supplier workshop where members will have an opportunity to meet and interact with the association representatives. The IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum will be hosted for the second year at Meetings Africa. The top tourism and hospitality students from universities cross South Africa will be competing in the International University Challenge. The winner of this challenge will be representing South Africa at the global challenge at IMEX in Frankfurt, Germany.

BOND Day will conclude with the Meetings Africa gala dinner, a must attend event for the industry. This prestigious event which will be attended by the Minister of Tourism and other public dignitaries and officials, captains of the private sector of the business events industry and representatives of other key economic sectors.

For the first time ever, Meetings Africa and the Unique Speakers Bureau will be staging the biggest single congregation of all the major operations in events facilities and venues, professional speakers and MC’s all under one roof. The event will be attended by over 800 local and regional corporate buyers (ABSA, Liberty Life, Discovery, etc.) and 40 of USB’s top speakers – of which 20 are leading global presenters. All the corporate buyers will be part of the Meetings Africa diary system which will allow exhibitors to schedule one-on-one meetings with the buyers.

The first day of the exhibition (Tuesday, 25 February 2014) will start with a live broadcast of SABC’s Morning Live breakfast show from Meetings Africa 2014. Thereafter the show will be officially opened on by the National Tourism Minister, Mr Marthinus van Schlakwyk at 09h00 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

What is new on this day is the media panel discussion which will be moderated by renowned political commentator, Justice Malala. The panel discussion will bring together leading figures from the continent’s business events industry, to discuss amongst others, the impact of business events on the economy of the continent.

“The media panel discussion is a new addition to Meetings Africa and one which we are really, really excited about. We have extended invitations to some of our country’s leading figures in the business industry as well as experts from Kenya and ICCA. Our motivation for this media discussion is to have a frank discussion about the state of business events in Africa and, the growth of the continent and the growing interest the world has in our continent and what it means. We have secured the services of popular columnist and TV presenter, Justice Malala who we believe, will do a sterling job interviewing the moderators,” she says.

Confirmed panelists include Mati Nyazema, CEO of the Sandton Convention Centre; Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, Executive Manager of the SANCB, Beatrice Makawiti, former Managing Director of the Kenyatta International Conference Centre and Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA. The other panellists will be confirmed closer to the time.

The Media panel discussion takes place on Tuesday, 25 February and is open to all journalists. Seating is, however, limited so media workers who want to attend this event are advised to apply soon for Meetings Africa 2014 media accreditation.

 “Our team is working round the clock to ensure that everyone participating and visiting at Meetings Africa leave fulfilled, energized and excited about business events on the continent.  We want this year’s show to trump the previous others and cement it as one of excellence, marked by quality exhibitors and buyers, a good number of visitors and information and meetings that are relevant and informative,” says Kotze-Nhlapo.

Meetings Africa 2014 takes place in the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from February 24 to 26. Do not miss it.

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN Tourism Minister Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, accompanied by Nigeria’s Tourism, Culture and National Orientation Minister, Chief Edem Duke, today officially opened the very first South African Tourism marketing office on the African continent in Lagos, Nigeria.

Addressing the West African travel trade and guests in attendance, Minister Van Schalkwyk said that South African Tourism’s new home in Lagos serves to confirm South Africa’s support for increased economic cooperation between the southern African and western African regions.

“As a nation, we see the special and longstanding relationship between Nigeria and South Africa as pivotal towards maintaining an Africa that is economically vibrant and resilient and an Africa that grows through partnerships between nations,” said Minister van Schalkwyk. 

“Key to creating economic vibrancy and resilience is working together to develop industries that have the potential to contribute meaningfully to our GDPs and to job creation on the continent. Tourism is certainly one such industry. Investing in our tourism network on the continent is not only indicative of our commitment to African co-operation, but it also makes good business sense,”Minister van Schalkwyk continued. 

“We’ve experienced positive growth figures out of West Africa; a total of 73,282 Nigerian tourists visited South Africa last year marking a 13.8% increase from 2011. At the end of June 2013, Nigerian tourist arrivals had continued to grow on a strong trajectory with 15.9% during the first six months of this year.

“Likewise, tourist arrivals from Ghana to South Africa grew by 23.8% in 2012, when South Africa welcomed 22,953 Ghanaian tourists. Up to end June 2013, arrivals from Ghana were growing at 27.3%, to 13, 663 tourist arrivals for the six-month period. The steady growth in both markets makes this region very valuable to us,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.  

The Nigeria office opening comes on the heels of South African Tourism having officially extended an invitation to the rest of Africa to showcase the continent by exhibiting  at the annual Tourism INDABA held in Durban in May every year. South African Tourism has also invited more than 500 hosted buyers to INDABA 2014; offering exhibitors the opportunity to promote their destination at the heart of Africa’s biggest, most established and best-attended travel trade exhibition.

In addition, an announcement at the end of last year, of collaboration between INDABA and the bespoke We Are Africa tradeshow (that takes place days before INDABA) exponentially increases the exposure to top-quality buyers for exhibitors at both travel trade shows.