Emirates Airline to participate in Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo in Abuja
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that Emirates Airline will take part in the Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo (AFTCREE), scheduled to be held in Abuja from November 24 to 25. The confirmation came in a letter from the UAE Embassy to Afrocultour’s Chief Executive Officer, Chuks Akamadu, in Abuja, expressing warm regards and appreciation for the invitation.
The expo is organized by Afrocultour in partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy. It has also received endorsement from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization.
Emirates’ involvement highlights the UAE’s commitment to strengthening ties with Nigeria and broader Africa in the areas of tourism, trade, and the creative economy. As a leading global carrier, Emirates’ participation signals a focus on connectivity, innovation, and economic growth across the region.
Organizers hope the expo will spur African nations to boost their tourism and creative economy budgets and to inaugurate Agenda 2030. The agenda aims to lift Africa’s share of global trade from less than 3 percent to at least 10 percent, and to raise the continent’s portion of the $11 trillion global tourism revenue from about 5 percent to at least 20 percent by 2030. This plan envisions mainstreaming tourism, culture, and entertainment into the service sector and establishing a peer review mechanism for bilateral and multilateral exchange on emerging trends in tourism and the creative industries.
These efforts are designed to foster mutual prosperity and deepen collaboration between Africa and the UAE, leveraging tourism, cultural exchange, and creative enterprise as engines of growth.
What to watch for: potential announcements on new air links, investment in the creative sector, and partnerships that could emerge from the expo, positioning both Africa and the UAE for heightened connectivity and opportunity in the years ahead.
Summary: Emirates Airline’s planned participation in Abuja’s Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo underscores a strategic push to strengthen UAE-Nigeria and UAE-African ties in tourism and culture, aligned with Africa’s ambitious goals to broaden its role in global trade and tourism by 2030.