Catch up on ITIC Europe Africa Tourism Summit 2025 – experience the full summit day

Harry Theoharis
Former Minister of Tourism of Greece & Candidate for Secretary General of the UN Tourism

Dimitris Skalkos
Secretary-General for International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Republic

H.E. Apostolos Tzitzikostas
EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport

Angela Gerekou
President, Greek National Tourism Organisation

Hon. Olga Kefalogianni
Minister of Tourism, Greece

H.E. Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Prime Minister, Greece

Greece: A Case Study of Successful Tourism Investment

The African Perspective

Exploring Smart, Sustainable, and Innovative Business Tourism Models

Harry Theoharis, Former Minister of Tourism and Aradhana Khowala, Founder & CEO of Aptamind, discussing the concept of Mission 100 for Africa

Visa and Air Connectivity Reforms: Enhancing Africa’s Accessibility on the Global Destination Map

Nigeria
Samson Davies, Group Chief Executive, Signature Group

Mozambique
Jeremias Manussa, Adviser to the Minister of the State Secretary of Tourism, Mozambique

Namibia
Iingwapha Simeon, Acting Tourism Director, Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism, Namibia

Cape Town
Lee-Ann Singer, Director, The Singer Group

Santorini – Luxury Residential Resort & Hotel
Omiros Emmanouilies, Group Chairman, Omiros One Architecture

Addressing the challenges and barriers women face in obtaining financial resources to initiate tourism enterprises

Are ESG factors and resilience considerations essential prerequisites for investment in tourism destinations?

With over 17 years of diverse experience spanning consultancy, financial services, and corporate restructuring, Mr. Davies is an industry leader. A Harvard Business School alumnus, he has played pivotal roles in mergers, acquisitions, and private placements in Nigeria. Under his leadership, Signature Group has partnered with the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the African Securities Exchanges Association to rank Africa’s largest corporations.

With over 17 years of diverse experience spanning consultancy, financial services, and corporate restructuring, Mr. Davies is an industry leader. A Harvard Business School alumnus, he has played pivotal roles in mergers, acquisitions, and private placements in Nigeria. Under his leadership, Signature Group has partnered with the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the African Securities Exchanges Association to rank Africa’s largest corporations.

Andrew Agius Muscat is an entrepreneur and an experienced management practitioner. Holding a BA honours degree in Business Management and a Masters degree in European Studies, he is a regular speaker at management and leadership training seminars and conferences, and is the founder of the Mediterranean Hotels and Restaurants Academy.

His practical experience was gained in public sector change management initiatives as a consultant within the Office of the Prime Minister for 8 years and later another 10 years (to-date) in the private sector, as CEO and Board Director of various organisations in different sectors, namely food production and distribution, construction, tourism, and as an independent consultant, specialising in strategy and international business development, marketing and media production.

Throughout his career Andrew has also been appointed on various public sector boards and committees including Chairman at the Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, policy consultant to various Ministries, and advisor to the World Bank and the European Parliament.

As a firm believer in developing intellectual capital through education, he has throughout his career introduced programmes of professional development for his various work teams, namely in EU food safety practices and HACCP procedures, benchmarking, ISO quality standards, international business development, facilities management, leadership and marketing. He is currently the CEO at the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association.

Mr Nene, a renowned economist, has more than 20 years’ experience as a board member and executive officer of public and private companies in a wide variety of industries with a strong track record of building and maintaining stakeholder value. His active role and contribution to a nation building agenda and serving in government positions sees him being held in high regard by captains of industry in private sector and government alike.

Mr Nene is Chairman of the Board of Thebe Investment Corporation and has contributed to some of Thebe’s most strategic decisions made during his tenure as Thebe’s resident advisor from May 2016 to February 2018. Furthermore, in 2020 he was appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the Thebe Board. In addition, he was previously instrumental in driving growth in the Food & Agriculture business unit in his role as Chairperson of Thebe’s single largest controlled investment, Empact Group.

An astute economist, Mr Nene holds a B. Com Honours degree in Economics, an advanced Diploma in Economic Policy from University of Western Cape as well as a Diploma in Marketing Management from DMS, a Certificate in Economic Policy from University of South Africa and a Certificate in Macro and Microeconomics from the University of London.

Mr Nene is Chairman of MC Mining, a Member of the Old Mutual Superfund Management Board and Chairperson of the Pan African Arise Bank. Mr Nene serves as the Non-Executive Director of the newly established SA based Grobank. Further to this he serves in a diverse number of entities as Non-Executive Director.

Mr Nene’s impressive resume showcases his passion for community development and cohesive nation building. He was active in student politics in the mid-1976 and his passion for justice culminated to him serving in parliament and eventually as Deputy Minister of Finance and ultimately Minister of Finance between 2014-2015.

Mr Nene has passion for development especially in his community and continues to play a significant role in steering community projects and being a catalyst for change in the community of Kranskop where he was born.

Aradhana is a global expert on the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Her executive, entrepreneurial and board career spans over two decades, five continents and 75+ countries. She is currently the CEO of Aptamind Partners, a private client advisory that advises governments and businesses on using tourism as a force for good and she is the former Managing Director of Tourism at NEOM which is the US$ 500 Billion land of the future in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

A sought-after Board Member she has an active portfolio of board roles both in private and listed companies which includes being the Chair of the Red Sea Advisory board in Saudi Arabia, Board Member of World Tourism Forum in Lucerne Switzerland as well as Board Member of the leisure arm of a multi asset listed holding company.

She speaks widely on sustainable tourism, tourism of the future, women in leadership and has participated in global policy discussions in United Nations bodies, the WEF as well as the G20 apart from all major tourism Summits. She has studied at Ecole Hotelier de Lausanne in Switzerland, Cornell University in US and INSEAD in France.

Aare (Dr) Absoye Fagade, FIMC, is the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR). A visionary leader with a passion for the development of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality sector, he is at the forefront of repositioning NIHOTOUR from a training institute to a regulatory body that sets and enforces industry standards.

With a distinguished career spanning business, leadership, and public administration, Dr. Fagade brings a wealth of experience in strategic policy implementation and institutional transformation. Under his leadership, NIHOTOUR is driving key collaborations with relevant agencies, both within Nigeria and internationally, to enhance professional training, certification, and industry best practices.

Dr. Fagade is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC) and holds several academic and professional qualifications that have equipped him for his role in policy formulation and sectoral growth. His dedication to capacity building, skills development, and sustainable tourism has positioned NIHOTOUR as a pivotal institution in Nigeria’s journey toward becoming a globally recognized hospitality and tourism hub.

As DG/CEO, he remains committed to fostering innovation, promoting excellence, and ensuring that Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality sector meets global standards through quality education, training, and regulation.

Omiros Emmanouilides graduated from the University of Melbourne’s Architecture school, top of his year with 1st Class Honors. Omiros was the recipient of the Commonwealth Research Award to undertake research in environmental architecture. Following that, Mr. Emmanouilides completed a Master of Architecture degree of the University of Melbourne.

The architectural practice Omiros One Architecture (O1a) & O1a International was founded by Omiros in 1987 in Melbounre Australia. O1a is a full service architecture & design firm with a wide ranging portfolio encompassing medium and large scale residential projets, marina & resort developments, commercial centres, hospital and educational facilities including Master planning civic and special purpose buildings.

Since its inception it has grown to include offices in Melbourne, Abu Dhabi & Delhi, with satellite offices in London & Kuala Lumpur.

O1a has both national and international project experience having successfully completed large commissions across Australia, UK, Europe, UAE, Oman, India and China.

Uduak Joseph is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in administration, sales, and marketing within the hospitality and tourism industry.

She has held key roles in strategic sales and event management at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Abuja, and has contributed significantly to regional tourism development through her work with the West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO).

Uduak holds an MSc in Tourism Marketing Management from Bournemouth University and brings a strong focus on sustainable tourism, investment facilitation, and operational excellence.

As Project and Events Manager at WATO, she continues to drive impactful initiatives that support the growth of Africa’s travel and tourism sector.