Entrepreneur showcasing goldmine called Africa

Ayo Oyewole, chief executive officer, Afrotourism, in this interview with RITA OHAI, speaks on the challenges of running a business in an emerging market and his vision for creating a traveller’s guide to untapped Africa.

Ayo defines his company as a venture that puts together valuable content highlighting the luxurious dynamics of Africa and its environs.

According to the businessman, Afrotourism as Nigeria’s premier digital media company is geared towards revealing the magnificent potential of the world’s most culturally rich and diverse continent as a prime destination for vacations and leisure by sourcing tourism information on destinations within Africa and its surrounding islands.

However, with the industry contributing less than two percent to the Gross Domestic Product – although its potential as a major revenue generator has been touted in wealthy circles – its perception, hinged on inadequate knowledge and subliminal apathy among tourists, has kept it productivity level low.

In 2013 alone, less that 700, 000 travellers journeyed in-country, according to World Bank estimates.

Based on the report, more than 80 percent were business travellers who spent an average of two weeks around coastal cities without visiting sites beyond the hotel and work locations.

Explaining how the dwindling rate of tourists affects economic outlook, Oyewole said, “A friend from Rwanda once told me that ‘it is amazing how we Africans are always in a hurry to visit our colonial masters.’ I thought it was an interesting twist to it.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about Africa but this is part of our doing – changing the mindset. People are surprised when I tell them there are places they can ski on South Africa and there are a lot of exotic beaches on the continent and its surrounding islands but the publicity is inadequate.

“Take our private beaches, for example, many of them give you foreign feel when you visit there and very few people know about them. As a result the revenue that is generated from them is small and then the jobs that could have been provided by putting these places to use will not materialise but we can change this if a few basic things are put in place,” he explained.

Beyond the lack of awareness of exotic sites is the prevailing bureaucracy associated with the civil service.

Bemoaning the terrors of engaging with the public sector on any venture, while recapping the most challenging reality he has had to deal with since building his company from scratch, Ayo tags the quality of services delivered by government agencies nerve-racking; a dire necessity that needs improvement if any progress in his industry will be recorded.

Sharing a personal experience, Ayo posits, “First of all, we have got the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation doing what they can but if there is no government policy favouring the expansion of tourism, there is nothing anyone can do.

“A World Bank report recently released classed Nigeria as one of the worst countries operating tourism activities and that is sad because the rot pervades all levels.

“We wanted to sign up with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as affiliate members and NTDC said that they were the ones handling the registration locally. We wasted seven weeks waiting for NTDC to recommend us only for WTO to tell us that it is the Ministry of Education duty.

“All the bureaucracies involved with the tourism sector can be frustrating for anyone. Usually what people do is say that ‘This is Nigeria’ and they accept shoddy services but that is wrong. It should not be acceptable!” he said.

This insensitivity makes business a tough nut to chew for corporate enterprises such as his, offering bespoke, niche-driven attractions to seasoned travellers and luxury enthusiasts interested in discovering Africa as a target market.

In spite of the fact that many consider Nigeria a challenging place to do business, owing to the latency of public and private regulatory bodies as well as its widespread misgivings as a frontier market, key investors believe that with a few adjustments in industrial vision, the lapses can be abated.

Revealing efforts stakeholders are applying to increase the efficiency and sectoral contributions of tourism to national development, Ayo says, “We are partnering with the government to change the general perception about the industry. And at company level, we are opening up Africa to the world by employing a research team which is focused primarily on exploring uncharted destinations and giving us that feedback so we can share it with the world.”

Although businesses are not expected to survive the defining waters of enterprise beyond the 5-year timeline, Ayo is hoping the strategies his team has put in place will ensure they scale this phase.

‘We are going to keep improving our content,’ he says. ‘We are working at increasing our brand visibility and find ingenious ways to bring in revenue and who knows, by then we might even have sold the business and moved on to another project.’

Wondering how feasible his plans will be? Only time will tell.

With far too many corporate executives refusing to share details on their lives beyond the boardroom, one finds it interesting that this man is not held bound by the need to put up a facade.

Giving rare insight on the strength of his character, Ayo penned a short biography of himself and shared on his website.

It reads, “[Ayo] is a passionate visionary who plans on achieving his goals, no matter what field he is working in[…]

“This spontaneous personality loves travelling, good food and meeting exciting people. He has a unique sense of humour, is very personable and gregarious, quick-witted and loves a good laugh! On occasion, you may find him dabbling as an artist.”