Stakeholders push for investment, collaboration to unlock Africa’s tourism potential

By John Alechenu
ABUJA: Stakeholders in Africa’s hospitality and tourism sector have called for increased investment, better infrastructure, policy alignment and stronger regional collaboration to harness the continent’s tourism potential and drive sustainable economic growth.

The call was the main focus of discussions at the 9th International Hospitality and Tourism Expo and Forum, IHTEF 9.0, themed The Sustainability Summit – Africa, which opened in Abuja yesterday.

The Executive Director of the International Hospitality Tourism and Economic Sustainability Forum, IHTEF, Engr. Chibuike Diala, said in his opening remarks that the sector had moved beyond basic service delivery to become a key driver of economic growth.

“The hospitality industry is entering a defining era shaped by investment discipline, sustainability imperatives, technology transformation, skills development and policy alignment,” he said.

According to him, hospitality is now a critical part of tourism and national development, and increasingly functions as a strategic investment asset.

“Hospitality is no longer merely service delivery. It is an economic driver, it is tourism, it is national development. And increasingly, it is a strategic investment asset,” he stated.

Diala noted that the future of the industry would favour operators who go beyond offering meals to creating memorable guest experiences.

“The future of hospitality dining may therefore belong not simply to hotels that serve exceptional meals but to those capable of creating spaces guests genuinely remember,” he said.

Earlier at the conference, Managing Director of W Hospitality Group and Chairman of Hotel Partners Africa, Trevor Ward, presented findings from the 2026 Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa Report.

Ward said the report, based on an annual survey, showed significant growth in Africa’s hotel chain development.

“This 18th edition of our annual survey has a record 53 international and regional contributors, reporting pipeline activity in Africa totaling 123,846 rooms in 675 hotels and resorts, up 18.6 per cent on 2025,” he said.

He explained that the total included four new contributors with 6,636 pipeline rooms between them, adding that on a same-store basis the increase was 12.2 per cent, higher than global pipeline growth reported by international majors.

According to the report, Egypt leads Africa’s top ten development pipelines with 185 hotels and 45,984 rooms, followed by Morocco with 75 hotels and 10,606 rooms. Nigeria ranked third with 8,480 rooms, while Ghana completed the top ten with 26 hotels and 3,942 rooms.

Ward said the figures reflected growing investor confidence in Africa’s hospitality sector despite global economic headwinds, and noted that the expansion was creating opportunities for job creation, skills transfer and tourism growth across the continent.

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