How Fakoya-Smith is making tourism Africa’s next big export
Nnenna Fakoya-Smith, the chief executive officer of Nene-Uwa Hub Limited, a firm she registered in 2017, to promote and market sustainable tourism through visibility strategies and storytelling across Africa.
Nnenna, fondly known as Ajala Nene, has built a powerful movement around the idea that Africa’s stories deserve to be told by Africans.
As a tourism promoter, Visibility Strategist, Podcaster, and Voiceover Artist, she has dedicated her work to showing the world the richness and creativity of Africa through authentic storytelling.
Through Nene-Uwa Hub, Nnenna has supported entrepreneurs and organisations in tourism across Africa using both digital and physical platforms from social media and email campaigns for training and community events.
She believes that visibility is not only about being seen, but about being remembered for impact and she had shared this message across multiple industry workshops and conferences.
In 2021, she launched her podcast, “See the World with Ajala Nene”, an Afrocentric storytelling platform that shines light on Africa’s travel experiences and the people driving change within the industry.
Through her podcast, she has hosted conversations with tourism operators, cultural curators, and creatives, giving listeners an inside view of the continent’s growing travel ecosystem.
Her voice has also become one of her most recognisable assets. As a voiceover artist and event host, she has lent her voice to tourism campaigns, summits, and cultural events across Africa.
Nnenna’s dedication has earned her wide recognition. She was listed among the Top 30 Tourism and Hospitality Influencers in Nigeria and Africa, and among the Top 30 Women in Tourism Nigeria by Pyne Awards Africa.
In 2024, she was named one of the top 100 tourism personalities in Nigeria by ATQNews and Travellers Magazine. Ajala Nene was also featured in Forbes Africa in 2018 as one of Africa’s Aficionado Collectors and has delivered two TEDx talks focused on collaboration, sustainability, and visibility in tourism.
Through Nene-Uwa Hub, she continues to build bridges between tourism, media, and technology. One of her recent projects, the Tourism Media Roundtable, is designed to promote collaboration and innovation within Africa’s tourism sector.
For Nnenna, tourism is more than just travel, it is a tool for connection and transformation.
Her work continues to remind Africans and the wider world that the continent’s stories are worth telling, and worth hearing.
