Creative Industry

ITPN FCT Chapter Visits Kangiwa, Harps On Training To Grow The Industry

Published

5 years ago

May 5, 2021

Joel Ajayi

Officials of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria led by its Chairman Mrs. Ebikaboere Seimodei were at the Headquarters of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) on a courtesy visit to Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the Institute during the week and sought for collaboration on manpower training for practitioners in the industry.

Alhaji Nura Kangiwa who called for strong collaborative efforts amongst all key players in the hospitality and tourism industry while welcoming the ITPN officials, said continuous upgrade training is key to competent professional practice and quality service delivery if the industry is to perform optimally in line with global best practice.

He said this is the more reason why the Institute has embarked on more outreach efforts to get operators and critical stakeholders key into training programmes offered by the Institute to perfect professional conducts and practices in all relevant segments of the hospitality and tourism industry which the country looks up to as a viable and vibrant sector of the nation’s economy.

The Director General noted that with the inauguration of the Hospitality and Tourism Sector Skills Council of Nigeria (HTSSCN), enforcement of training requirements, professional competence and proficiency in all cadres and levels of professional practice in the industry will soon be monitored to ensure compliance with the requisite needs of all practitioners.

Kangiwa then called for stronger ties between the NIHOTOUR and ITPN as training providers and certifying Institute to promote the culture of regular professional training and upgrade of practitioners in the industry that will enable Nigerians occupy high office positions against the practice where only expatriates are offered key positions particularly in the hospitality sub-sector of the industry.

Earlier in her address, leader of the delegation and Chairman of the FCT Chapter of ITPN, Mrs. Seimodei said they were at the Institute to congratulate Alhaji Kangiwa over his appointment as well as solicit for his support in training and professional upgrade of its members and practitioners of the industry in the utmost quest to promote competency of professional practice and quality service delivery in the industry.

Mrs. Seimodei who expressed her dismay on the practice where expatriates are considered and placed above their Nigerian counterparts in terms of job positions and remunerations, appealed for a reversal of the trends as it is highly unjust, unfair and should not be tolerated to continue in the industry.

She then called for monitoring of professional conducts and practices of operators in the industry to ensure compliance and quality output on the job by practitioners, saying that this will bring about improved service delivery and better practice in the industry.

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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.

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