Creative Industry

Nigeria and Tunisia to Strengthen Cultural and Tourism Ties

Published

1 year ago

April 14, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Republic of Tunisia has expressed interest in establishing cultural and tourism relations with Nigeria.

His Excellency Moshen Antit, Ambassador of Tunisia to Nigeria, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, in Abuja on Monday.

Ambassador Antit highlighted the potential for collaboration in cultural exchanges and medical tourism between the two countries. He noted that Tunisia boasts advanced medical facilities and expertise, making it an attractive destination for medical tourism in Africa.

“Tunisia is known for its rich history and architecture which makes it a potential attraction for Nigerian tourists. Tunisia has also invested heavily in its healthcare infrastructure, and we believe that our medical services could be a valuable resource for Nigerians and other Africans seeking quality healthcare,” he said.

The Ambassador also invited Nigeria to participate in the International Conference on Financing, Investment, and Trade in Africa (FITA), scheduled for May 6-7, 2025, in Tunisia. He said that the conference is expected to attract over 2,000 participants from 60 countries, providing a platform for discussions on investment opportunities and partnerships in Africa.

“We will be happy to collaborate with Nigeria and explore different ways of building bilateral and multinational partnerships and encourage cultural exchanges among Africans”, the Ambassador said.

In her response, Minister Musawa thanked the Ambassador for his visit and expressed enthusiasm for exploring potential partnerships between Nigeria and Tunisia. She emphasized the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which prioritizes economic growth through art, culture, and creative economy.

“This is an opportunity for us to strengthen ties within the continent and tap into the potential of our partnership. We look forward to our next meeting to document and seal our proposed cooperation with Tunisia,” Minister Musawa said.

The meeting between the Ambassador and Minister Musawa marks the beginning of a promising collaboration between Nigeria and Tunisia. Both countries are expected to explore ways to promote cultural exchanges, medical tourism, and economic cooperation in the coming months.

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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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