The tourism and sports industries will take centre stage at the 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market as Dr. Kweku Adedayo Tandoh, Chief Operating Officer of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF/ITTF-Africa), speaks on how major sporting events can drive tourism, investment and economic development across the continent.
Dr. Tandoh is scheduled to speak on “The Tourism Impact of Sports Hosting,” at the Eko Hotel and Suits, Lagos, where he will draw on examples from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and other major sporting events hosted across Africa to demonstrate how sports can be leveraged to attract visitors, create business opportunities and strengthen destination branding.
His session comes at a significant time for East Africa, with tourism and travel operators from countries preparing to host the PAMOJA AFCON invited to participate in the discussion. The engagement is expected to provide practical insights that can help tourism stakeholders prepare for the opportunities and challenges associated with hosting major international sporting competitions.
The PAMOJA AFCON project will see Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania jointly host the Africa Cup of Nations, creating an opportunity for the three East African destinations to use football to promote their tourism attractions and encourage increased regional and international travel.
Dr. Tandoh is expected to examine how major sporting events can generate benefits beyond the stadium, particularly through hotel occupancy, aviation, transportation, hospitality, tour operations, entertainment, retail and destination marketing.
The discussion will also explore the importance of early collaboration between sports authorities, tourism boards, tour operators, airlines, hotels and other private-sector stakeholders to ensure that host destinations are adequately prepared to maximise the tourism value of major competitions.
With the experience of previous AFCON tournaments and other international sporting events across Africa providing useful lessons, the session is expected to highlight both the opportunities and potential pitfalls of sports tourism.
Dr. Tandoh brings more than three decades of experience in sports administration, event management and sports development to the discussion. He became the pioneer Chief Operating Officer of the African Table Tennis Federation in September 2023, following the ratification of his appointment by the continental body.
Before his appointment to the ATTF, he served as Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, where he was involved in the administration and development of sports in Lagos.
His experience also includes serving as Tournament Director of the ITTF Nigeria Open in 2018 and the upgraded Nigeria Open Challenge Plus in 2019. He has also held key organisational positions in major Nigerian sporting events, including the Eko 2012 National Sports Festival and the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival.
A medical doctor by profession, Dr. Tandoh studied at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, before building a career that has combined medicine with extensive experience in sports administration and international event management.
His participation at Akwaaba 2026 is expected to reinforce the growing relationship between sports and tourism as complementary drivers of economic development in Africa.
For East African tour operators and other tourism stakeholders preparing for PAMOJA AFCON, the session is expected to offer an opportunity to learn from previous sporting events and develop strategies for converting increased football-related travel into wider tourism benefits.
The organisers hope the engagement will encourage greater cooperation between sports and tourism stakeholders and demonstrate how Africa can use major sporting events not only to stage successful competitions, but also to create lasting tourism legacies for host destinations.
