Creative Industry

Nigeria Set to Host 68th Meeting of UN Tourism Commission for Africa

Published

1 year ago

April 16, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed its readiness to host the 68th meeting of the UN Tourism Commission for Africa (CAF) in Abuja.
Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa, gave the assurance when a two-man team from the United Nations Tourism Commission for Africa, (CAF) paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Minister said during her preliminary meeting with the team that the mission is a unique opportunity to strengthen collaboration and drive the shared vision of tourism for sustainable development across the African continent.Musawa added that Nigeria will showcase its rich cultural heritage and also highlight the resilience of the tourism sector.

“We are excited to host this important event and showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and tourism potential. We look forward to working closely with the UN Tourism and other stakeholders to make this event a resounding success”.

She also spoke on the benefits of the Tourism sector and government’s readiness to host the conference which is expected to bring together stakeholders from across the continent to discuss the future of tourism in Africa.

”The tourism sector creates both direct and indirect economic benefits by generating income from tourist activities, including accommodation, transportation, food services and entertainment. Beyond the immediate economic impact, tourism stimulates ancillary industries such as construction, retail and agriculture, leading to job creation and fostering a more diverse and resilient economy. As more people travel to Nigeria for business, leisure, and cultural exploration, the sector’s contribution to national revenue continues to grow.

“I wish to reaffirm Nigeria’s strong partnership with the UN Tourism, recognizing the critical role collaboration plays in achieving sustainable growth for Africa’s tourism industry. Through its continued engagement with the UN Tourism, Nigeria actively contributes to shaping policies, promoting best practices, and supporting initiatives that foster responsible tourism development across the continent. This partnership is essential not only for strengthening Nigeria’s tourism sector but also for advancing Africa’s position as a leading global tourism destination, ensuring that the continent’s rich natural and cultural heritage is preserved for future generations”.

Earlier in her address, the leader of the UN Tourism team, Elicia Grandcourt expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to host a successful event, citing the country’s experience in hosting previous meetings.

She highlighted the potential benefits of the meeting, particularly for Nigerian youth, who can leverage AI for empowerment opportunities. This event, she said, aims to boost social impact and education in tourism through innovation, AI, and creative industries.

“It’s not just about the meeting but also what you, as a country will gain out of this meeting. We will be coming here in June with all the Tourism Ministers in the region. We have seen how the tourism sector in general has shifted on the continent, whereby countries who earlier depended on oil are now moving to the tourism sector because of the economic value, environmental and social impact.

“We will make this valuable, especially for local participants. We will run a technical workshop that focuses on innovation and artificial intelligence, so, we will be capacitating the local team on how they can maximize this sector through the use of the new technologies”.

In her welcome address, the Director of International Tourism Relations and Cooperation of the Ministry, Dorothy Duruaku, thanked the UN team for their visit, recalling that Nigeria has hosted the event four times.

“Our ability to host CAF 2025 is not in doubt as members of the organizing committee have been working assiduously to ensure a successful meeting. We will commence inspection of the meeting halls, hotels and other facilities immediately and ensure that everything needed is in perfect order ahead of the meeting”.

CAF 2025, themed ‘Boosting the Social Impact and Education in Tourism through Innovation, AI, and the Creative Industries’, holds in Abuja from June 11-13, 2025.The 68th meeting of the UN Tourism Commission for Africa aims to promote sustainable tourism development and cultural exchange across the African continent.

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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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