Oluwaseyi Adegoke Adeyemo, Global Affairs Analyst and Publisher of Inside Watch Africa, believes Nigeria can unlock its tourism potential with the combination of culture and the creative economy.
Speaking on News Central TV’s Breakfast Central on Thursday about the recent cabinet reshuffle by President Bola Tinubu, he emphasised that merging the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy presents an opportunity to revitalise the tourism in Nigeria and attract global visitors.
Adeyemo expressed confidence in Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, the minister overseeing tourism, culture, and the creative economy, stating:
“The person I could vouch for is the person who’s now been entrusted with tourism, culture and the creative economy. Now, why am I vouching for not because I know her, but because I believe that if she has done as well as she’s done in the culture space.” He stressed that integrating these sectors will create a cohesive strategy to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and attract international travellers.
He explained that merging the creative economy, including film and other entertainment industries, with culture will help develop tourism products that appeal to global audiences.
“Now, what you have done, in my opinion, is bring the product of tourism together. So tourism is the umbrella ministry, you know, for bringing in people into Nigeria. But the culture, as well, is one of the strongest products we have as a country to bring a lot of people into Nigeria.
“We’re very cultural people. We have very rich culture. If it’s done well, you will discover that we then will be able to unlock that very, very, very important and very viable ministry, which is tourism ministry,” he said.
Despite Nigeria’s popularity across Africa and beyond, Adeyemo expressed concern that the country has not done enough to promote its tourism products. However, he remains optimistic about the sector’s future.
“As a people, in my opinion, up until today, we have not done well in the tourism space. But if you’re able to now say, okay, the same person that manages culture is the same person that manages the creative economy, which could be films and all of those things, you know, bringing them together on the same table. So when everything is discussed, it is geared towards ensuring that we attract people into Nigeria and people are, you know, encouraged to come spend their money here.
“We’re very popular. A lot of people talk about Nigeria all over the world, in Africa. People are looking forward to coming to Nigeria,” he said.
While some in the tourism sector may prefer a dedicated ministry, Adeyemo believes combining culture, tourism, and the creative economy offers a smarter approach.
“The point is, the products that we have, how much have we worked on them to ensure that people are truly attracted to Nigeria and they’re willing to come? So if you want us to stay in that space to talk about that, I think it’s an exciting thing that has happened, in my opinion.
“I’m sure a lot of my colleagues in the tourism space, because I’m very active in the tourism space, might not agree with me because they believe that it’s better to have a stand-alone ministry for tourism and all that. And I said, look, if you then say, all right, let’s have the product together, you know, in the same port so that we can cook this better and make sure that we start to attract more tourists into Nigeria, I think is a smart way,” he said.