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Boosting the Orange Economy: NTDA Engages NIPSS on Sustainable Development

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Cyril Ogar

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Jos, in company of participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 48, paid a strategic institutional visit to the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) Headquarters today in Abuja.


The Director-General of NTDA, Dr. Olayiwola Awakan, warmly received the delegation and expressed his enthusiasm for engaging stakeholders on tourism development, noting that he is always excited to discuss the vast opportunities within the sector.


As part of the visit, the Director-General delivered a presentation titled “Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth in Nigeria: The NTDA Perspective.” The lecture highlighted the strategic role of tourism within the Orange Economy, emphasizing its capacity to drive innovation, create jobs, promote cultural heritage, and contribute significantly to national economic diversification and sustainable development.


Following the presentation, the delegation, led by Professor Musa Emmanuel Umar, MNI, commended the Director-General for his visionary leadership and impactful initiatives within the tourism sector. In his remarks, Professor Umar stated:


“You are not just a political appointee but a practitioner in your own right. We consider NTDA a critical actor in this industry.”


He further emphasized the readiness of NIPSS to collaborate with NTDA in addressing sectoral challenges and developing actionable policy recommendations aimed at promoting Nigeria’s tourism potential on the global stage.


The interactive session underscored the importance of strategic partnerships between policy institutions and implementing agencies. It also highlighted the shared commitment of both NIPSS and NTDA to strengthening tourism development through informed policy formulation, institutional collaboration, and sustainable initiatives.


The visit marks a significant step towards fostering synergy between both institutions in advancing Nigeria’s tourism agenda.

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Creative Industry

FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth

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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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