Culture and Tourism

FG To Create, Promote Nigeria’s Tourism Products In The Diaspora And Home

Published

2 months ago

September 27, 2023

Joel Ajayi

In recognition of this year’s World Tourism Day, The Honorable Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John has said that the Federal Government is set to create, and promote Nigeria’s tourism products in the diaspora and at home.

Speaking at the Abuja 2023 World Tourism Day with the theme; ‘Tourism and Green Investment, the Minister stated that the tourism “products are vast, plentiful and core to revenue generation for the country”.

She added that there is an opportunity to reflect on ways to enhance the contribution of tourism in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

According to the Minister, taking tourism to the community level, and showcasing the hidden gems of the villages in all regions of our picturesque and diverse country, is the essence of creating sustainable tourism in Nigeria.

Lola Ade-John identified the key points for the growth and development of tourism in Nigeria as; community Empowerment, collaboration and partnerships, sustainable Tourism Development, Investment in Renewable Energy, and Digital transformation. According to her, all these have a transformative power and hold immense potential for our nation.

The Minister reiterated that tourism products require adequate publicity development, maintenance, and promotion.

She remarked that there are numerous challenges that plagued the industry but the government will gradually, speedily, and successfully overcome these challenges with guidance, support, and collaboration of all stakeholders.

Speaking earlier at the event, the United Nation’s world tourism secretary-general, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, said that tourism is a pillar of our economies. It plays a central role in our societies and in our individual lives. According to the UN Secretary, tourism offers solutions to some of our biggest challenges including the climate emergency and the urgent need to shift to more sustainable economies.

Mr. Zurab further said that the power of tourism is enormous. He remarked that tourism will be made easier for investors of all kinds to support tourism projects with the potential to make a difference.

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Culture and Tourism

KCCN deepen Efforts To Impact More Nigerians Through Cooking

Published

3 months ago

September 22, 2023

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

Empowerment and training of human beings, no doubt, remain the backbone of any development in the world.

**Selected members of the Association of Professional Chefs in Nigeria (APCN at the KCCN, Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria during the Chuseok cooking class, On Tuesday in Abuja.**

This is the story of the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria, KCCN, which over the years, increased efforts to ensure that many Nigerians are empowered through different endeavours in life.
The Centre has given thousands of Nigerians leverage in arts, culture, entertainment, language education, creativity, and sports, and recently added another sector, which is cooking class.

AljazirahNigeria reports that KCCN was established in 2010 in Nigeria’s Capital Territory, Abuja, to enhance friendship, bilateral relations, and understanding between Korea and Nigeria through cultural and educational programs, and today, the Centre is making thoughtful progress.

On Tuesday in the FCT, another batch of selected members of the Association of Professional Chefs in Nigeria, APCN, were on the ground to learn more about Korean cuisine, and how to prepare two of the country’s most popular dishes.

Indeed, it was another great experience for Nigerian chefs who chose cooking as their career, as they had more knowledge about continental dishes – the Korean food that is believed will go a long way to promote and advance them in the inter-continental dishes know-how.
Two of the first dishes they cooked were Spicy Braised Chicken and Com Cheese.

In his remarks, shortly after the demonstration of the Chuseok cooking class, the representative of the Director of KCCN, Manager of Cultural Content, Bae Sung Jin, said the essence of the cooking class is to sensitize many Nigerian people about Korean food and to give opportunity to some who want to choose Korean food.

“We are doing a lot of classes in Nigeria, not only cooking classes, but we also have K-POP Dance, Taekwondo, and language classes, among others.

“There is no Korean restaurant in Abuja, and Abuja is technically the capital of Africa, people want to try Korean food. That is what gave birth to this cooking class, to introduce our foods to the Nigerian people as well as empower them.

“We are trying to reach out to many Nigerians, which is why we choose members of the Association of Professional Chefs in Nigeria, and without a doubt, I do believe it will have an impact on their lives,” he said.

A staff of KCCN, Sharon Pwavi-Babale, said that it is the continuation of the effort of the Centre to expose Nigerians to Korean foods.

“The reason, if noticed, Asian food which is popular in Nigeria is Chinese food and KCCN saw it as an opportunity, being the fact that a large number of people watch Korean movies, many Nigerians see Korean food through movies and desire to eat it.

“So, we ensure the cooking class is put in place as a means of introducing Nigerians to Korean dishes’ method of cooking and its richness,” she said.

However, Chuseok translates to autumn eve and is, at its core, a harvest moon festival nodding back to Korea’s traditional agrarian roots where traditional foods make their way onto every family’s table, and the infamous bumper-to-bumper traffic that plagues the country’s major roads in the lead-up to the long holiday, as people make the pilgrimage back to their hometowns to honour familiar ancestors.

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