Creative Industry

Our Priority Is Youth Empowerment-Kangiwa

Published

5 years ago

July 22, 2021

Youth empowerment for job creation, poverty alleviation, fight against hunger and technological breakthrough for Nigeria, key to NIHOTOUR’s training activities nationwide were the words of Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) at the Skills Acquisition and Empowerment of Youths and Women in Arts and Crafts at the Oshogbo Campus of the Institute.

Kangiwa who spoke through Dr. Taiwo Famogbiyele, Director Research and Development and General Studies of the Institute at the occasion said what Nigerian youths need now more than anything is skill acquisition that will make them not only employable, but self-employed and self-reliant, noting that it is also the sure way to curb unemployment, achieve innovative creation and eradicate extreme poverty in line with the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda of the United Nations.

He said the objective of the Oshogbo Campus training is to empower participants with the necessary vocational and entrepreneurial skills in Nigerian Arts and Crafts towards creating economic stability and national security, urging the trainees to see themselves as very lucky and fortunate individuals chosen for the training who should at the end be functionally active in the line of the nation’s economic activities.

The Osun State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Hon. Adebisi Obawale Simeon, represented at the occasion by Mr. Adeniyi Samuel, Coordinating Director of Tourism in the state ministry said vocational skill acquisition and empowerment will go a long way in bridging the existing gap in relevant skills in the country’s Arts and Crafts entrepreneur for economic growth and development.

He expressed the appreciation of the Osun State government to NIHOTOUR and its leadership for bringing the vital human capital and capacity development exercise to the state, noting that his Ministry will continue to collaborate and partner with the Institute in all areas of capacity development for the Travel Tourism and Hospitality industry in the state.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Coordinator and Head of the Oshogbo Campus of the Institute, Dr. Tijjani Olawale Nasiru said the training couldn’t have come at a better time than now when the vision of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, adding that acquisition of vocational skills as embarked upon by NIHOTOUR, is the surest way to create jobs, fight poverty and enhance the living standards of the people.

The Oshogbo training program under the caption: SKILLS ACQUISITION AND EMPOWERMENT FOR YOUTHS AND WOMEN IN ARTS AND CRAFTS trained participants in batik and adire making, leather works, hair weaving, braiding and styling and shoe making by which they have been empowered to be self-employed and self-reliant.

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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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