Culture and Tourism

Kangiwa Pledges Support To Hofa On Capacity Building For Hospitality Personnel

Published

6 years ago

March 10, 2021

Joel Ajayi

The Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Alhaji Nura Sani Kangiwa, has promised to make available skill acquisition and training programs for personnel staff of members of Hotel Owners Forum of Abuja (HOFA) so as to up their game in quality service delivery in their respective hotels.

Alhaji Kangiwa who made the pledge when the newly elected officials of HOFA led by its President, Barr. Mrs. Funmi Kazeem paid him a courtesy visit in the Abuja headquarters of the Institute on Wednesday said big beautiful structures don’t make a hotel a hospitable abode unless the quality of services of the personnel are of high standard and amiable to customers.

He said the desired standard and high-quality service delivery in hospitality business can only be achieved if personnel running the hotels have the needed skills for effective running and operations of such hotels, adding that this is where training and re-training become germane if the country is to meet the global best practices and requirements in hospitality operations and management.

The Director General who said the doors of the Institute are open to offer high quality skill acquisition and training programs to HOFA staff as part of its core mandate in the development of the Hospitality and travel-tourism industry of Nigeria, also called on HOFA members to key into the soon to be launched campaign of #SayNoToDirtyKitchen as part of the Institute’s drive for a clean and healthy environment of eatery centres in the country.

While congratulating and wishing the newly elected officials a successful tenure in office, he offered to assist HOFA with an office desk officer within the Institute to address urgent needs of the Association in relation to their day-to-day operations.

Earlier in her address, Barr. Mrs. Funmi Kazeem said she and members of her executive council chose to pay the Director General the courtesy visit because of the existing cordial relationship between the Association and the Institute and the need to further strengthen the relationship for the good of the hospitality industry.

Mrs. Kazeem said with the new trend of high tech and innovative practices in the global hospitality trades and business, the Association is desirous of training its staff now more than ever before in order to meet up with world class requirements and best practices.

She solicited for all available assistance that NIHOTOUR can offer members of the Association so as to achieve a prosperous hospitality business environment in Abuja in particular and the country at large.

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Culture and Tourism

Awakan Marks First Anniversary as NTDA DG, Charts New Course for Tourism Sector

Published

1 week ago

September 24, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

As the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) enters its second year under the leadership of the Director-General, Mr. Ola Awakan, the focus will remain on building partnerships and converting Nigeria’s tourism assets into greater opportunities for investment and accelerated economic growth.

That simple message framed the one year scorecard presented on Wednesday by Mr. Awakan during NTDA Tourism Week 2026 and activities leading to World Tourism Day held in Abuja.

“Nigeria does not lack tourism assets,” Awakan said. “What is required is a system that connects these assets to investments, jobs, technology, enterprise and sustainable economic value.” He added.

Reeling out his scorecard, Awakan observed that over the past year, the Authority concentrated on stakeholder engagement, innovation, investment facilitation, digital transformation, destination marketing, tourism intelligence and institution building.

He explained that efforts have been made towards deeper collaboration with government institutions, traditional institutions, private-sector operators, development partners, financial institutions, professional bodies, communities and international partners.

On the digital front, the NTDA boss said the Authority has advanced NITOUREY, a dedicated tourism streaming platform and content ecosystem meant to take Nigerian destinations, culture and experiences to wider audiences, in alignment with this year’s World Tourism Day theme, “Digital agenda and artificial intelligence to redesign Tourism”.

He also identified Naija Flavour as a flagship project to position Nigerian cuisine as both a tourism asset and a tool for cultural diplomacy, linking tourism to Nollywood, music, fashion, food, festivals and digital creativity.

Speaking further, Awakan reiterated that the NTDA is also digitising tourism enterprise accreditation and regulatory processes while developing a grassroots tourism framework to identify, document and promote assets across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

Internationally, NTDA has expanded ties with tourism institutions, diplomatic missions, development partners and global organisations on technical cooperation, investment, destination marketing, capacity building, cultural diplomacy and market access.

The NTDA helmsman however recognised that challenges remain such as infrastructure gaps, weak tourism data, limited connectivity to some destinations, security concerns in certain locations, regulatory compliance shortfalls and the need for stronger private-sector participation.

Awakan remained positive looking ahead with his priorities including the mobilisation of more tourism investment, accelerating the development of viable assets, expanding domestic and international marketing through deeper digital transformation, strengthening regulation, increasing community participation, building capacity of tourism professionals and deepening partnerships with international tourism institutions.

The DG also announced plans for the expanded Naija Flavour International Tourism Expo to be unveiled in Abuja later this year making it the ultimate platform aimed at drawing international participation, investors and development partners into the sector.

While thanking President Bola Tinubu GCFR for giving him the opportunity to serve, he added that, “One year in office is not the destination. It is a checkpoint,” reiterating that the next phase would require stronger partnerships, greater investment and sustained institutional commitment.

Earlier, the Director of Marketing and Promotion of NTDA Mr. Olufemi Akinyele, said the milestone was being marked as part of NTDA Tourism Week, which began with a road walk and a guided tour of Abuja under the theme “Digital Vibes, Nigerian Pride: Celebrating Tourism, Culture and People.”

Government and industry representatives at the event congratulated the Director General and commended the Authority’s increased engagement with tourism stakeholders.

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