Culture and Tourism

Korean Cultural Centre organizes Food Cooking Class for Diplomats, Embassies

Published

4 years ago

September 17, 2022

Joel Ajayi

As part of its determination to promote a symbiotic relationship among the countries in Nigeria, the Korean Cultural Center Nigeria KCCN organized Korean Food Cooking Class for Diplomats, Embassies in Abuja.

KCCN brought together the diplomats from different embassies and the Nigeria community to teach them and introduce Korean food to them on Thursday in Abuja the Nigeria Capital Territory.

The initiative was an opportunity to examine the thriving cultural relationship between embassies through introduction of different types of food and another way to ensure an enduring mutually beneficial and symbiotic partnership.

Nigeria and Korea republic indeed have years of international relations in the areas of: sport, politics, trade, investment, aid, technology, science, culture, education, health and military

While speaking excitedly, Director of KCCN Kim Chang Ki said the aim was to introduce Korean food to embassies and Nigerian families.

According to him, we want to introduce Korean food to Nigerian family and people, I am aware Nigerian like drama, dance already so, and we want to introduce Korean food as well.

“Today, we have four embassies in attendant, we have England, Cuba, Philippines and Ecuador, though we invited eight but four of them showed up and it’s going to be monthly.”

Speaking on Nigeria Culture he revealed that Nigeria culture is good and we want to consolidate on that.

As for the participant from British Embassy Becky Green said she like flavor of the Korean food: “I love it I am very grateful to be part of it, thumb up for KCCN for the excellent job.”

On his own, the Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General Philippine Embassy Roderico Atienza commended the Korean embassy saying the initiative will no doubt go a long way to cement more relationship among diplomats and embassies. “I feel fortunate to be part of this.”

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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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