The official launch of the much anticipated Africa International Tourism and Economic Council (AITEC-World) was made at the Abuja Continental Hotel, the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria on Thursday.
The event which witnessed stakeholders from the African continent and global community had the former Ghanaian Minister of Tourism and Culture, Catherine Afeku as the Keynote Speaker and Dr. Anthony Elumelu, the Director of Private Sector, ECOWAS Commission as the Chairman of the occasion.
Giving his opening speech, the AITEC World President, Ambassador Dine BOURAIMA said this newly launched initiative will set up, in collaboration with African states, a revolutionary system for the collection and analysis of statistical data on African tourism.
He added that this system will allow the acquisition of comparable and up-to-date data between African nations, real-time monitoring of market trends, allowing guidance for public policies and private investments based on solid factual data.
The President revealed that AITEC’s dualism is at the heart of its action: linking Africa to the world: attracting investors, visitors, skills, partnerships to the continent and linking the world to Africa: enabling its economic, cultural, and tourism actors to access new international markets.
He disclosed that the AITEC World 2025–2030 strategic action plan is based on six pillars: 1. Development of sustainable tourism and hospitality. 2. Economic cooperation and strategic investments. 
3. Promotion of culture and creative industries. 4. Innovation and digital transformation. 5. Mobilization of the diasporas. 6. Sustainable development and climate resilience.
Amb BOURAIMA concluded that this launch is not just an institutional initiative but a concrete mechanism, designed to deliver measurable results.
“In ten years, if we succeed, the indicators will speak for themselves: more visitors, more investments, more jobs, and an Africa better integrated into global economic exchanges”, he said.
Responding to questions from Journalists at the event, the Ghanaian former Minister declared that Africa must stop waiting for external approval to unlock its tourism potential, insisting that the continent’s destiny lies firmly in its own hands.
She said the key to transforming African tourism is to focus inward before seeking global markets. “Africa does not need anyone’s permission to thrive. We just need to allow ourselves.
“If Africa packages its tourism potential and sells within Africa, the narrative will change. We will have Zimbabweans visiting Nigeria, Nigerians exploring Gabon, and Ghanaians going to Mozambique”.
She urged African nations to prioritise data gathering, technology integration, and policy advocacy to make tourism a driver of jobs, economic transformation, while called for a centralised African tourism database that would showcase each country’s top destinations at the click of a button, backed by credible research.
The Ex-Minister appealed to AITEC World to “present its pillars to the powers that be” to secure adoption and funding from African governments, citing Nigeria as the biggest brother on the continent.
She said, “Where Nigeria leads, others follow. This is not just a ceremony; it is the birth of a movement to make Africa a global tourism powerhouse.
Afeku noted that tourism is one of the few sectors where a single job can employ three people through shift work, stressing that investment in tourism is also an investment in political stability.
On policy, she pressed AITEC to work with the African Union, ECOWAS, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to remove barriers to free movement.
“Borders are a colonial legacy. One economy, one army, one passport — that’s the way to go if we want to be taken seriously,” she said, adding that a Pan-African security command could safeguard destinations and quickly respond to crises.
Earlier, in his presentation, the AITEC World Vice President, Communications and International Relations, Ambassador Kazeem Balogun said this initiative is built to drive strategic bilateral and multilateral collaborations between Africa and the global community.
He added, “Also to offer practical solutions to economic challenges and unleashing the full potential of the tourism sector as a transformative industry in the world”.
