In its avowed determination to accelerate Nigeria’s revenue generation for economic growth and development which President Tinubu is committed to, the federal government has charged the tourism and hospitality sector to uphold global standards, ensure quality service delivery and sanitize the sector to align with the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Act, 2022, emphasizing that they are the vehicle drivers of economic diversification and employment generation.
The Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Arts Culture Tourism and Creative Economy (FMACTCE), Barr. Musa Musawa speaking at the official flag-off of the NIHOTOUR Sectoral Personnel, Practitioners Operators and Institutions Registration, Induction and Professional Practices Certificate Presentation ceremony, at the Merit House recently in Abuja, said the launch of this initiative is aimed to uphold global standards, ensure quality service delivery and sanitize the sector.
The Minister charged the new inductees, industry players and Stakeholders’ to observe practice standards as the nation formally transitions into a regulated era of professional accountability, excellence and international competitiveness under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
She explained further that the sector is playing a huge role and there’s need for the private, public and agencies to come together to align Nigerian tourism sector to global best practices and international competitiveness.
Musawa urged government, agencies, private and public sectors to work together to build a sector that is professionally structured, globally represented and economic impactful, adding that, the sector should “work as a team, one body, an entity, and as one vehicle, having one goal which is the development of Nigeria”.
The vision of this present administration is to bring tourism into a global standard and bring global standards into Nigeria, she add.
The Minister reiterated the need “to eliminate anything that has quack practices and everything that is unprofessional, citing a new era in professionalism, accountability and of course a standard and a global competitiveness in Nigeria’s hospitalism and the economic ecosystem, stating that, “competent people delivering excellent service will build a workforce that builds confidence anywhere in the world”.
Barr. Musawa urged all Practitioners, operators, institutions and government within the tourism and hospitality to embrace the value chain for the interest of the industry and Nigeria, adding that, with this bold move, Nigeria is poised to unlock new growth avenues, create jobs and improve living standards of its citizenry.
Earlier, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade said the launch of this mandatory registration and professional certification ceremony for practitioners in Nigeria will witness the issuance of practicing lincences to first batch of the industry Practitioners.
The significance of this event is the induction and the flag-off of the National Register which he said will help industry key players and Stakeholders’ to observe practice standards.