By Janefrances Chibuzor
Sindilae Onodu, founder of AfriExplore Collective, is seeking investment to develop educational tourism experiences that will reconnect African children, especially those in the diaspora, with their cultural heritage.-
Onodu said the initiative aims to challenge negative perceptions about Africa by helping children and families experience the continent, its culture and heritage firsthand.-
She disclosed this after pitching AfriExplore at the 2026 Domestic Tourism Festival in Enugu, where emerging tourism and technology entrepreneurs were given a platform to present their ideas.
AfriExplore Collective is seeking investment to develop educational tourism tools aimed at reconnecting African children, particularly those in the diaspora, with their cultural heritage.
Founder of the venture, Sindilae Onodu, disclosed this after pitching AfriExplore at the 2026 Domestic Tourism Festival in Enugu, saying the initiative was created to help families rediscover Africa through tourism and education.
Onodu said many African children growing up outside the continent are increasingly disconnected from their heritage, creating a need for practical ways to introduce them to Africa’s history, culture, destinations and experiences.
“We want to take children and show them Africa. We want to take families and show them that they have a heritage that we’ve lost over the years and that we need to gain back,” she said.
According to her, AfriExplore will develop educational tools for families both within Africa and abroad, including Africans living in the United States, United Kingdom and other parts of the world.
She said the initiative also seeks to challenge negative perceptions about Africa by allowing younger generations to experience the continent beyond the images and narratives they may encounter elsewhere.
“Africa is not a bad place,” she said.
Onodu said participating in the festival’s pitch competition would give the young company access to experienced tourism professionals who could provide valuable insight into developing its products.
“More than anything else, having access to people that already have experience in tourism can help us to build our product,” she said.
She said AfriExplore commenced operations in 2026 and that the Enugu pitch was her first experience of presenting the venture in such a competition.
Onodu said she discovered the opportunity through Instagram after returning from promoting a book she had written about exploring Africa.
She also praised the decision to hold the festival in Enugu, where she is based, describing the event as evidence of growing efforts to promote tourism in the city.
With a background in culinary arts and hospitality, Onodu said she had observed changes in Enugu’s hospitality landscape, recalling seeing the Presidential Hotel when it was abandoned.
She said efforts to regenerate such hospitality infrastructure were encouraging and could contribute to the city’s tourism development.
Onodu, who has lived in Nigeria since 2016, also highlighted the country’s culinary heritage, naming abacha among the local dishes she enjoys and prepares at home.
For her, however, the central objective of AfriExplore remains the use of tourism as an educational tool to help African children understand their roots and develop a stronger connection with the continent.
