Creative Industry

Musawa Applauds Tourism Stakeholders’ Forum, Says Collaboration Key to Growth

Published

6 months ago

April 2, 2026

Cyril Ogar

Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa has commended the National Hospitality and Tourism Stakeholders’ Forum, which concluded in Abuja on Wednesday.

Convened by Dr. Ola Awakani, Director-General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), the forum gathered government officials, industry leaders, associations and partners to strengthen alignment, spur collaboration, and drive actionable steps to reposition tourism as an engine for diversification, investment and job creation.

Musawa praised the DG’s commitment and energy for producing a practical roadmap that links culture, entertainment and tourism to growth and employment. She said consistency, public-private partnership and annual follow-up will turn Nigeria’s creative assets into development gains.

“This forum will be an annual staple. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, we are deliberately repositioning tourism as a central pillar of economic diversification and national identity. Bringing previously fragmented sectors into one coordinated ecosystem unlocks synergies, drives efficiency, and positions Nigeria as a global cultural and tourism powerhouse,” she said.

Musawa added that the ministry will keep showcasing Nigerian and African culture while connecting private-sector players to market opportunities.

“The new travel-market platform gives stakeholders ownership and a framework to expand globally,” she noted.

Earlier, Dr. Awakani thanked operators for embracing the “out-of-the-ordinary” energy in the room.

“Tourism cannot move forward in isolation,” he said, pledging NTDA’s continued role as convener. He highlighted the partnership of government, hoteliers, creatives and tour promoters in co-creating a roadmap that ties culture and entertainment to jobs, with consistency and the annual forum sustaining momentum.

Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Nigerian Tourism Together,”the forum aimed to forge a public–private alliance in support of the President’s diversification agenda.

Attendees included Dr. Kabir Ali Masanawa, Executive Director of the Katsina State History and Culture Bureau; Hajiya Aisha Lawan Saji Rano, Kano State Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy; Professor Rasaki Ojo Bakare, Nigeria’s first Professor of Dance, Choreography and Performing Aesthetics; and NTDA directors and staff.ggg

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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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