Creative Industry
Qatar and Nigeria Set to Sign MOU on Cultural and Tourism Cooperation
The Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy resumed talks with the Qatari government, on Monday, to boost cultural exchange, arts, and tourism relations between the two countries.
The Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who held a meeting with H.E. Dr Ali Ghamen Al-Hajri, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Nigeria in Abuja, highlighted Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and potential partnerships with Qatar to promote mutual understanding and growth.
She emphasised Nigeria’s diverse cultural history, showcasing its music, movie industry, and arts, and expressed interest in collaborating with Qatar to preserve and display Nigerian artefacts.
“Our relationship with the Gulf is important but not complete without Qatar. We have shared alignments with the Fulani, Hausas, and Kanuris in Qatar.
“We generate content through music, the movie industry, and the arts. We have been very active in recovering most of our artefacts, like the Benin bronzes, and we want to work with Qatar to preserve and display our artefacts. We also look forward to having a memorandum of understanding on how our culture, music and active tourism partnerships can benefit both countries”, Musawa added.
Earlier, the Qatari ambassador H.E. Dr Ali Ghamen Al-Hajri highlighted Qatar’s commitment to promoting art and cultural projects, emphasising its role in diplomacy and bridging nations.
The ambassador noted that both countries have significantly strengthened their economic ties in recent years through diplomatic engagement, to advance bilateral cooperation across several sectors including aviation, oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, and agriculture.
“Qatar is committed to collaborating with Nigeria to promote culture, increase tourism, and create mutually beneficial partnerships. The potential of Nigeria’s creative industry and its global influence is widespread.
“It will be mutually beneficial to officially document this conversation in an MOU, to boost Nigeria’s cultural richness, international collaborations, and the potential for growth in the creative industry and tourism sector including cultural events, art exhibitions, and exchange programs,” Al-Hajri said.
The meeting reflects a broader trend of cultural diplomacy, where Nigeria and Qatar leverage art and culture to foster international relations and cooperation. Both countries aim to boost cultural exchange, tourism, and economic growth through potential collaborations, including cultural events, art exhibitions, and exchange programs.
The possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise the partnership was discussed, with both parties expressing enthusiasm for the potential benefits of the collaboration.
In attendance were the Executive Director Katsina State History and Culture Bureau, Dr Kabir Ali Masanawa, Chioma Ude, Founder Africa International Film Festival (AfRIFF), Moriam Ajaga, Special Adviser to the President on Culture and Abiola Abdulkareem, Special Adviser to the Minister on Sub-national development.
NNEKA IKEM ANIBEZE, PhD.
SA MEDIA & PUBLICITY
FMACCE/PS/ 127
13-10-2025
Photo: Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, paid a courtesy visit to the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Nigeria, H.E. Ali bin Ghanem Al-Hajri, at the Embassy of Qatar, Abuja, on 13th October 2025.
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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