Olivier Ponti

ITIC Speaker
Olivier Ponti
Vice President, Insights
ForwardKeys

As Vice President of Insights at ForwardKeys, Olivier Ponti is responsible for bringing the company’s unique travel insights to life. His considerable experience in tourism research, alongside master’s degrees in Economics and Tourism Development, make him one of Europe’s leading experts in travel and destination marketing.

He is also an eloquent proponent of the power of data in the tourism sector. When not delivering speeches on the topic at industry events, he inspires the next generation of travel-data enthusiasts at Sorbonne University, one of his alma maters.

Yet Olivier is just as passionate about learning as he is teaching – and is always keen to discuss the latest events in the travel market.

Milton Nkosi

ITIC Speaker
Milton Nkosi
Chairman
MMN International Consulting

Milton Nkosi is a former BBC News Africa Bureaux Chief and Correspondent. He was also South Asia Bureaux Editor based in Delhi, India.

Mr. Nkosi joined the BBC over three decades ago just before the release of Nelson Mandela. He covered the township wars and the subsequent political negotiations to end apartheid.

Mr. Nkosi did his journalism training at BBC Academy’s College of Journalism in London – His management and leadership programme at Ashridge College in Hertfordshire. He studied teaching in civil engineering.

He has covered major stories in Angola, the then Zaire which is present-day DRC, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and many more others.

He has interviewed Walter Sisulu, Harry Belafonte, former US President Bill Clinton, Former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, F.W. De Klerk, Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Jacob Zuma, President Thabo Mbeki, President Kgalema Motlanthe, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Winnie Mandela and many other leaders.

In 2017 Mr Nkosi travelled to Dubai to interview Duduzane Zuma on allegations of State Capture. His video went viral on social media and has over 1,8 million views on Youtube alone.

Mr. Nkosi is an award winning journalist who always reminds us to see him – Just as an ordinary township boy from Orlando West, Soweto, who supports Orlando Pirates!

He is currently chairman of MMN International Consulting and is also a Senior Research Fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues.

TR

ITIC 2018 Advisory Board
Dr. Taleb Rifai
Chairman ITIC & Former Secretary General
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Dr. Taleb Rifai was the Secretary-General of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization, based in Madrid, Spain, until 31 December 2017, having held the post since being unanimously elected in 2010.

After completing his B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Cairo in 1973, Rifai went on to attain a master’s degree in Engineering and Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, United States in 1979. In 1983, he received his PhD in Urban Design and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

From 1973 to 1993, Mr. Rifai was a professor of Architecture at the University of Jordan in Amman. From 1993 to 1995, Rifai headed Jordan’s first Economic Mission to Washington DC, promoting trade, investments, and economic relations between Jordan and the United States. Rifai was also actively involved in policy making and developing investment strategies as Director General of the Investment Promotion Corporation (IPC) in Jordan (1995-1997).

In the three years preceding his service in the Jordanian Cabinet, he was appointed the CEO of Jordan’s Cement Company, one of the country’s largest public shareholding companies with over 4,000 employees. During his term he successfully led the first large-scale privatization and restructuring scheme in Jordan, by bringing in the French cement company Lafarge in 1998 and continued to serve as CEO under the new Lafarge management. From 1999 to 2003, he served in several ministerial portfolios in the Government of Jordan. First, he was appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, in charge of Jordan’s Development Agenda and bilateral and multilateral relationships with donors and agencies. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Information, the spokesman of the Government of Jordan, as well as being in charge of communications and public media. During his tenure, he embarked on restructuring public media and in particular the Jordan Television Network.

In 2001, his portfolio was expanded to include the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity, where he established Jordan’s first Archaeological Park in the ancient city of Petra in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Bank. He also realized several large projects in Jerash, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum. As Minister of Tourism, he was the Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board, President of the Amman School for Tourism and Hospitality and was elected Chairman of the Executive Council of UNWTO in 2001.

Prior to assuming his post at the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai was the Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for three consecutive years. His responsibilities included the overall supervision and implementation of the International Labor Standards, as well as advising on labor markets and employment policies, particularly in the Middle East region.

Taleb Rifai served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) from February 2006 to February 2009, at which point he took over the role of Secretary-General ad interim on 1 March 2009. Rifai was selected as the official candidate to be presented to entire 155 member inter-governmental body on 12 May 2009, receiving 20 out of 31 votes. Korean Dr. Oh Jee-Chul, from the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), received 10 out of the 11 remaining votes, with the final single vote being given to Mr. Khalid Malik, the Pakistani UN Resident Coordinator in China. The fourth candidate, Mr. Arab Hoballah, the Chief of Sustainable Consumption and Production in the UN Environment Program of Lebanon, withdrew. In October 2009, Rifai was unanimously elected by the entire body, and began his four-year term on 1 January 2010.

He was elected for a second four-year term, starting in January 2014, by the 20th Session of UNWTO General Assembly in August 2013 and served in that capacity through 2017. In his Statement of Intent and Management for the period 2014-2017, Rifai expressed his sense of gratitude and accomplishment looking back at his first term as UNWTO Secretary-General, and outlined the focus for his current term: Travel and Tourism’s contributions and responsibilities in a rapidly changing global scene, UNWTO leading the Travel and Tourism Agenda, and the assessment of the reform process UNWTO underwent between 2009-2013.

Hon. Alioune Sarr

ITIC Speaker
Hon. Alioune Sarr
Minister of Tourism and Air Transport
Senegal

Hon. Alioune Sarr, is the Minister of Tourism and Air Transport for Senegal.

Before joining the government, he was the Director General of the Senegalese Agency for Export Promotion (Asepex). In this role, Sarr initiated important projects and conducted missions for positioning products and services “Made in Senegal” on regional and international markets.

Hon. Rodney M Sikumba

ITIC Speaker
Hon. Rodney M Sikumba
Minister of Tourism and Arts
Zambia

Rodney has Bachelor of Arts from the University of Zambia and a Masters in Business Administration- Strategy and International Business from Hult International Business School (USA).

Rodney is a trained in Diplomatic Practice Protocol and Public relations from Zambia institute of Diplomacy and international studies.

Ken Osei

ITIC Speaker
Ken Osei
Principal Investment Officer
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
World Bank Group (WBG)

Ken Osei is a Principal Investment Officer with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Private Sector arm of the World Bank Group (WBG), and a leading Development Finance Institution, operating across emerging markets globally.

Ken is responsible for originating, structuring, closing and managing portfolio investments in IFC’s Manufacturing, Consumer Services and Agribusiness sectors. Ken has been involved in IFC equity, debt, and quasi-equity investments in East, West and Southern Africa in sectors such as Retail, Commercial Property, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Hotels, Cement Manufacturing, Automotive Components, Food & Beverage & Fast-Moving Consumer Goods. He is based in IFC’s Johannesburg office.

Promoting Africa as a key tourism investment destination

African Tourism Investment Summit

Investing in Africa’s future tourism growth and prosperity

 

DAY 1: 11 April 2022 – Global Stage

Time: 10:30 – 12:00 Ministerial Roundtable – Tackling challenges for future investments in Africa’s tourism industry

 

DAY 2: 12 April 2022 – Summit Day

Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre

Time: 10:00 – 18:00

 

As a major economic contributor for many African countries, the travel and tourism industry offers a plethora of opportunity, uniquely positioned to develop, attract and enhance economic prosperity across the continent; facilitate cross border collaboration throughout the value chain, and provide exceptional experiences to visitors from around the world.

The African Tourism Investment Summit in partnership with WTM, brings together esteemed speakers and key professionals in the private and public sector, to highlight investment trends, industry challenges and opportunities.

Held during Africa Travel Week, the event attracts ministers, mayors, investors, private equity firms, venture capitalists, decision makers, international buyers and travel professionals, with business translating into millions of dollars to boost Africa’s economy, while providing visitors a lifetime of memories.

Who should attend?

  • Finance Institutions
  • Financiers | Investors
  • Government Parastatals
  • Economic Development Practitioners
  • Public-Private Partners
  • Bilateral and Multilateral Development Partners
  • Project Developers
  • Infrastructure Operators
  • Leaders in Tourism Technology
  • Investment Sector Media
 

Register to attend

 

Programme

ITIC ATM Dubai 2022

Middle East Tourism Investment Summit

The Middle East as a major financial hub for global tourism investments

 

The Middle East has become a reference financial hub for tourism investments due to its comprehensive financial services with innovative and cost-effective FinTech as well as venture capital environments. This ecosystem is supported by a diverse pool of talents and a strong regulatory framework, building a high level of trust.

The region facilitates access to finance on favourable terms. In addition, it offers appropriate financial instruments to raise capital for tourism projects and agile financing modalities through investment loans or shared ownership.

 

Register to attend

Programme

ITIC WTM Cape Town
11 – 13 April 2022

African Tourism Investment Summit

Theme: Investing in Africa’s future tourism growth and prosperity

 
 

Register to attend