Creative Industry

Tourism: Partnering with institutions will boost manpower

Published

5 years ago

November 11, 2021

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), has expressed its readiness to partner with institutions in the country desirous to enhance their capacity and manpower base.

NIHOTOUR said it is ready to help train professionals in the acquisition of skills in Travel Tourism and Hospitality.

The Director General, NIHOTOUR, Nura Kangiwa stated this in Gboko, Benue state during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU between the Institute and Mkar University, Mkar – Gboko.

Kangiwa said NIHOTOUR looks forward to a very vibrant relationship between the Institute and the University that will bring about increase in the area of capacity building for lecturers, high skilled and trained professional graduates.

Kangiwa who was quick to mention that the tourism industry has the capacity for job creation and offer of employment opportunities, noted that with increased teaching and learning opportunities in the sector, more youths will be trained in Travel Tourism and Hospitality trades, giving them the opportunities to be gainfully employed or be employers thereby curbing youth restiveness in the country.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Zacharys Anger Gundu, said the University looks forward to establishing a vibrant Travel Tourism and Hospitality Department and it can do this with competent staff to man the Department which is what it partnership with NIHOTOUR seeks to achieve.

Prof. Gundu who stressed the relevance of the tourism industry in the economic diversification of the Nigerian economy, said Benue state in particular is highly endowed with tourism potentials that requires the professional services of skilled middle and high level manpower to explore for the socio-economic benefits of all.

Meanwhile, the authorities of the Mkar University have conferred on Nura Kangiwa the honour of the Ambassador of the University for his dodged pursuit and passion for impacting knowledge and skills in Travel Tourism and Hospitality education on Nigerian youths.

Prof. Zacharys Gundu, Vice Chancellor of the University who disclosed this as part of activities of the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the University and NIHOTOUR, said with the conferment of the Ambassador of the University, Kangiwa now has the responsibility of promoting the ideals for which the University was established as well as offer selfless service for the growth and development of the University as an excellent citadel of learning in the country and beyond, stating further that a date for the formal conferment ceremony on Nura Kangiwa will be made known soon

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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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