On April 15, 2025, the Nigerian hospitality industry witnessed the launch of the first Radisson Academy Live in Nigeria.
The academy, which launched in Lagos, is Radisson Hotel Group’s leading learning and development hub, aimed to upskill talent in the industry and destinations the hotel group operates.
With the launch, Ali Moatazbellah, Area Learning & Development Manager, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Radisson Hotel Group, led a team of trainers for weeklong on-the-job training sessions for selected staff members across the Nigerian properties of the Group.
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Aside Moatazbellah, other expert trainers including; Luc Van der Hofstadt, country director, South Africa, Executive Business Coach, Biram Ndao, regional FC, Northern Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, among others, took the trainees through practical learning, experiential and more effective approaches to their work and career enhancement.
Introduced in 2019, the academy, which many stakeholders in the Nigerian hospitality industry commended as a solution to their concerns over skills gap and professionalism, is in addition to Radisson Hotel Group’s Project Accelerate, a career progression initiatives launched in 2022 that marked a strategic move to groom future General Managers from within.
Today, several Nigerian team members have been identified in succession plans, a result of the initiative; hence the Radisson Academy will boost the gains as a catalyst for personal development for the Nigerian employees and organisational growth for respective hotels.
Expressing her excitement over the academy during the launch at Radisson Blu Hotel Ikeja, Lagos, Sandra Kneubuhler, managing director, Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, reiterated the Group’s belief that the people (employees) are the greatest asset, hence the need to invest in them.
“One of our core beliefs as a company is that we grow talent and talent grows us,” Kneubuhler said at the launch.
The Nigerian launch was not by accident as Kneubuhler commended the dynamism and dedication of the Nigerian team, amid contributing to a robust performance culture.
In recognition of the potential of the Nigerian team, Kneubuhler noted further that the Radisson Hotel Group launched the Academy to express its commitment to motivate the talent, invest in their personal growth and equip them to become even more effective leaders.
Also offering reasons to take the academy seriously, the managing director, Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, explained, “This is the 6th year that Radisson Academy has been in place and during this time 517 000 courses have been completed, and the online portal offers more than 2500 courses available to all team members of Radisson Hotel Group”.
She also noted that the academy is a highly interactive portal that offers both online and face to face courses that are designed to create impactful learning experiences.
Again, the academy is courtesy of Radisson Hotel Group, a global company operating in more than one hundred countries and territories, with diversity as a part of its DNA and a global workforce of 146 nationalities from diverse ethnicities and races.
Narrowing the feats of the Group’s training programmes in the Nigerian market, Kneubuhler explained that there has been a ten-fold increase in training completions within the last five years across the Group’s hotels in Nigeria.
“In 2024, over 80,000+ learning hours were completed across our hotels and across multiple learning platforms of on-the-job training, in-person sessions, and structured Radisson Academy modules.
“On average, our Nigerian colleagues have completed approximately 14.7 courses per person, reflecting a vibrant learning culture and strong employee buy-in. Programmes delivered via Radisson Academy have received an average satisfaction score of 4.8 out of 5, reflecting their practical relevance and employee appreciation in-country”.
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However, she charged the participants to take the most from the training opportunity and share their learning with their colleagues.
“Ensure that every lesson you learn is like a ripple effect as you inspire and educate your fellow team members. Be our next world changers and moment makers”.
In his remarks at the launch, Ahmed Raza, district director Nigeria, Radisson Hotel Group, expressed appreciation to the Radisson Hotel Group for bringing the academy, amid its on-the-hands training opportunities to Nigeria. He is confident that the academy will offer comprehensive training and talent development to the diverse team in Nigeria.
The Group also expressed its appreciation to its Nigerian partners and hotel owners, including; Tajudeen Owoyemi, chairman; Kazeem Owoyemi, executive director; Ahmed Tajudeen, executive director, all of Avalon Intercontinental Nig Ltd; and Moyo Ogunseinde, executive director, Anchorage Leisure Limited, for the successful launch of the academy.
With the academy in place, the hotels under the Group in Nigeria and many industry stakeholders are confident that the skills gap in the industry would be addressed soon.
