Nigeria's Stakeholders Push for Year-Round Tourism Strategy

At the 'Ember to Remember' National Private Sector and Stakeholders’ Conference in Lagos, stakeholders from Nigeria's tourism, hospitality, aviation, finance, and creative sectors emphasized the necessity of a year-round strategy to transform cultural and festive activities into a sustainable economic sector. The conference, organized by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy in partnership with MyCityApp, aimed to explore ways to extend the economic benefits of the September-to-December festive period.

Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, stated that while the festive season generates significant economic activity, the challenge lies in converting this into sustainable jobs and investment opportunities. She highlighted that achieving the $100 billion tourism ambition requires collaboration across various sectors and government support in policy and infrastructure.

Ifeoma Chukwu, CEO of MyCityApp, pointed out the issue of poor visibility of events, proposing a National Digital Calendar to centralize information about events. Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, noted the importance of digital infrastructure for a modern visitor economy.