Creative Industry

Development Of Hospitality Is Fundamental-Minister

Published

6 years ago

March 26, 2021

…Inaugurates HTSSCN Governing Board

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has revealed that development of tourism and hospitality is fundamental to the growth and development of Nigeria adding that all hands need to be deck to achieve this.

To this end, he however, inaugurated the Board of Directors and Trustees of the governing board of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN) with a charge to take the sector to the next level.

Speaking at inauguration on Thursday in Abuja, the Minister, who was represented by Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, said the board would help in enhancing the growth and development of the sector by living beyond expectations in actualizing the dream of the sector.

According to him, the composition of the board membership cut across the private sector driven union, national bodies and stakeholders, who were fully involved with professional skills, operations and services.

He added that the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) being the regulating board, has spelt out the roles and responsibilities that would be carried out by employers.

This, he said, would fulfill the development of the trade union, professional bodies, and other key players, through a structured platform of the council.

“You may wish to note that the Federal Executive Council ( FEC) in 2013, approved the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), and setting up sector skill council for the selection of pilot sectors of the economy.

“You are among those carefully nominated due to your dedication, and selfless services to the growth of the sector.

“I approved the representation at both board of directors and trustees of the council, while other members are drawn from the private sector, to the employer-led member organizations as represented by your presence as you are inaugurated.”

Earlier, in his address of welcome, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director- General, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), described the inauguration of the governing board of the sector skills council as setting another milestone in the desire to institutionalize the council.

According to him, regarding the constitution of the board, deliberate efforts were taken to ensure the representation of a strictly private sector driven employer-led stakeholders across the trade unions.

” We are, however, aware that some specialized sector trade service providers and operators are yet to form their specialized trade unions, associations or professional bodies.

” The council is encouraging such specialized trade operators to form a united body, so that we can identify and engage them for admission into the council in the dispensation of our activities,” Kangiwa said.

Responding on behalf of the committee, the Chairman board of Trustees, Alhaji Tijani Danzabuwa, promised to assiduously ensure the pursuit of the council’s vision with zeal and passion.

”Given our wealth of experience and positions as private sector employers and stakeholders, we shall double our efforts towards advocating for improved quality service delivery in the industry.

Other members of the board of directors included: Mrs Susan Akporiaye, President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mrs Patricia Narai, Director Domestic & Eco Tourism Department.

Also name in the committee are Mrs Kinabalu Timothy, Event worth, Mr Ikechi Uko, organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market.

While, other members of the Board of Trustees includes; Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information and Culture, Alhaji Nura Kangiwa, Director-General National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR)

Share on Facebook

Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

September 15, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.

The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.

“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.

She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.

The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.

She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.

Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.

Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.

She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.

Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.

MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.

Share on Facebook