As the countdown begins for its much-anticipated 2025 Travel Trade Training Course in Banjul, Gambia, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has officially unveiled an impressive training faculty poised to deliver world-class instruction to Nigerian travel professionals.
Leading the expert faculty is Fatou Mas Jobe, a former Gambian Minister of Tourism, widely respected for her transformational contributions to tourism development in The Gambia and across Africa. The NANTA team, comprising over 90 registered participants, is set to depart Lagos on Monday, May 26, aboard Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading local carrier and official travel partner for the expedition.
Speaking on the faculty selection, NANTA President Mr. Yinka Folami emphasized the strategic importance of the one-week training, which combines professional development with tourism trade exposure. He credited the association’s training coordination team—comprising Immediate Past President and current First National Deputy President Susan Akporiaye and Mrs. Chinyere Umeasiegbu—for carefully curating a faculty of international repute and vast experience.
“Fatou Mas Jobe is not just a former minister,” Folami noted. “She is a globally recognized specialist in luxury resort management and tourism funding. Her insights will be instrumental in enriching the capacity of our members.”
Mas Jobe, who holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, previously led a groundbreaking \$12 million World Bank marketing initiative that significantly boosted Gambia’s tourist arrivals to 500,000. She is also credited with the transformation of the Gambia Tourism Authority and the Gambia Hotel School into the Gambia Tourism and Hotel Institute—an achievement made possible through critical funding from the Spanish Government.
Joining her on the faculty is Dr. Adama Bah, a seasoned tourism professional with over 40 years of experience. Dr. Bah is the Chairman of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia and a founding member of the Association of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET).
The faculty also includes Mr. Mutiu Kolawole Ambali, Head of the Tourism and Hospitality Department at the University of The Gambia. Ambali, who holds a Master of Science in Tourism Development and a background in agricultural economics, brings a strong academic and practical perspective to the program.
The training course is part of NANTA’s ongoing commitment to raise the standards of travel trade professionalism in Nigeria and build valuable cross-border partnerships within Africa’s tourism ecosystem.