Former Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed has urged African governments to transform Africa Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) into a major deal-making engine.

Mr Mohammed made the call at the ninth Africa MICE Summit in Mombasa, Kenya, where he advocated using business events to drive investment, trade and employment.

The former minister’s presentation text was made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Mohammed said the global MICE industry was worth about $1.3 trillion, while Africa accounted for only four per cent.

“MICE should not be seen simply as people coming to Africa, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants and flying home,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said MICE could bring investors, buyers, policymakers, experts and businesses into African economies, thereby creating opportunities for investment, partnerships and job creation.

He urged African destinations to develop MICE strategies around their comparative advantages instead of competing blindly for the same international events.

The former minister cited Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Kenya’s athletics and tourism, South Africa’s conference industry and Rwanda’s business gateway as examples of distinctive African strengths.

Mr Mohammed also advocated greater cooperation among African countries, including joint bids for major international events and shared hosting arrangements.

He cited the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, as a model Africa could consider.

Using Lagos as a case study, Mohammed said the city’s cultural and economic assets could be developed into major MICE opportunities.

He recalled a study commissioned while he was minister which indicated that about 20,000 events were held in Lagos every month.

Mr Mohammed said the growth of “Detty December” demonstrated how events could create interconnected opportunities across aviation, hospitality, transport, entertainment, media, fashion, technology and retail.
“The opportunity is to turn events into ecosystems,” he said.

The former minister, who chairs the Eko Tourism Foundation, identified infrastructure, intra-African connectivity and visa restrictions as major barriers to MICE development.

He said hotels, convention centres, airports, transport systems, digital infrastructure and reliable utilities were essential for attracting major international events.

Mr Mohammed called for improved air connectivity, e-visas, visa-on-arrival arrangements where appropriate and fast-track processing for accredited conference delegates.

He said MICE development could not be separated from the wider investment environment, warning that uncertainty and weak institutions could undermine investor confidence.

Mr Mohammed said smaller countries could become significant MICE destinations by positioning themselves as platforms, citing Rwanda as an example.

He also called for every African country to establish an empowered National Convention Bureau to coordinate MICE development and measure economic impact.

Mr Mohammed said such agencies should bid for major events, coordinate public-private efforts, facilitate business visitors and gather MICE intelligence.

Delegates from 19 countries attended the two-day summit, formally opened by Mohamed Osman Ali, Mombasa County Executive for Tourism, Culture and Trade.

(NAN)