All is set for the 20^th anniversary celebration of the Hotel Owners Forum Abuja (HOFA). To mark the anniversary, series of activities have been lined up.  According to the executives of the association, a conference, Hotel Business Conference and Expo (HBCE) in Abuja, will hold from November 29 to 30, 2022 in Abuja.

Speaking further on the activities to mark the 20^th anniversary, the association’s president, Mrs. Funmi Kazeem, revealed that other activities have also been lined up in addition to the conference and expo.  

HOFA  is one of the leading hospitality business associations in Nigeria. It was founded in the year 2002 and  over the years, HOFA has been main pathfinder in Nigeria’s hospitality trade and services sector. HOFA’s planned Hotel Business Conference & Expo (HBCE) 2022 is billed to be an international event to the benefit of tourism and hospitality operators and service providers in Nigeria.

Accordingly, as an annual event, HBCE will provide networking opportunity for tourism and hospitality industry investors, stakeholders and leaders. This maiden conference is scheduled for Rockview Hotel (Royale) Wuse 2, Abuja.

 Mrs. Funmi Kazeem, explained that HBCE is a platform for like-minded peers in the hospitality and tourism  industry to make valuable connections, exhibit, learn, do business and also discuss solutions to some challenges facing the hospitality industry, especially post Covid-19 pandemic. Mrs. Kazeem further clarified that “We are celebrating HOFA, an organisation that has strived through thick and thin for 20yrs and still waxing stronger. With the myriad of challenges facing the industry generally, we felt the need to bring industry experts together, both from the international, private and government sectors to discuss issues that would bring about drastic forward-shift in the industry and reposition it to take its place of pride, as one of the industries that contributes so much to Nigeria’s IGR and labour force.” The HOFA President concluded that “at the end of the conference solutions to some lingering issues in the industry would have been proffered and exceptional networking opportunities would have been created for the hotels, and other participants.”

 The President of HOFA confirmed that a lot of Nigerian hospitality industry leaders and some high-level Federal Government officials will be attending the two-day event in Abuja. Some of the dignitaries that she confirmed will headline the event include, Turaki Nura Sani Kangiwa, the Director General of National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR); Mr. Folorunsho Coker, the Director General of Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC); Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC). Other prominent dignitaries expected are Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, the President of Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN);  Dr. Mrs. Victoria Akai, the Director General, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), and many others.