The 6th Africa Youth In Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge, held at Mercure Hotel in Windhoek,Namibia, recently concluded with remarkable success.
Themed “Offering actionable solutions for Africa’s travel tech, tourism innovation, entrepreneurship, and youth employability,” the event was hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in collaboration with UN Tourism and Africa Tourism Partners.
One of the highlights of the summit was the establishment of Africa’s Innovation hub, which will be virtual and will collaborate with institutions of learning across Africa such as UNISA, Namibia University of Technology, Durban University of Technology and Cape Peninsula University.
This initiative aims to empower young people to develop their projects from ideation to the implementation of bankable solutions in the tourism and travel tech sectors.
Over the last 6 editions, the Summit has connected over 3000 African youth in tourism, entrepreneurs, and start-ups from over 60 African countries and throughout the world, as well as over 500 intra-Africa trade professionals.
Additionally, it has brought together over 600 industry experts and policy-makers to strengthen policy and initiatives on youth inclusivity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The overall socioeconomic impact to host countries, participants, and partners has been invaluable.
The Innovation Challenge, a key component of the summit, showcased groundbreaking ideas from young innovators across the continent.
The competition culminated in the selection of three top finalists from Namibia, Uganda, and Ghana.
Notably, this is the first time that a Namibian challenger has made it into the top three continental finalists since the inception of the Challenge.
The winners of the Innovation Challenge will be announced at the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum in Botswana later this year, further highlighting the commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among African youth in the tourism industry.
