I Spent 7 Days in Algeria for Africa’s Biggest Trade & Creative Showcase At #IATF2025 | See the Deets

Algeirs Algeria!

Algiers, you person my heart

I americium backmost from my seven-day escapade successful Algiers, Algeria for the #IATF2025 with the absorption connected the Creative Africa Nexus #CANEX. So, let’s dive in!

Being a Lagosian means 1 happening erstwhile it comes to travel, I amusement up ridiculously early. I’ve ne'er adjacent travel adjacent to missing a formation and I wasn’t astir to commencement now. By 3:27 p.m. connected September 2, I was already astatine Murtala Muhammed International Airport for my 8:50 p.m. formation to Algiers, Algeria.

There are nary nonstop flights from Nigeria to Algeria, truthful my travel took maine done Istanbul with a nine-hour layover. Usually the thought of waiting that agelong feels similar a nightmare, but this layover came with accommodation. Talk astir surprises! This travel rapidly became a bid of firsts: my archetypal clip successful Algeria, my archetypal clip successful Istanbul, and my archetypal find that airdrome accommodation is adjacent a thing, 1 of those perks lone the biggest airports tin propulsion off.

In caller years, flying has mislaid its charm for me. My assemblage struggles with the acquainted scent of an craft and the nutrient lone makes it worse, truthful I’ve stopped eating connected flights. I simply enactment hydrated and effort to sleep.

The six hour, forty infinitesimal travel to Istanbul felt similar a trial of endurance; my assemblage fought maine each the way. By 3:01 a.m., I landed successful Istanbul, 2 hours up of Lagos time. The immense airdrome instantly reminded maine of Amsterdam’s Schiphol.

For reasons I inactive can’t explain, I decided to hunt for my edifice connected my own. Two hours later, my legs were screaming, and I was 10 minutes distant from collapsing connected the level erstwhile I yet spotted a tiny kiosk marked “Yotel Air,” the precise edifice I had passed 4 times. Too anemic and bare to consciousness thing but relief, I fto the attendant constituent maine successful the close direction.

At past I reached my ‘Premium Queen’ room, freshened up, grabbed a speedy snooze and by 1:30 p.m. (GMT +3) Istanbul time, I was heading to my boarding gate. After exploring astir each country of the terminal earlier, uncovering my mode this clip was easy.

By 4:45 p.m., my formation had touched down successful Algiers. As soon arsenic I stepped disconnected the level and headed toward the terminal, I caught my archetypal glimpse of the vigor that would specify the week. Just beyond the exit gate, IATF officials stood ready, calling out, “IATF journalist?”

I recovered myself alongside a fistful of journalists from Nigeria and 2 lively Kenyans, Judie and Jackie, who would soon go my question buddies connected this adventure.

Hotel Mercure Alger Aeroport

Ten minutes later, Judie stepped disconnected astatine the Marriott, a abbreviated 2 to 4 infinitesimal locomotion from our ain halt astatine the Hotel Mercure wherever Jackie and I were lodged. “Mr Samuel for 217,” the receptionist confirmed arsenic she handed maine the key.

After much than nineteen hours connected the move, 10 hours of f...