Harare, (New Ziana) — Africa must move beyond competing to host international conferences and instead create and own globally significant business events that give the world compelling reasons to come to the continent, the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK) has said.
INSTAK made the call at the Sanganai/Hlanganani CEO Roundtable held in Masvingo under the theme, “One Region, One Destination: Advancing Integrated and Sustainable Tourism Growth,” which was officially opened by Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Tongai Mnangagwa on Tuesday.
Representing INSTAK chief executive officer, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, the organisation’s Recreation Manager, Ms Diana Stotombe, moderated a session on unlocking business events, where she said Africa had the resources, expertise and experiences needed to develop events capable of attracting global decision-makers.
She identified critical minerals, renewable energy, the creative industries and African economic integration among the themes around which the continent could build distinctive international events.
“Africa must not only be the venue. Africa must be part of the substance, story and value proposition of the event,” Ms Stotombe said.
She said Africa’s competitive advantage lay in developing events centred on issues where the continent possessed both significant resources and lived experience.
“The future of African business events should be about creating events that could only happen in Africa,” she said.
According to INSTAK, such an approach would enable the continent to attract international decision-makers while ensuring that business events generate economic benefits well beyond conference venues.
These benefits include increased demand for tourism and hospitality services, aviation, cultural experiences, investment opportunities and knowledge exchange.
The institute is already applying this philosophy through the development of Liberation City in Harare, an integrated tourism, heritage, cultural and business-events destination anchored by the Museum of African Liberation.
The museum is expected to be officially opened as part of the African Union 2027 Mid-Year Summit, which Zimbabwe is bidding to host.
It will be complemented by the Heritage Village, an Afrocentric conferencing and cultural destination, and the Harare Sunset Skydeck, which will provide leisure and hospitality experiences for visitors and delegates.
INSTAK is also set to open the Robert Gabriel Mugabe Museum in Highfield, adding another important historical dimension to Zimbabwe’s heritage tourism offering.
Together, the developments point to a model in which conferences and business events are integrated into broader destination experiences rather than being confined to hotel meeting rooms.
The CEO Roundtable also explored issues central to Africa’s ability to compete for global tourism and business, including destination competitiveness, joint destination marketing, aviation connectivity, visa facilitation, sustainable tourism, climate resilience, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
INSTAK endorsed the Roundtable’s “One Region, One Destination” approach, saying African countries could achieve greater impact through coordinated destination marketing, multi-destination tourism circuits and regional business events.
The approach would allow visitors attending an event in one country to experience attractions and destinations across neighbouring countries, potentially increasing visitor stays and spreading tourism revenues across the region.
For INSTAK, the ultimate objective is to change Africa’s position in the global events industry—from being primarily a venue for international conversations to becoming a creator and owner of the conversations themselves.
The institute argues that Africa’s rich natural resources, cultural heritage, economic transformation and development challenges provide a powerful foundation for creating business events with genuine global relevance.
“Africa should not merely host the world’s conversations. It should increasingly create them,” the INSTAK official said.
New Ziana
