Creative Industry
Tourism at the Core: Perm Sec Identifies NTDA as Key Driver of Nigeria’s Creative Economy
Joel Ajayi
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy (FMACTCE), Dr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammad, on Wednesday paid a working visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Abuja. He was accompanied by Directors from the Ministry.
In his remarks, Dr. Muhammad noted that the visit was long overdue, emphasizing that NTDA is the first agency he is officially visiting since assuming office. He described the Authority as a core and strategic institution within the ministry’s ecosystem.
“NTDA is vital to this sector. Everything we do—whether in art, music, culture, or creativity—culminates in tourism. Your mandate is clear, and the success of Nigeria’s tourism sector hinges on NTDA’s ability to deliver on it. We must work together to make Nigeria the next leading tourist destination,” he stated.
The Permanent Secretary underscored the importance of collaboration rather than competition among sister agencies, adding that overlapping functions should be seen as strengths rather than challenges. He urged the Authority to identify low-hanging fruits, set priorities, and drive initiatives that would showcase Nigeria’s rich tourism potential both locally and internationally.
Dr. Muhammad further emphasized that Nigeria’s diversity, from the Sahara fringes to the mangroves of the south, offers immense opportunities for tourism development. He encouraged NTDA to leverage public-private partnerships (PPP) and innovative financing, stressing that lack of government funding should not be a barrier to success.
Responding, the Director overseeing the Office of the Director-General, NTDA, Mr. Ovie Esewhaye, expressed gratitude to the Permanent Secretary for his encouragement and support.
“We need to do more than what we are doing, and from what you said, Sir, indeed tourism can fund Nigeria’s Economy”Mr. Ovie noted.
He further outlined some of the Authority’s recent strides, including:
• Ongoing finalization of regulations to strengthen the implementation of the NTDA Act.
• Digitilization of accreditation processes for Hospitality and Tourism Establishments (HTEs), with grading and classification also being transitioned to an online platform.
• Partnerships with ECOWAS and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria on national tourism standards.
• Promotion of the Tour Nigeria brand across festivals, exhibitions, and seminars to deepen domestic tourism.
• Plans to operationalize provisions of the NTDA Act such as the Tourism Departure Levy and the Tourism Development Fund in collaboration with FAAN, Immigration, and other stakeholders.
• Establishment of the Convention and Visitors Bureau to market Nigeria as a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) destination.
• Strengthening of the National Travel Bureau (NTB) to package and promote tours effectively.
• Improved tourism data collection through digital dashboards, in line with CBN and UN requirements.
• Partnership with the LetsGoNigeria App, a one-stop shop for tourism information covering attractions, hotels, restaurants, and more across all 36 states and the FCT.
“Our accreditation process has gone online. HTEs can now register their businesses from anywhere in the world. We are also working on a digital platform for grading and classification in collaboration with stakeholders, and the Tour Nigeria brand continues to drive domestic tourism,” Mr. Ovie added.
He assured the Permanent Secretary that NTDA remains committed to delivering on its mandate, promoting the Tour Nigeria brand, and positioning Nigeria as a globally competitive tourist destination.
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
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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