Creative Industry

Nigeria Harnesses the Power of Film and Storytelling to Boost Tourism

Published

6 months ago

March 28, 2026

Cyril Ogar

Nigeria is looking to promote tourism through film and storytelling, as the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) steps up engagement with key players across the creative industry.

The effort follows recent meetings with the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Dr Shaibu Husseini, filmmaker and music producer Abdulrasheed Bello, popularly known as JJC Skillz, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr Ali Nuhu.

Discussions focused on how film, music and other creative content can be used to present a more authentic image of Nigeria and attract both local and international visitors.

“Storytelling is what we want to use to put a new face to tourism,” the Director General of NTDA said. “Nigeria is a microcosm of stories, and we need to tell them ourselves.”

He added that the initiative would involve working with filmmakers, screenwriters and other creatives, while strengthening collaboration across institutions within the sector.

“There is no better way to bring people to a destination than through stories they can connect with,” he said.

JJC Skillz said he is open to supporting efforts to promote Nigeria through creative content.
Dr Shaibu Husseini highlighted the role of film in opening up Nigeria’s tourism potential.

“We will continue to encourage our filmmakers to tell our stories using our tourism locations. Tourism potential in Nigeria is enormous, and film provides a powerful platform to open up the sector to the world,” he said.

Dr Ali Nuhu said the initiative aligns with ongoing efforts to explore the potential of film in promoting tourism.

“Nigeria has diverse locations and cultures that can be explored through film,” he said. “This kind of collaboration can help bring those stories to a wider audience.”

The NTDA says it is engaging stakeholders across the public and private sectors to strengthen the creative ecosystem and position Nigeria as a more visible tourism destination.

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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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