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Irvine Partners, Africa’s leading independent agency, announces German expansion and launches dedicated Travel & Tourism Division
Irvine Partners, the leading independent creative communications agency in Africa, today announced the opening of its second European office in Stuttgart, Germany. This expansion coincides with the launch of a dedicated travel and tourism division within the agency.
Established in South Africa in 2010, Irvine Partners has grown its pan-African network, with wholly owned offices in Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria. In late 2020, the agency expanded its international reach with the opening of its London office which is now the group’s headquarters.
The decision to launch the German office alongside a dedicated travel and tourism division is a natural evolution for Irvine Partners.
“Germany and the UK are two of the biggest source markets for tourism into Africa,” says Rachel Irvine, CEO and founder of Irvine Partners. “Given our deep understanding of the continent, its cultures, and its people, Irvine Partners is perfectly positioned to showcase the best of African hospitality, lifestyle and tourism products to these key markets,”they revealed.
Leading the Irvine Partners team in Germany will be Monika Scheel-Kassai, a seasoned communications professional with over a decade of experience in the German media and PR sectors.
“Driving Irvine Partners’ expansion into Germany is a career highlight and a challenge I can’t wait to take up,” says Scheel-Kassai.
“Africa is a continent with a rich tapestry of cultures, stunning landscapes, and unforgettable experiences. I am excited to leverage Irvine Partners’ vast African expertise and creative storytelling to showcase some of the continent’s best hotels, lodges, vineyards, and attractions to the German media and public,” she noted.
Hitting the ground running with key clients
Irvine Partners Germany has already secured partnerships with several key travel and tourism clients, including the iconic Kruger Gate Hotel, situated minutes from South Africa’s world-renowned Kruger National Park.
“Irvine Partners has been our longstanding communications partner across Africa and the United Kingdom for many years,” says Anton Gillis, CEO of Kruger Gate Hotel.
He added that “It naturally made perfect sense to appoint them as our partner for the German market. As a client, I value having one team that understands my business from the ground up. The economies of scale this offers and the unparalleled reach this team brings to the table are invaluable to a business like mine.”
Joint venture with the public
This expansion into Germany will be undertaken as a joint venture with established German communications, influencer, and social media agency, the public. Both Irvine Partners and the public are members of PRWA, the global network for independent agencies.
“the public has been on the ground for more than 19 years and knows the local market inside out,” Irvine says of the decision to launch as a joint venture “This means we can offer our clients exceptional value and market insight from day one, leveraging the public’s established relationships and expertise, combined with Irvine Partners’ Africa-specific specialist insights.”
Shared values and opportunity
Christian Josephi, CEO of the public, echoes these sentiments.
He said,“We are delighted to be going into partnership with Irvine Partners,” he says. “Our values are aligned, and the potential for Irvine Partners to introduce German clients to the African media landscape is equally compelling. Together, we can create truly unique and impactful campaigns that bridge the gap between Africa and Europe.”
With a presence in both the UK and Germany, Irvine Partners is well-placed to bridge the gap between African tourism entities and European travellers.
The agency’s deep understanding of African travel destinations and its proven creative communication expertise will allow Irvine Partners to develop and execute targeted campaigns that resonate with European audiences.
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
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The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
