Building the Future of Hospitality in Africa: A Conversation with Tracy Nwapa of CUSP & FOMO

Across Africa, a new generation of hospitality brands is redefining how people experience food, culture, nightlife, and community.

One of those founders is Tracy Nwapa.

In just seven months, Tracy rebuilt and launched FOMO from the ground up, following her earlier hospitality ventures, Slice and Pavilion.

Today, FOMO is evolving beyond nightlife into a broader hospitality ecosystem, with CUSP set to launch in June as a rooftop dining concept centered on New West African cuisine alongside an all-day café and patisserie experience.

“This investment allows us to accelerate the buildout of the broader FOMO ecosystem; an integrated hospitality and lifestyle destination designed to redefine entertainment and dining in Africa.”
— Tracy Nwapa, Founder, CUSP & FOMO

Across the continent, we are seeing a shift in how African cities are experienced through food, culture, and the spaces that bring people together. It is exciting to see founders like Tracy building for that future.

We spoke with Tracy about the journey behind FOMO, the vision for CUSP, and what comes next.

What has been the most exciting moment on your journey with FOMO so far?

The most exciting part of this journey has been watching an ambitious vision come to life in such a short period of time. After walking away from my previous hospitality ventures, Slice and Pavilion, rebuilding from the ground up and bringing FOMO to market in just seven months has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my career.

Seeing guests embrace the concept and understanding that we are building something far beyond a nightclub has been incredibly fulfilling.

How does this investment help FOMO take its next big step?

This investment allows us to accelerate the buildout of the broader FOMO ecosystem; an integrated hospitality and lifestyle destination designed to redefine entertainment and dining in Africa.

Beyond nightlife, we are launching CUSP in June, our rooftop upscale dining concept celebrating New West African cuisine, alongside an all-day café and patisserie experience.

Together, these offerings transform FOMO from a venue into a multi-layered ecosystem where guests can move seamlessly from daytime café culture to elevated dining to nightlife, all within one curated destination.

What are you focusing on at FOMO in the coming months as you continue to grow?

Over the coming months, our focus is on successfully launching CUSP and completing the full realization of the FOMO ecosystem.

We are refining operations, deepening our experiential programming, enhancing technology integration across the guest journey, and continuing to elevate our offerings across entertainment, dining, and hospitality.

Our goal is to build a category-defining brand that sets a new benchmark for integrated lifestyle hospitality experiences across the continent.

For a deeper look into Tracy’s journey from media and broadcast journalism to hospitality, watch her conversation on Afropolitan Podcast, where she shares more about building FOMO, navigating the realities of hospitality in Lagos, and creating experiences people remember.

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