The 22nd edition of the Akwaaba African Travel Market commenced on September 13, 2026, at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. The three-day event runs through September 15 and centers on sports tourism, highlighting the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Return of African Tour Operators’ Summit and Cross-Regional Partnerships
The African Tour Operators’ Summit returned in 2026 after an eight-year pause since its initial edition in 2018. The summit brings together tour operators from West Africa, including Nigeria, and East Africa, comprising Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. Its purpose is to foster collaboration in developing multi-destination travel packages for AFCON
2027 attendees, combining West Africa’s established football reputation with East Africa’s tourism assets such as wildlife reserves, beaches, and adventure attractions.
This collaboration aims to boost intra-African tourism by linking football events with leisure travel offerings across East Africa. The summit also targets expanding business opportunities for airlines, hotels, and destination management companies along these routes.
Africa Travel 100 Awards Recognize Leading Tour Operators
On September 14, 2026, during the Akwaaba event, the Africa Travel 100 Awards for African Tour Operators will take place. Eligibility criteria for these awards require operators to have a minimum of five years’ experience selling outbound African tours and to have completed at
least five outbound tours in the last 18 months. Additionally, nominees must be based in Africa and either nominated by a previous Africa Travel 100 awardee or endorsed by a tour operator from another African country.
The awards celebrate tour operators significantly promoting African destinations to intra-continental travelers, reinforcing the objective of increasing regional travel integration and economic cooperation.
Event Program Features and Industry Highlights
The 2026 Akwaaba African Travel Market includes several key components beyond the Tour Operators’ Summit and awards. The program features the African Food Fair, Medical Tourism Expo, Africa Youth Tourism Bantaba, Wonders of Nigeria Expo, and the Aviation & Cargo Conference.
These segments attract stakeholders across Africa’s travel and tourism sectors for networking and industry development over the three-day period.
Previous editions have incorporated editions of the Africa Travel 100 Awards, recognizing categories such as Top 100 Travel Companies, Women in Tourism, Under 40 professionals, and Global Leaders. The event remains the largest and only travel expo in West Africa providing such comprehensive industry engagement.
Wide Regional Participation and Notable Past Attendees
Akwaaba 2026 continues to draw an extensive range of participants from across Africa and internationally. Countries represented include The Gambia, Kenya, Benin, Uganda, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Turkey, Namibia, Togo, India, São Tomé
and Príncipe, Malta, the Netherlands, Bahrain, the Bahamas, Spain, and Morocco.
Historically, the event has hosted notable figures such as former Nigerian Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Gambian President Dawda Jawara, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Sir Emeka Anyaoku, and former Nigerian Vice President Sir Alex Ekwueme. Akwaaba also regularly attracts ministers of tourism, state governors, ambassadors, and high commissioners from Africa and beyond.
