Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) has on Wednesday announced the launch of Global Expert Panel on tourism and travel for Africa, led by its member agency, the Newmark Group, a strategic communications and advisory firm headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

This pioneering initiative brings together top communications and marketing experts and leaders from across the world to arm tourism and destination management organisations with deep local insights and data from source countries.

It underscores the importance of understanding cultural nuances to significantly enhance the market presence and reimagine Africa’s tourism narrative globally.

Tourism and Travel in Africa has experienced impressive growth since the start of the millennium, as highlighted by a World Travel & Tourism Council report. In 2022, the sector contributed nearly 6% to Africa’s GDP, playing a vital role in economic stability and supporting 22 million jobs across the continent.

Amid this backdrop, the establishment of PRGN’s Global Expert Panel in tandem with The Newmark Group is essential for leveraging Africa’s tourism potential for sustainable development and inclusive growth.

By addressing key challenges and tapping into the expertise of global communication and marketing professionals, the panel aims to push Africa’s tourism industry to new heights and boost its visibility as a top travel destination.

“To elevate Africa’s tourism sector, destination marketers must harness global capabilities and adopt a holistic approach to branding and marketing. PRGN provides unparalleled global resources and local expertise, delivering a unique insight to meet new needs and thus capture market shares,” said PRGN President Natacha Clarac at the formation of the Global Expert Panel for tourism and emphasised the competitive nature of global tourism.

“Data and analyses that our team has carried out indicate that many African destinations significantly suffer from negative perceptions among target audiences abroad, mainly due to historically negative headlines in global media,” said Gilbert Manirakiza, CEO of the Newmark Group and Co-Chair of PRGN’s Global Expert Panel.

“We must equip destination marketers with the insights, tools, content, and campaigns that not only capture the attention of potential travellers but also credibly tell the vibrant and diverse stories of our attractions.”

“Africa’s tourism and travel sector is lively, but consumer trends, media consumption behaviour and travellers’ demographics are constantly shifting in source markets.
“This is the reason why we set out to bring together top experts who can design and help implement strategies that will position Africa’s destinations as preferred, relatable, and trusted attractions.

“This will help promote sustainable growth and enhance the cultural and economic fabric of local communities,” said Christina Rytter, Founder and Managing Director of Scandinavian Communications in Denmark, Co-Chair of the Global Expert Panel and PRGN’s Vice President for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

The Global Expert Panel for Tourism and Travel in Africa is committed to a long-term partnership aimed at driving positive change and improving this sector. The members of the Global Expert Panel include:

● Christina Rytter – Founder, Scandinavian Communications (Copenhagen, Denmark) https://scandinaviancommunications.com
● Gilbert Manirakiza – CEO, The Newmark Group (Nairobi, Kenya) https://newmark-imc.com
● Bill Southard – CEO, Southard Communications (New York, USA) https://www.southardinc.com
● Shawn Jiang Xiaofeng – Managing Director, China Advocate (Beijing, China) https://www.chinaadvocate.com/ab/show.php?id=53&lang=en
● Bradly Howland – CEO, Alkemi Collective (Cape Town, South Africa) https://www.alkemi.global
● Sara Pearson – Founder and Chairman, Spider (London, United Kingdom) https://www.wearespider.com
● Uwe Schmidt – Managing Partner at Industrie-Contact AG (Hamburg, Germany)

Public Relations Germany: Industrie-Contact AG

● Stephane Billiet – Vice President, We Change (Paris, France) https://www.wechange.bz/en/the-agency/
● Valentina Giacaman Hazboun – Founder, RumboCierto Comunicaciones (Santiago, Chile) https://rumbocierto.cl
● Dominique Biquard – Founder & Partner, Identia PR (Buenos Aires, Argentina) https://identiapr.com/eng/

● Loreley Maldonado – CEO & Founder, Eje Comunicación (Mexico City, Mexico) https://ejecom.mx
● Susan McNair – Partner, Currie (Melbourne, Australia) https://curriecommunications.com.au
● Lovelyn Okafor – Newmark Country Lead (Nigeria ) https://newmark-imc.com

Shitij Taneja, Managing Director of Vertex Next, a subsidiary of Vertex Group and organisers of IoT West Africa Conference and Exhibition has tipped Nigeria as the new African Silicon Valley because of its burgeoning startup ecosystem.

He made this assertion during a media chat with Journalists at the ongoing IoT West Africa Conference and Exhibition holding at the Balmoral Center, Federal Palace, Lagos, Nigeria.

According to him, Nigerian startup ecosystem is blossoming with a vibrant young tech enthusiast.

Taneja averred that this enthusiasm informed why they chose Nigeria as the host of this year’s conference.

He said, “Nigeria’s vast youth population and the vibrant startup ecosystem makes it a powerhouse for technology development in Africa.

“The reason we are hosting the IoT West Africa, which is co-located with Africa data center and cloud Expo Africa is because we see a lot of potential in the market and the growing number of youths that are working towards the development of technology.

“Also, IoT is something that is required in our daily lives, to which West Africa and Nigeria is adapting to.

“IoT is required as we are adopting to technologies. It’s something that is required in our daily lives and Nigeria is adapting to, whether it’s our coffee machine, our cities, or even with our daily shopping, so this is some of the things we are trying to bring over here with this conference.”

He further stated that startup ecosystem in Africa has attracted over $70 billion in investment with Nigeria having a huge chunk of that money.

According to him, “We see a lot of investments coming in from the data centers on the telecom side towards the sector.

“We also see a lot of investors, pouring in money for the startups. There are a lot of startups in Africa alone, till now there has been an investment of around $70 billion that has been invested in the startups and we are just acting as an aggregator to fuel this fire to enhance more investments towards the West African economy”.

Speaking at the event, Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said that Government intends to set up research centres for emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain across all six geo-political zones of the country.

Inuwa made this announcement this during his keynote address on Tuesday at the opening of the 2024 IoT West Africa Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.

Represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, NITDA’s Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Inuwa stated that the initiative aligns with NITDA’s focus on fostering a strong technology research ecosystem.

In his keynote address titled “Regulatory Framework Challenges to Support IT Developments in West Africa,” Inuwa highlighted that the conference theme resonates with NITDA’s vision, and pointed out that the agency’s research priorities encompass IoT, AI, Blockchain Technology, UAVs, Additive Manufacturing, and Robotics.

Highlighting the accelerated service deliveries, the NITDA DG emphasized that emerging technologies are enhancing rural life by addressing waste disposal challenges, and smart agriculture is transforming food production through various automated agricultural processes.

“We are establishing a special-purpose vehicle that is going to look into these key areas and also establish research centres across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria that will be targeting these six key areas of emerging technologies,” Inuwa said.

Incorporated Trustees of HEDA Resource Centre has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lagos which struck out its suit seeking to stop the construction of new base stations.

A base station is a piece of equipment that facilitates wireless communication between devices and a network

Recall that Federal High Court in Lagos on June 21 struck out Heda’s application seeking to bar the Federal Ministry of Environment, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Limited and MTN Communications Plc from going ahead with the planned construction of new base stations near existing sites operated by other infrastructure operators.

HEDA Resource Centre, in a statement by Olanrewaju Suraju, executive director, said the verdict was very odd and inconsistent with the court’s earlier position that the plaintiff had a cause of action in the preliminary objection brought by MTN on the same facts.

It believes that reaching conflicting conclusions on two similar applications makes an appeal against the decision of Justice Yelim Bogoro necessary.

“We see this decision of the Federal High Court as very odd and inconsistent with the law.

“Reason is the fact that the same trial judge had admitted that there was a cause of action on the earlier application on the same set of facts brought by the fifth respondent, MTN.

“The court, in another application by the fourth respondent (ATC), which came much later, also affirmed the fact that HEDA Resource Centre had a cause of action.

“It is strange to us that His Lordship suddenly shifted his earlier position by saying there was no cause of action when nothing material has changed.”

According to HEDA, the judgment was suggestive that a cause of action would arise if permits are issued to the defendants (ATC and MTN) or they take steps toward building new base station sites.

It said the ruling was also supportive of the Federal Ministry of Environment’s position that its action should not be the basis of the suit.

HEDA maintained that the ministry’s role as a critical agency responsible for ensuring a safe, livable environment could not be downplayed.

The group added: “It is interesting to read narratives in the media that we are acting as a proxy for IHS.

“We are an independent body and anyone can check our history of advocacy, including our history with MTN Nigeria dating back many years.”

Justice Bogoro in March dismissed two applications by ATC and MTN challenging the competence of the suit filed by HEDA Resource Centre.

He affirmed the organisation’s locus to file the case.