Diplomacy is one of the mainstay of positive collaboration and for an ardent tourism promoter; every engagement with other African brothers is an opportunity to activate a mutual relationship that will boost the already existing bilateral ties with Nigeria and other countries.

This scenario came to play when the Chief Executive Officer of Enived Travels Ltd/ Accountable Manager – Enived Air and Logistics Ltd), Ehiogie O. Hope, met with the Namibia High Commissioner to Nigeria, Humphrey Geise, in Abuja recently and they both meet minds on how to strategically fine tune a win-win collaboration.

According to Hope who is also the Deputy Vice President, NANTA Eastern Zone, a well-planned though cultural exchange programmes among African countries is a better way to strengthen and open diverse windows of opportunities for one another.

“During my last meeting with the Namibia High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E. Humphrey Geise, who also has been making moves to ensure the tourism relationship between both countries is strengthened saw the meeting as timely.

“I emphasised the need for a more strategic partnership between Nigeria and other African countries and how a cultural exchange programme between Namibia and Nigeria which happen to have many things in common can  create a new perspective for Nigerians while creating employment opportunities for both countries, even to the way we dress can birth a new experience in the tourism sector in Africa,

As might be expected, I highlighted the advantage of making visa procurement easy for Nigerians wanting to visit Namibia.

“Though I expressed my concerns about the way, some countries use the actions of a few bad eggs to define the general nation or youths in a state and concluded that if more orientation is channelled towards remodeling their ways of thinking, the world will be a better place for us all.

“We all have to engage everyone across every strata of the society to have an input in the tourism promotion bid because everyone has a special role to play, what we just need to do is to focus on attitudinal change by creating a mission-driven platform to actualise it,” he said.

Hope who disclosed to Travelpulse&MICE on his meeting with the Namibia High Commissioner to Nigeria, Geise, said that “ I suggested possible ways to check the issue of overstays as well as assured my readiness to work with the high commission to develop a model to ensure that those visiting Namibia returns in line with the terms of their visa.

“I believe we will keep engaging till we get a system that works for us all.”