Tourism must go digital, green to remain competitive — Musawa

Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, has charged operators in the tourism sector to embrace digital transformation, sustainability and quality service delivery in order to remain competitive, noting that global 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 poor level of direction, collaboration and disjointed nature of operations in tourism. According to him, the solution for a thriving and sustainable tourism is through well-intended policy direction and unification among 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 General Meeting (2026) of FTAN; held in Abuja, with the theme: Tourism Transformation Through Collaboration, Policy Alignment and Investment.

In her delivery on: Building a National Tourism Architecture for Nigeria, Musawa noted that competition in the global market must be in focus, as she disclosed; ‘‘To remain competitive, we must embrace innovation, digital transformation, sustainability and quality service delivery. We must develop tourism corridors. We must modernise visitor experiences. We must improve destination management. 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, state governments, and industry stakeholders to shape the future of tourism in Nigeria.

‘‘Since its inception, NTIFE has evolved into one of Nigeria’s foremost private-sector platforms for tourism investment, policy engagement and business development.’’

On the theme, Musawa said, ‘It could not be more timely, as Nigeria accelerates efforts to position tourism as a major pillar of national economic diversification.

‘‘Transformation requires deliberate collaboration. Transformation requires sound policies. Transformation requires investment. And transformation requires leadership.

‘‘This is precisely the direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which recognises tourism and the creative economy as strategic sectors capable of creating millions of jobs, attracting investment, earning foreign exchange and strengthening Nigeria’s global image.’’

Her Ministry, she said, is committed to repositioning tourism as a globally competitive economic sector through a deliberate and strategic manner. Musawa then outlined some of the areas of engagement by her Ministry to include strengthening the policy and regulatory environment; deepening collaboration with state governments, expanding international partnerships, and promotion of domestic tourism.

She called for practical dialogue at the Forum, stressing; ‘‘I encourage every participant to move beyond dialogue toward practical commitments, bankable investments and enduring partnerships that will redefine Nigeria’s tourism landscape for generations to come.’’

Meanwhile, FTAN President, Badaki called for a deliberate restructuring of the sector, as he decried what he called the disjointed model of operation in the sector. Disclosing that the Tourism Transformation Movement (TTM) mantra of his administration was born out of the conviction that Nigeria’s tourism industry cannot reach its full potential if it remains fragmented.

‘‘Our mandate is therefore built on one simple but powerful principle: to unite every segment of the tourism ecosystem under one common purpose. For too long, the public and private sectors have operated as parallel institutions pursuing the same objectives but often without adequate coordination.

‘‘Likewise, operators within the private sector have sometimes competed where collaboration would have produced greater value.’’

He also disclosed that FTAN has over the years deliberately worked to bridge these divides by promoting dialogue, strengthening relationships among our member associations, engaging governments at all levels and positioning FTAN as the collective voice of Nigeria’s tourism private sector.

‘‘We believe that unity is no longer optional; it is the foundation upon which a globally competitive tourism industry must be built.’’

Badaki also reiterated the call by the Federation on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caused the existing National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Act 2022 and Regulations of 2025, to be returned to the National Assembly to rework in line for the interest of the industry, the country and the operators just as he has done recently with the Bills of two institutions in the country that he denied assent and returned to the National Assembly for a review because of the over-reaching nature of the provisions of the two bills.