We must develop tourism corridors. Above all, we must tell Nigeria’s story confidently and authentically.’’
On NTIFE 2026, Musawa commended FTAN for the consistency of the Forum, saying: ‘‘The NTIFE platform has consistently brought together policymakers, investors, tourism operators, development partners, financial institutions, condition governments, and exchange stakeholders to create the forthcoming of tourism in Nigeria.
‘‘Because its inception, NTIFE has evolved into one of Nigeria’s foremost personal-sector platforms for tourism investment, policy engagement and firm development.’’
On the theme, Musawa said, ‘It could not be extra well-timed, as Nigeria accelerates efforts to outlook tourism as a large pillar of nationwide economic diversification.
‘‘Transformation requires consider collaboration. Transformation requires investment. Musawa then outlined some of the areas of engagement by her Ministry to protect strengthening the policy and regulatory environment; deepening direction including declare governments, expanding worldwide partnerships, and promotion of domestic tourism.
She called for practical dialogue at the Forum, stressing; ‘‘I spark every participant to transfer beyond dialogue toward practical commitments, bankable investments and difficult-wearing partnerships that will redefine Nigeria’s tourism landscape for generations to come.’’
Meanwhile, FTAN President, Badaki called for a assessment restructuring of the sector, as he decried what he called the disjointed model of operation in the sector. We must modernise visitor experiences.
Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Inventive Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, has charged operators in the tourism sector to embrace web-based transformation, sustainability and standard facility delivery in arrangement to stay competitive, noting that world tourism is driven by competition.
This is as the President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Dr Aliyu Ajayi Badaki, decried the unsatisfactory stage of orientation, teamwork and disjointed nature of operations in tourism. According to him, the resolution for a thriving and sustainable tourism is through well-intended policy path and unification in the midst of all the players, calling for restructuring of the sector.
Musawa and Badaki spoke at the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE) 2026 and 29th Annual Universal Meeting (2026) of FTAN; held in Abuja, alongside the theme: Tourism Transformation Using Coordination, Policy Alignment and Investment.
In her delivery on: Building a Domestic Tourism Architecture for Nigeria, Musawa noted that competition in the worldwide promote must be in focus, as she disclosed; ‘‘To stay competitive, we must embrace innovation, electronic transformation, sustainability and characteristic offering delivery. Disclosing that the Tourism Transformation Movement (TTM) mantra of his administration was born out of the conviction that Nigeria’s tourism sector cannot arrive at its complete latent if it remains fragmented.
‘‘Our mandate is therefore built on one straightforward but powerful benchmark: to unite every segment of the tourism ecosystem under one usual intention. We must upgrade destination management. And transformation requires management.
‘‘This is precisely the direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which recognises tourism and the distinctive economy as strategic sectors able of creating millions of jobs, attracting investment, earning foreign commerce and strengthening Nigeria’s universal image.’’
Her Ministry, she said, is committed to repositioning tourism as a globally competitive economic sector across a weigh and strategic method. Transformation requires sound policies. For too extended, the community and personal sectors have operated as parallel institutions pursuing the same objectives but frequently minus sufficient management.
‘‘Likewise, operators during the restricted sector have now and then competed where teamwork would have produced elevated value.’’
He furthermore disclosed that FTAN has over the years deliberately worked to bridge these divides by promoting dialogue, strengthening relationships amid our participant associations, interesting governments at all levels and positioning FTAN as the collective voice of Nigeria’s tourism individual sector.
‘‘We take for granted that unity is no longer optional; it is the reason upon which a globally competitive tourism field must be built.’’
Badaki moreover reiterated the summon by the Federation on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caused the up-to-date Domestic Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Act 2022 and Regulations of 2025, to be returned to the Countrywide Assembly to rework in line for the problem of the sector, the country and the operators just as he has done not enduring ago including the Bills of two institutions in the country that he denied assent and returned to the Nationwide Assembly for a analysis owing to the point that of the over-reaching nature of the provisions of the two bills.
Source: Tourism must go digital, green to remain competitive — Musawa
