Rate My Professor Andrea Papitto

Andrea Papitto serves as Program Director for NYU Africa House and the Center for Technology and Economic Development (CTED) at New York University Abu Dhabi. She has been engaged in development projects throughout Africa since 2005, starting with her studies at the New York University Accra campus and work at Habitat for Humanity Ghana. Her expertise encompasses Africa tourism, rural tourism development, community-led development, and ICT education initiatives in Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. In 2011, Papitto produced the feature-length documentary The Last Song Before the War, chronicling the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu, Mali, and its contributions to sustaining peace, cultural preservation, and economic development. The film has screened at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and numerous international film festivals worldwide.

Prior to her current position, Papitto held the role of Director of Trade Relations and Communications at the Africa Travel Association (ATA), the leading travel trade organization focused on sustainable tourism development in Africa. In that capacity, she managed programming, research initiatives such as the annual Africa Tourism Monitor produced in conjunction with NYU Africa House and the African Development Bank—for which she served as Editor and Project Lead from 2014 to 2018—along with communications and media relations. Additionally, she produced over 30 short videos for George Washington University's Making History re-branding campaign and a teaser video for NYU CTED's Annual Summer Field Research Internship in Ghana, where students collaborate with communities in Kumawu. Papitto holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Tourism Management with a focus on African destinations from New York University.