Coming on the heels of its recent Tourism Summit held in Lagos, which was supported by The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other corporate bodies across the region, the Africa Travel Commission (ATC) has named the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Dr Ola Awakan, Chairman of its Board of Trustees.

Awakan’s appointment to lead the continental body is said to reinforce Nigeria’s leadership role in advancing continental tourism. The Executive Director of ATC, Lucky Onoriode Geoorge (PhD), disclosed the appointment following high-level engagements with NTDA and ATC in Abuja.

NTDA’s DG emergence as Chairman builds on Nigeria’s longstanding contributions to global tourism development, including its historic role in shaping international tourism cooperation and the evolution of UN Tourism.

In his acceptance remarks, Awakan pledged to drive sustainable tourism growth, enhance competitiveness, deepen cultural exchange, and unlock broader economic opportunities across the continent through strong public–private collaboration.

He further expressed optimism for Nigeria’s tourism sector under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that Nigeria is well-positioned to lead efforts aimed at improving visa openness, strengthening connectivity, and fostering regional integration.

George noted that the appointment of Awakan places Nigeria at the forefront of Africa’s tourism renaissance, with plans to convene tourism leaders from across the continent and implement collaborative frameworks that will transform Africa into a premier global tourism hub through innovation, unity and strategic advocacy.

Originally established in 1965 and revived in Ghana in 2021 as a non-profit body under George, ATC serves as a strategic platform to promote intra-African travel, strengthen partnerships, advocate progressive policies, and position Africa as a unified global destination among others.