Creative Industry
Nigeria and UAE Strengthen Ties, Explore New Opportunities in Tourism and Culture
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has emphasized the importance of empowering Nigeria as a gateway country to the black global community, highlighting the UAE’s support in achieving this goal.
The Minister made this known in Abuja on Wednesday when she met with the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Nigeria H.E. Salem Saeed Musabbeh Al Mahyoub Al Shamsi, to discuss ways to strengthen tourism and cultural ties between the two countries.
She congratulated Sheikha, the Secretary-General of the UN Tourism, on her historic appointment as the first female Secretary-General, noting that she is opening doors for women, inclusivity, and the power of the global south.
“It is very important for us now, as a country and as a gateway country to the black global community, to empower ourselves in a way that gives us a certain level of independence. Tourism now is power.
“We all know the importance of Tourism globally but we need to have a more curative relationship with the United Arab Emirates. We want to empower ourselves in a way that gives us a certain level of independence,” Minister Musawa said.
Minister Musawa highlighted Dubai’s success in transforming tourism and the potential for alignment between Nigeria and UAE in tourism and culture.
Earlier, H.E. Salem Saeed Musabbeh Al Mahyoub Al Shamsi welcomed the proposals and expressed commitment to strengthening ties.
“The UAE has become one of the top five industrial countries so let us find a common interest in culture and tourism to build a stronger relationship. I invite the Ministry to Abu Dhabi to see the development in Dubai to explore specific areas of cooperation in tourism and culture,” the Ambassador said.
The discussion also touched on Sheikha’s upcoming visit to Nigeria and potential cooperation in culture, tourism, and creative industries.
The UAE plans to invest in Nigeria’s film, music, and fashion industries. The Minister invited UAE officials to explore cooperation areas and assured them of Nigeria’s commitment to deepening ties.
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
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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