October 25, (THEWILL) — Stakeholders in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry have called for greater professionalism, certification, and stronger collaboration among players to drive sustainable growth and position the sector as a key contributor to the national economy.
They made the call during the Conference and Awards of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET), held on Thursday in Lagos, with the theme: “The Role of International Hospitality Brands in the Growth of Nigerian Tourism and Economy.”
In his address, ANJET President, Mr Okorie Uguru, said the event was not only an opportunity to recognise excellence but also to reflect on the contributions of journalists and tourism professionals over the past four decades.
Reflecting on the influence of journalists since the early 1960s, Uguru noted that travel journalists played an active role in shaping the nation’s tourism narrative.”
“More than any other group or association in Nigeria, we are the holders and upholders of the institutional memory of the industry. We know who has done what.”
He urged journalists to embrace modern trends in information dissemination, including social media and digital content creation, to remain relevant in today’s tourism communication landscape.
Uguru also commended the awardees, including Olusegun Runsewe, Franklin Ogbuewu, Jemi Alade, Abimbola Bode-Thomas, Olanwale Akinboboye, and Ganiyu Balogun, for their visible contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria’s tourism sector.
The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Dr Abisoye Fagade, in his keynote address, emphasised the urgent need to close the widening skills gap in Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry.
According to him, many tourism businesses in Nigeria struggle to survive because of the lack of trained and certified personnel.
“Over the years, we have invested heavily in physical structures, but many businesses fail to stand the test of time because we have not invested enough in people,” Fagade said. “Certification ensures that every professional in our industry operates with the same level of excellence expected anywhere in the world — from Dubai to Kigali to Cape Town.”
He noted that without a skilled and certified workforce, no policy or investment could produce the desired results, regardless of how global or sophisticated the hotel brand might be. Fagade commended ANJET for recognising practitioners who had devoted their careers to building and sustaining the tourism industry.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Mr Olayiwola Awakan, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to reposition tourism as a major economic driver.
Represented by the NTDA South-West Zonal Coordinator, Mrs Alice Akinsola, Awakan said the authority remained focused on inclusiveness, innovation, and destination development.
“NTDA is committed to growing the economy, strengthening the naira, and positioning tourism as a key driver of sustainable development”, he said.
Former Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Chief Olusegun Runsewe, decried the persistent neglect of the tourism sector in national planning.
Runsewe, who was one of the award recipients, described tourism as the largest employer of labour after agriculture, lamenting that the sector’s potential had not been fully harnessed.
“Tourism is a major tool for economic empowerment, yet it remains poorly understood and underfunded. Stakeholders must change their mindset and begin to treat tourism as a serious business”, he said.
Former Nigerian Ambassador to Greece and former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambassador Franklin Ogbuewu, emphasised the inseparable link between tourism and culture.
He urged practitioners to sell Nigeria’s culture as a product to attract foreign tourists seeking authentic African experiences.
“Culture is the soul of tourism,” Ogbuewu said. “Without it, there’s little we can offer to the world.”
The ANJET conference and awards brought together journalists, tour operators, government officials, and private sector leaders who reiterated the need for synergy between the media, policymakers, and investors to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s tourism economy.
Janefrances Ebere Chibuzor is a Tourism Writer at THEWILL
