Creative Industry

Ministry of Art, NSC Partner to Build Mega Sports Cultural City

Published

1 year ago

September 6, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy (FMACTCE) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing a National Arts, Cultural, Creative, Tourism and Sports Innovation Hub within the Moshood Abiola National Stadium precinct, Abuja.

The MoU, signed on Thursday in Abuja, aims to harness the creative, cultural, and sports sectors for national development, youth empowerment, and global visibility.

The Hub will feature a range of facilities, including a National Museum of Arts and Culture, Entertainment Arena and Performance Centre, Youth Creative and Entrepreneurship Centre, Eco-Villas and Eco-Lodges, Family Recreational Park, Cultural Lounges and Marketplaces, Mounted Games Arena, and Sports Heritage Pavilion.

At the signing ceremony, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa Esq., expressed gratitude for the partnership and highlighted the impact of NSC’s Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, on sports development.

“Since Mallam Shehu Dikko came on board, we’ve had back-to-back wins in sports. Thank you for coming to this office to discuss how we can open a partnership. For young Nigerians, one of the things the President has always focused on is building a better future for Nigeria, and the best way to do that is to diversify in the areas of sports and the creative industry.

“The creative industry is also having a great moment, and Nigeria is known for its cultural assets. Partnering with the sports industry through this MOU will bring new focus and ideas. This partnership has the power to empower the young generation, teach them about our culture, and provide capacity building. If this can be replicated in every state, it will speak to a new dawn, especially in Abuja, and will have a positive impact on the economy, job creation, and insecurity. The ecosystem we are building with the museum structure, tourism sector, and creative industry will be beneficial for Nigerians. I appreciate the President’s vision and mission, and I’m excited to be part of this journey”.

Earlier, the Chairman of NSC emphasised the Commission’s alignment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on sports economy.

“We need to invest and revamp our sports facilities to have around 4,000 activities around the clock. This project will showcase our history, sports, and culture, and we are committed to its success. We will turn the stadium into a sports city, leveraging existing structures to build value for creatives.

“I assure you of my team’s diligence to provide all the support needed to succeed in this project,” Mallam Dikko said.

The partnership between FMACTCE and NSC will facilitate inter-agency dialogue and coordination, promote integrated strategies to link sports with arts, culture, tourism, and the creative economy, and encourage public-private dialogue and multilateral stakeholder engagement.

The project will operate as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), with FMACTCE and NSC providing institutional support for government approvals and alignment.

This collaboration marks a significant step towards promoting Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries, empowering youth, and showcasing the country’s rich cultural heritage to the world. Both parties are committed to working together to bring this vision to life and create a world-class innovation hub that will drive economic growth, creativity, and innovation.

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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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