Speakers

Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, a seasoned diplomat, began his journey in Uganda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994. With steadfast dedication, he rose through the ranks to attain the prestigious position of Ambassador in 2013. His extensive experience includes serving in various capacities at the Ministry's Headquarters and representing Uganda abroad. Notable postings include Uganda's Embassy in Khartoum (2001 – 2006) and the Uganda Consulate in Guangzhou, China (2011 – 2016). Since January 2021, Ambassador Mukumbya has been Uganda's Consul General in Mombasa, showcasing his unwavering commitment to diplomatic service.

Ben fell in love with Africa in 2001, when he moved to Ghana to work at the Ghanaian Ministry of Justice. Since then, Ben has accumulated eighteen years of experience investing in, founding, growing and managing companies and non-profits across Africa. Ben founded and led Journalists for Human Rights (now Canada’s largest media development NGO) and Newsana Incorporated (a news aggregation platform); more recently spent nearly four years as Senior Partner at AHL Venture Partners, one of Africa’s largest early stage investors. In this role Ben ran AHL’s Nairobi office and oversaw AHL’s East and Southern African portfolio; notably, Ben led an investment and subsequent exit in Twiga Foods that won the 2019 ‘Exit of the Year’ award from the East Africa Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. Ben is also the Recipient of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, winner of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award and the Queen’s University Alumni Humanitarian Award. Ben has a MSc from the London School of Economics.

Intrepid strives to change the way we all see the world. We do this by offering an immersive style of adventure travel which benefits both our travellers and the people and places they visit. Intrepid is a vertically integrated global business including our tour operating brand, more than 30 destination management companies around the world, and a not-for-profit foundation Today, we provide the world's widest range of adventure tours – or sustainable experience-rich travel, as we prefer to call it. We are a certified B-Corp and aim to be the best travel company for the world. We believe our purpose initiatives are not just beneficial to the world we operate in but good for business growth. In the role of Regional General Manager (RGM) for Africa and Middle East I hold accountability for the overall performance of each business in the region (Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Southern Africa and East Africa). A key purpose is to drive excellence for the region. My role is responsible for the long-term planning and implementation of strategy, ensuring that both yearly and longer-term goals are achieved. The engagement required is at both a strategic and, at times, a detailed level, to deliver business performance across all parts of the business, including operations and sales. I provide leadership to ensure that the region and each individual business achieves its goals, by promoting business revenue growth and profitability, monitoring trip performance including passenger enjoyment and health and safety, developing new business and effectively utilising resources to deliver the best travel experience ever to our clients. I also contribute to the global performance of the business, by contributing to strategy, policy, process and global business development.

David G. Gitonga holds a master's degree in Tourism Management, a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship. He has over 25 years of experience in the tourism public sector. Prior to joining Tourism Research Institute (TRI), he served in the Ministry of Tourism taking leadership in the areas of policy and strategic planning, sector regulation and innovation. He is particularly credited for his role in delivering the National Tourism Blueprint 2030 where he was the National Co-ordinator. The Blueprint offers an overarching strategic focus for the development of Kenya’s tourism and enhancing its contribution to the economy. At TRI, Gitonga has been leading the process of setting up the operational structures and the strategies for the Institute to deliver on its mandate from infancy. This work started by developing a Strategic Plan that gave clarity of vision and focus to the Board and staff. This enabled the Institute to adopt innovative ways of data management and research as well as for dissemination of findings. The Institute has thus taken its place as the principal source of research information and data for Kenya’s tourism sector advising both the Government and private sector on areas of improvement for destination Kenya’s competitiveness. Under his leadership, the Institute has forged global collaborations that have benefited the entire Kenya tourism sector. His services have been extended beyond Kenya’s borders and he has been invited as a resource person to support tourism research and statistics programs across the continent. This has so far taken him to Namibia, Zanzibar, Seychelles, Ethiopia and Djibouti and he has had other virtual engagements on the same. These missions help reinforce Kenya’s position as a leader in tourism within the continent and support the government’s policy of economic diplomacy.

Dennis is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya and leads the IFC EDGE Green Building Market Transformation Program in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria and serves as a support for the entire Africa sub region. He works with IFC’s global partners in green building certification and is responsible for identifying early EDGE adopters amongst commercial and residential developers, financial institutions, industry organizations, and other stakeholders; presenting the technical and business case for EDGE; and assisting in registering projects for EDGE certifications. Papa Odenyi works with national and local governments to ensure EDGE is integrated into incentives and policy planning and to assist governments create green building codes on national and local levels. His background is in Urban Development with experience working in the built environment in Africa and has participated in several urban redevelopment projects. He has over the past 12 years provided specific technical inputs for various real estate projects. His expertise includes Green Buildings, Sustainable Real Estate Development, Real Estate Marketing and Management, Real Estate Valuation and Business Development. He holds an MSc in Urban Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, (LSE) in the UK and an Undergraduate degree in Land Economy from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology in Ghana. He is also a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

Divinah Maturi serves as the Inspection Manager Control Union Kenya, where she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role.With six years of experience in the field, she has honed her expertise in auditing sustainable standards in organic, textile and tourism. Divinahs commitment to sustainability and her detailed understanding of multiple standards make her an invaluable asset to the society thus contributing to the promotion of environmentally responsible practices

Dr. Kayode D. Aleshinloye is an Assistant Professor of Tourism and Event Management at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida. His research interests focus on the social and cultural impacts of cultural and sporting events, community, and sustainable tourism, and residents and tourists’ relationships. Kayode has published in top tourism and event journals and presented at several national and international tourism conferences. He currently teaches Event Administration Management at the graduate level and Fairs and Festivals at the undergraduate level. He is an associate Editor and regional editor (Africa) for the Event Management Journal and reviews for many leading tourism journals.

Sisco is a researcher at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in community-based tourism development from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Her research interests include Sustainable Tourism, Dark Sky Tourism, Indigenous Astronomy, and Community Development. Before entering the academic space. She has spent more than 20 years working in the tourism sector in Europe, South Africa, and Namibia. She worked for the US Millennium Challenge Account -Namibia where she managed sustainable tourism projects. In 2019 she was a judge for the Africa World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Awards held in Cape Town, South Africa. Recently, she has just been selected as an associate member of Astro Accel, a US National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative pioneering a global interdisciplinary network for accelerating synergies through research on astronomy for culture, education, engagement, and communication. She is also the advisory executive member of Eco-Awards Namibia, an alliance of the private sector and government organisations that runs a sustainable tourism certification program for Namibia. During her spare time, Sisco enjoys traveling to remote locations with minimal light pollution to appreciate the magnificent beauty of the pristine Namibian night skies.

Gulam Sawant is a seasoned professional with a diverse background spanning journalism, health, fitness, and now sustainability management. With a career fuelled by a desire to serve others and add value, Gulam transitioned from a successful tenure in the health and fitness industry to join Weeva as Head of Sales in December 2023. Drawing upon 20 years of experience in commercial development, Gulam brings strategic acumen and leadership to Weeva. His role involves forging strategic partnerships, leading the Sales team, and representing Weeva at key industry events. Gulam's journey began with a qualification in journalism, which laid the foundation for his communication skills and passion for storytelling. Over the years, he honed his expertise through various professional development programs, including a distinguished Global Executive Development program at Gordon Institute of Business Science. With a proven track record of success and a relentless drive to make a positive difference, Gulam Sawant embodies leadership, excellence, and a commitment to sustainable practices.

Harriet Owalla is a Kenyan journalist who's been reporting on tourism and conservation for the past seven years. Her work has been published in various publications both local and international like the Skift, Afar, Fodor not to mention but a few. She has also featured on BBC Travel Kenya edition and the New York times talking on the same. On top of that, she has worked with various tourism boards like Magical Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Seychelles, Morocco, Zimbabwe to market their destinations.