Amb. Phil Roberts, FCISM, FIHSD is a Nigerian tourism promoter, international development advocate, entrepreneur, strategic communications professional and event strategist with a strong focus on using tourism, trade, investment, culture, diplomacy and youth development as instruments for sustainable African economic growth.
He has built a professional identity around connecting governments, investors, businesses, development organisations, tourism stakeholders, young people and international partners to create opportunities across Africa. Currently, he serves as Nigeria’s Global Tourism Promoter, Director-General of the Chinese Tourism Promoters Initiative (CTPI), Executive Director of the Tourism Volunteers Network, a Principal Partner in the Africa-China Tourism Expo, and Managing Director of I Mean Business Resource Ltd. Through these platforms, he is instrumental in fostering tourism and cultural exchange between Africa and China, while advocating for tourism as a driver of economic diversification, job creation, infrastructure development and international engagement.
His commitment to promoting Nigeria’s tourism potential is best captured in his landmark “Tourism Across the Niger” project — an on-foot trek from Abuja through Kogi, Niger, Edo and Delta States that showcased the nation’s diverse landscapes and cultural heritage and generated national and international attention.
Amb. Roberts holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Anambra State University, and is a certified Chinese Tea Master (Elementary Tea Specialist Certificate, Zhangzhou College of Science and Technology) trained under the Belt and Road Initiative — a rare blend of technical grounding and cross-cultural fluency that shapes how he builds partnerships between Africa and Asia.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information and Strategy Management (FCISM) and a Fellow of the Institute for Humanitarianism Studies and Social Development (FIHSD) under the United Nations, both conferred in 2024. At the centre of his work is one guiding idea: tourism should not merely bring people to Africa — it should bring investment, partnerships, opportunities and sustainable development to Africa.