MEADFA Conference welcomes 313 attendees to Ghana

27.11.2023 - 09:42 / traveldailynews.com / Theodore Koumelis

Moderated by Dermot Davitt, President of The Moodie Davitt Report, and Michele Miranda, Conference Manager at TFWA, the event opened with a welcome address from MEADFA President Sherif Toulan and Minister Information of Ghana, Kojo Oppong Nkmurah.

The 2023 MEADFA Conference, hosted by Avolta, took place in Accra, Ghana this week and welcomed a total of 313 attendees, including 83 from Africa – which the Association described as an excellent number for the first MEADFA Conference to be held in West Africa.

Participants then enjoyed a number of informative panel sessions, which covered such topics as the African aviation and tourism industries, rebuilding the airport retail model in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, standing together against illicit trade, and tracking the post-Covid MEA traveller. Across these sessions, attendees heard from a wide variety of speakers, including: Kwame Awuah, Group Executive Commercial Services at Ghana Airports, Dina El Sherif, Commercial Development Director at Egyptian Airports Co, Luis Marin, President and CEO Europe, Middle East and Africa at Avolta AG, Keith Hunter, Partner at Hunter Palmer Global Retail Solutions, Abdeslam Agzoul, CEO Middle East and Africa at Avolta, Nico Reifkogel, Director of Business Development at Gebr Heinemann, Rob Marriot, CEO at Aer Rianta International Middle East, Roger Jackson, Managing Director at Organico Solutions FZCO, Milika Kalyati, Corporate Affairs and Communications Manager – Global Travel Retail at Japan Tobacco International, Chichi Maponya, Co-founder and Executive Chairperson at Africa Travel Retail, Sarah Branquinho, President of Duty Free World Council, Antoine Clément, Senior Director – Strategy at Penta, Stephen Hillam, Managing Director at PI Insight, Christy Tawii, Research Manager at Euromonitor International, and Philip Haine, Regional Sales Director MENEAT Travel Retail at Japan Tobacco International.

Highlights of the conference programme included day two’s opening keynote address from Roberta Annan, Impact investor, Goodwill Ambassador at UNEP, and founder of African Fashion Foundation and Annan Capital Partners, on the potential of the African duty free and travel retail market, along with discussions on charting the recovery of the industry, a view from Dubai, a focus on African shoppers and a progress report on sustainability in the Middle East and Africa. Speakers included: Ramesh Cidambi, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Duty Free, Martina Bednarikova, Economist and Policy Analyst at IATA, Clive Jones, CEO at Tourvest Retail Services, Sountou Bousso, CEO West Africa at Lagardère Travel Retail, Munif Mohammed, Bernard Creed, Senior Vice President – Finance at Dubai Duty Free, CEO South Africa at Lagardère