Julius OkorieThe Federal government is determined to bring tourism contribution to the Nation’s GDP at par with that of Morocco, South Africa and Egypt through the new Creative And Tourism Corporation, it has been revealed.
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, disclosed this at the end of the first Federal Executive Council meeting of the year in Abuja.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe new Corporation which is expected to operate under a public-private partnership model is projected to add $100bn to the country’s Gross Domestic Product by 2030, averaging about $20bn per annum.
Aside from that, the new corporation it is envisaged will create no fewer than two million jobs.
Available statistics show that despite Nigeria’s potentials, the creative and tourism sector contributed just 1.2% to the GDP in 2022, thus lagging behind Morocco 2.7%, South Africa 3.0% and Egypt 4.3% within the same period under consideration.
The government Primebusiness.africa understands aims to close the gap partnering with big players in the industry to drive creation and capacity building.
According to the Minister, the Creative and Tourism Infrastructure Corporation (CTIC)’s primary goals are “building an infrastructure foundation for the creative and tourism sectors, targeting at least $100bn in GDP growth, and creating no fewer than two million jobs, especially for young people,” said Musawa.
Musawa added that the CTIC will serve as a special-purpose vehicle under a PPP framework, allowing the government and private partners to identify, deploy, and finance critical infrastructure needs in the creative sector.
Partnership in this new innovation the Minister further noted will not be limited to local partners alone as foreign collaborations have also been factored in.
“So we have now engaged with development partners and stakeholders all over the world in this discussion to develop innovative infrastructure development and financing approaches.
With improved infrastructure turning the nation into a tourist hub with its attendant benefits will be easy to achieve. Citing the impact of last year’s “Dirty December” festivities in Lagos to illustrate the impact better facilities could have in showcasing Nigeria’s creative output to the world, the minister said
“Just last year, December, everybody saw what happened in Lagos, the Dirty December; this was a huge, huge way of showing the world that Nigeria really has what it can offer to the world when it comes to the creative industry.
“But can you imagine if Detty December was supported by the proper infrastructure that will allow its growth? We want to leverage that output to make sure that we can really have the value, the vast value, that can bring economic growth through this industry,” she enthused
Among proposed projects that will get immediate upgrade in line with the new thinking include the development of Obudu Ranch, Yankari Games Reserve, Abuja Creative City, 5,000 cinema screens, the Wole Soyinka Centre’s Creative City in Lagos, and the Center for African Arts.
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She explained, “So let me just talk briefly about some of the projects that we’re looking at, and some of these projects are Obudu Ranch, Yankari Games Reserve, the Abuja Creative City, a 5000 cinema screen, Creative City at the Wole Soyinka Centre, Lagos, Centre for African Arts, Digital Distribution Network, upgrading the National Gallery and expanding National Arena capacity to 100,000.
“We want to bring a national museum to Abuja. Imagine the giant of Africa not having a museum in its capital city.
“We want to bring Nollywood and realise Nollywood as a proper destination, and I spoke about the music arenas that we need to have all over the country.”
The Minister said the administration sees significant opportunities in the creative and tourism industries as it works to provide not only the necessary infrastructure but also the frameworks that will allow the Nigerian public to benefit from the value the sectors can generate.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
