Joyce Onwuka
The 2026 Akwaaba Travel Trade Expo is set to provide a major platform for The Gambia to showcase its tourism potential, strengthen business relationships and deepen its footprint in Nigeria and the wider African travel market.
The Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard) will participate in the 2026 edition of the Akwaaba Travel Market, scheduled for September 13–15, 2026, in Lagos, bringing together key players from across Africa’s tourism, travel and aviation industries.
As part of its participation, Team Gambia will host a Destination Gambia Promotional Cocktail Reception on September 12, ahead of the main expo. The event will bring together travel agencies, tour operators, airlines and aviation stakeholders, logistics companies, investors and other tourism industry professionals. The reception is expected to provide a strategic business platform for The Gambia to engage directly with the African travel trade, promote its tourism products and experiences, and explore opportunities for partnerships, investment and increased visitor traffic.
Leading the Gambian delegation is the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Honourable Abdoulie Jobe, accompanied by Deputy Permanent Secretary Mrs. Amie Njie; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gambia Tourism Board, Mr. Momodou Bamba Saho; and Director General of the Gambia Tourism Board, Mrs. Ida Jeng Njie, alongside tourism stakeholders from The Gambia. A major focus of The Gambia’s participation at Akwaaba 2026 will be the promotion of the country as an emerging Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination in Africa.
With the continent experiencing growing demand for business events, conferences, exhibitions and corporate gatherings, The Gambia is seeking to leverage Akwaaba’s extensive network of travel professionals and industry decision-makers to promote its potential beyond traditional leisure tourism.
The country will use the platform to highlight its facilities, hospitality infrastructure and opportunities for hosting conferences, corporate events and other business-related gatherings. The MICE focus is also expected to create opportunities for closer collaboration between Gambian tourism operators and their Nigerian and regional counterparts, while encouraging greater business travel between the two countries. Akwaaba Travel Market as the only travel expo in West Africa has become an important meeting point for tourism and travel professionals across Africa and international markets, providing a platform for destinations, airlines, tour operators, hotels, travel agencies and other industry stakeholders to develop commercial relationships.
For The Gambia, participation in the 2026 edition represents an opportunity to increase destination visibility in Nigeria, one of West Africa’s major travel markets, while strengthening ties with the broader regional tourism industry. The GTBoard sees the event as part of its broader destination marketing strategy aimed at diversifying tourism markets, developing new trade partnerships and creating opportunities for the Gambian private sector.
Through its presence at Akwaaba 2026, The Gambia is expected to use Africa’s leading travel trade gathering to position itself as not only a leisure destination, but also a competitive hub for business tourism, investment, events and regional travel. The participation underscores the growing importance of intra-African tourism and the need for stronger partnerships among destinations, travel businesses and aviation stakeholders across the continent.