Charles Ajunwa writes that experts and stakeholders who gathered at the National Tourism Summit in Lagos brainstormed on the way forward for Nigeria’s tourism sector
Tourism enthusiasts from different walks of life gathered in Lagos last Thursday for the National Tourism Summit, which was organised by the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy in partnership with Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts.
The venue for the stakeHOLDERS’ summit, Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts, could only be accessed through the waterways. It takes 35 minutes for 10-seater speedboat and 60 minutes for a 30-seater boat to arrive at the beach nestled along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, at 9a.m. arrived at the Wings Towers on the busy Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, for take-off from the jetty.
Before embarking on the trip, maritime regulatory procedures were observed by the minister, her aides, and other passengers who wore safety jackets before being allowed to enter their boats.
The minister’s boat left the jetty at 9:40a.m. There were no traces of the minister and entourage on water shortly after they embarked on the trip. This was not the case with the 30-seater boat as we moved slowly on the water. Over 1,000 beach houses operate on the Lagos coastline.
Lehle Balde, who anchored the summit, described Koko Beach as “one of Nigeria’s best-kept secrets, a breathtaking coastline not only intact, quiet, powerful, and risky. Nigeria is not short on beauty or culture. We’ve got over 850 kilometers of coastline, more than 250 ethnic groups, thousands of festivals, and the kind of music, film, and fashion that the world cannot stop dancing to, watching, and wearing.”
“So, how is it possible that tourism still only contributes 3.9 per cent to our economy? From my perspective, that’s not enough.
“In just one month, December 2024, Lagos City raised over $71.6 million from tourism, hospitality, and entertainment. Hotels alone pulled in $44 million, and short-term apartments added another $30 million, while we’re all partying into the New Year. In 2024, domestic tourism spending in Nigeria reached an astonishing $4.95 trillion, about $7.7 billion, while international visitors spent $491.9 billion.
“By 2029, experts project that Nigeria’s tourism market could hit $5.4 billion at a rate of 10.6 per cent per year. So I’d like us to ask ourselves, is tourism capable of transforming Nigeria’s economy? I think the answer to that is absolutely. The real question is, when will we give it the attention, the investments, and the innovation that it deserves?” he added.
With this breakdown, Musawa, as she mounted podium, thanked Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, owner of Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts and host of 2025 National Tourism Summit, Mr. Richard Shittu, Chairman of Shoprite. Mr. Tayo Amusan, Group CEO, DLM Capital Group, Dr. Sonnie Babatunde Ayere; Chairman, Board of Partners, SIAO, Robert Odiachi; Ogun State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Sesan Abolaji Fagbayi; former Director General, Nigeria Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Mr. Folarin Coker, former President Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick and others for attending the summit.
“Mr. President, from the very beginning, said that he wanted a future for Nigeria, where we can offer the young generation something that is very tangible. In order for us to do that, he is very determined to ensure that we diversify and make the tourism movement first. So, we identified the areas of digital economy, creative economy, blue economy, tourism economy, to ensure that we do that,” she added.
Musawa, who gave insight into her ministry’s Destination 2030, added, “what I find most important is the landscape from the North, where you have the hills, the desert. I was recently in Ikogosi in Ekiti State, it is so beautiful, the landscape changes.
“I think I have to say that Nigeria is a phenomenon, because no other people in the world who you go to, that you will see the diversity, not only in the people, but the diversity in the landscape. That is the kind of work, the value that we have. What is important for us is to be sure that we open up the potential,” she stated.
According to her, “Economic expansion is the core of what we seek to do. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to open up the economy of Nigeria. He wants to have an economic expansion and economic growth. I think with the tourism sector, I can talk about the low numbers, together with Richard and many other stakeholders, we’re doing data mapping to capture what tourism and creative economy can contribute to Nigeria, because it is a lot more than what is being captured. Once we are done with that data mapping, it will give international investors the confidence to know the numbers and where to go. It will give players the ability to know, to be empowered and be led,” the minister declared.
The minister who commended Lagos for making an impact in tourism, especially in the 2024 Detty December, said she would work together with the Lagos State government to ensure that the private sector supports the tourism sector.
“One thing that I can say about Nigeria is that the private sector needs to grow its economy and to grow the industry organically in support of the government. Government needs to come in and put in the right capacity, the right platform, the right quality and the right infrastructure in terms of our land and tourism sector.
“As we use our creative agency to export Nigeria to the world, we want to use our tourism to import the world but we have to have access to the infrastructure that needs to be put in place that will allow access to the world. It’s something that we have to understand. We have to have access, growth, and make it easy for the international community to access our visas and the information that they need,” the minister stated.
Experts and stakeholders at the summit emphasised the need for collaboration among federal and state government ministries and agencies in the present administration’s drive to expand the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Fashola, a former governor of Lagos State who delivered the keynote address, called for collaboration between federal and sub-national governments. He said there are 170 tourism assets in Nigeria that should be promoted globally. He also emphasised the need for visa on arrival to promote inbound tourism.
He said as Minister of Power, he ensured that the Koko community was connected to power nine years ago, a move he said helped in the growth of the hospitality business in the coastline beaches of Lagos State.
“I think that the message that will come out of here is that Nigerians in both private and public sector are very deliberate and intentional about driving the opportunities that already exist in the tourism industry. The creatives started without any deliberate design. The hospitality industry is already heading that way,” Fashola added.
Saraki, a former governor of Kwara State, who commended Musawa for being present at the summit, called for cooperation among the ministers. He said with Musawa in the saddle, “Nigeria will get it right in the area of tourism.”
Oduwole, who was represented by CEO of Tafawa Balewa Square, Mrs. Lucia Shittu, said: “The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment remains a dedicated partner of the growth and evolution of Nigeria’s tourism sector. We recognise tourism not only as a cultural and social asset, but also as a critical driver of economic diversification, foreign exchange earnings, and job creation.
“Our policy framework is firmly rooted in creating an enabling environment for investment, enterprise development, and value addition. All essential to unlocking the full potential of tourism in Nigeria.”
“We continue to support tourism value chain through deliberate policies that encourage infrastructure development, promote micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in tourism related sectors, and facilitate access to finance for creative and cultural entrepreneurs. Through the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, also known as NIPC, the ministry is positioning tourism as a promising frontier for investments encouraging both local and international investors to explore Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, historical landmarks, and ecological diversity,” Oduwole added.
Keyamo, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, said his ministry works closely with the Ministry of Tourism, “to provide the necessary infrastructure from an air transport perspective to help us deliver tourism to Nigeria.”
According to him, public-private partnerships are the only way to accelerate the growth that is needed in the tourism sector.
“In the Ministry of Aviation, we have created an enabling process, we have included incentives for investors to open up our markets, and indeed, we continue to welcome our critical stakeholders.
“But I do want to say that the last strategic area which we have focused on is really about the people. There is absolutely no way we can create an environment that wants to build on the tourism sector without focusing on customer centricity. That is a critical area that we’re working on as it comes to driving the change around cultural accreditation of our people, how we engage, and how we make sure that the tourism sector becomes a critical area for the future of Nigeria’s growth.”
Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo and Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, represented by Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration Zone A Lagos, Mrs. M.E.Onidede, thanked Musawa for recognising the strategic importance of cross-sector collaboration in positioning Nigeria as a prime tourism destination.
“We are fully aligned with His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, and we remain committed to promoting initiatives that enhance Nigeria’s global image abroad. Through reforms, which most of us recently have seen and have heard on the news, through the reforms that have been made on visa arrival processes, there is a digitisation of entry clearance system,” Tunji-Ojo said.
Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Benson-Awoyinka, who voiced support for the gathering, said, “It’s good for us to know where we are, where we’re going, what needs to be done. And the most important thing is that it’s actually being driven by the players in the industry, and practitioners as well.
“We’ve all come here and we have seen the potential. We’ve seen what Lagos can be like. We’re a tourist destination now. International events are now happening in Lagos. So tourism is where it’s finally supposed to be.”
Owner of Koko Beach Hotels and Resorts, Shittu, who went round ensuring the summit ended smoothly as planned said he invested over N20 billion in the project so far.
As it is now, we’ve probably expended well over N20 billion. The whole project itself is like a $40-$50 million project. So it’s still a long way to go. As it is today, we’re only like 12 per cent complete,” he added.
“The reason why we brought everybody here is to be able to show what potential Lagos and Nigeria as a whole do have.
“Tourism could bring as much revenue to the country, as much as oil and gas, if we harness it properly. If we’re very intentional about what we’re doing, successful countries like Dubai, Morocco, Mexico, didn’t get there by not being intentional. It was not by accident. Some people came up with a plan, they got the funding, they had the strategy, and they moved with it. And now the world is going there and taking all their money there to spend there, which we can be doing exactly the same work. At the end of the day, it’s the same sand and sea. It’s just what you build and create around it that’s important. That was created by human beings all over the world.
“I don’t see why we cannot do the same, achieve the same, and use that to increase our GDP. The whole idea behind this summit is to be able to highlight the deficiencies and the gaps in the infrastructure and in the tourism ecosystem, so that we can try and find solutions, infrastructure, power, and things that can make it happen.
“In three months, we can open up this corridor. You already have over a thousand beach houses at the beach. So what do you need? Power. That’s all. Once people can refrigerate their food, they don’t have to be carrying coolers and diesel back and forth. Then they will stay the night here comfortably. After that, maybe just three, four restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies. That’s it. You’ve created an ecosystem. You’ve created a lot of new clients. This is one of many. We intend to keep it up so that we can really realise a lot of our potential opportunities for the country,” Shittu added.
Charles Ajunwa @ThisDay
