The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the upcoming Africa Tourism and Creative Economy Expo, scheduled to take place from November 24 to 25, 2025, in Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Mukhtar Yawale Muhammad, said the Expo is part of ongoing efforts to position Africa’s cultural, creative, and tourism sectors as engines of economic growth, regional integration, and global competitiveness.
Muhammad explained that the event, themed “Optimizing Africa’s Comparative and Competitive Advantage for Accelerated Trade and Economic Growth,” will provide a platform for policymakers, investors, and innovators across the continent to collaborate and exchange ideas.
He urged the committee to ensure transparency, collaboration, and professionalism in planning and execution, noting that the Expo should reflect Africa’s creative and cultural excellence.
Chairman of the LOC, Mallam Denja Abdullahi, pledged the committee’s readiness to deliver a high-impact event that would unveil “Agenda 2030,” a continental framework aimed at increasing Africa’s share of global trade from 2 percent to 10 percent by the end of the decade through investments in tourism and the creative economy.
Abdullahi praised the leadership of Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa for championing innovation and data-driven reforms within the ministry. He revealed that stakeholder engagement across Africa has begun to ensure wide participation from both public and private sectors.
The Expo will feature exhibitions, trade fairs, investment workshops, cultural showcases, business-to-business meetings, and a peer review mechanism among participating African countries.
According to the ministry, the event—organised in partnership with Afrocultour Nigeria Ltd.—will serve as a strategic platform to promote intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and highlight the continent’s growing creative influence.
