NANTA Launches Landmark Ghana Retreat to Ignite Intra-African Tourism and Trade Ties
A powerful new chapter in intra-African tourism cooperation is being written in Accra this week, as the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) officially commenced a landmark seven-day executive retreat and familiarisation tour in Ghana. The high-profile mission, running from 17 to 23 July 2026, is designed to strengthen tourism and travel partnerships between Nigeria and Ghana while sending a clear message about the untapped potential of African destinations for African travellers.
The Nigerian delegation was warmly welcomed in Accra by Mr. Ernest Gyekye, Chairman of the Safari World Group, who assured the visiting executives of a memorable and productive experience throughout their stay. From the moment of arrival, the tone was set for a mission that goes far beyond ceremonial exchange, aiming instead at building tangible commercial outcomes for both markets.
Guided by the compelling theme "Africa for Africa: Tourism, Unity and Shared Growth", the retreat is being supported by Ibom Air as the official carrier, alongside Ghana's Safari Valley Resort as the primary host destination. This partnership structure reflects a maturing recognition that African travel businesses must actively invest in one another to unlock the continent's enormous but underexploited tourism value.
NANTA President Mr. Yinka Folami explained that the retreat represents a strategic initiative to deepen collaboration among African travel stakeholders and to promote Nigerian travel brands across the continent. He emphasised that the programme is focused on developing practical partnerships capable of increasing tourist traffic and business opportunities between Accra and Lagos — two of West Africa's most dynamic commercial capitals.
Beyond the surface-level agenda, the mission carries deeper significance. Organisers are openly framing the retreat as a response to the growing concerns around Afrophobia, xenophobic sentiment, and trade barriers that have periodically strained relations between African nations. By bringing Nigerian and Ghanaian travel leaders together in a working environment, NANTA hopes to recalibrate the conversation and reignite pan-African cooperation rooted in the shared historical dreams of unity and liberation that both countries have long championed.
The economic logic behind the initiative is equally compelling. By cultivating destinations such as the Safari Valley Resort in Ghana, NANTA aims to package premium yet accessible alternatives to traditional European, American, or Middle Eastern holidays. This approach also shields the Nigerian travel industry from extreme foreign exchange exposure, which has become an increasingly critical concern for outbound agencies grappling with currency volatility. The retreat is effectively serving as a laboratory for creating integrated travel packages that bundle flights, premium accommodation, and rich cultural experiences at competitive, localised rates.
Throughout their stay, the delegation will hold business meetings with Ghanaian travel operators, tour key Safari World destinations, and participate in cultural exchange activities carefully designed to promote regional tourism. These engagements are expected to generate concrete deliverables, from new commercial agreements to co-branded tour products that agencies on both sides can immediately begin marketing to their client bases.
The initiative also arrives at a symbolic moment for NANTA, which recently marked its Jubilee celebration in Ibadan. The Executive Council is using the Accra retreat to deliberate on the association's future direction, with a strong mandate to advocate for easier movement of persons across Africa and to build stronger tourism partnerships and policies that encourage Africans to view other African countries not as foreign territory, but as home.
The mission will climax with a high-profile executive dinner bringing together tourism stakeholders from both countries to explore fresh opportunities for expanding travel and tourism between the two nations. Policy advocates, travel trade leaders, and tourism entrepreneurs are all expected to contribute to shaping the roadmap that will emerge from these deliberations.
For the wider sub-Saharan travel industry, the NANTA–Ghana retreat offers a valuable blueprint. As the African Continental Free Trade Area continues to reshape commercial possibilities, initiatives such as this demonstrate that meaningful continental integration will not happen through policy alone — it requires practical, business-driven collaboration between travel professionals who understand their markets intimately. Agencies across the continent would do well to watch closely, and where possible, replicate this model of purposeful engagement in their own regional relationships.
