“It’s time for the duty free and travel retail industry to take Africa to the world and the world to Africa,” Africa Travel Retail has proclaimed.

The company spoke to TRBusiness in the latest TRBusiness ‘Ghana Shorts’ video interview, produced in partnership with Bluedog Group and filmed on location at the MEADFA Conference (19-21 November) in Accra, Ghana.

Africa Travel Retail Directors Chichi Maponya and Martin Ntuli offer their respective takes on the West Africa debut of the DF&TR regional conference – a milestone for the trade – in the first of a two-part conversation.

“Being the first [MEADFA Conference] hosted in Africa and in Accra in particular, after 10 years of Africa being part of the Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association, is very significant,” commented Maponya.

Ntuli said: “Accra [in Ghana] being the first country in Africa to gain its independence is also very significant and signifies the beginning of the great future of our industry in travel retail.”

The conference’s dedicated focus on Africa helped to improve delegates’ understanding of the market’s business dynamics, with Ntuli adding: “Africa is not a country, it is a continent with 54 countries. A lot of people have been enlightened – thinking there is one strategy for the whole continent and your business.”

Africa Duty Free operates duty free and duty paid shops, convenience stores, fashion outlets and wholesale activities at various airports, train stations, downtown and land border shops, sea ports, onboard airlines, diplomatic shops, cruise ships and strategic tourist destinations.

Watch out for the part two video coming soon…

To read and watch more from the MEADFA Conference in Accra, Ghana, click the below links.

READ MORE: MEADFA Conference day 2

READ MORE: MEADFA Ghana day 1

READ MORE: More than 300 attendees to inaugural West Africa MEADFA Conference

READ MORE: Manuel González, Marketing Director, Beam Suntory Global Travel Retail on TRBusiness Ghana Shorts

READ MORE: Sherif Toulan, President, MEADFA on TRBusiness Ghana Shorts 

READ MORE: MEADFA Conference: 90 Second News Special

To view more episodes in the TRBusiness ‘Shorts’ series, click here and scroll to the footer to access an archive.