Musawa seeks reform as NIHOTOUR begins nationwide tourism certification exercise
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has called for stronger professionalism and standardisation in Nigeria’s tourism sector as the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) launched a nationwide certification and registration exercise for practitioners.
She made the call on Thursday at the launch of NIHOTOUR’s nationwide registration, induction and professional practice certificate presentation exercise for personnel, operators and institutions in the hospitality, tourism and creative economy ecosystem.
At the event, Musawa was conferred with the status of Fellow of NIHOTOUR in recognition of her contributions to the development of Nigeria’s hospitality, travel and tourism industry. The conferment was performed by the Director-General of NIHOTOUR, Abisoye Fagade.
Fagade said the recognition was reserved for individuals who have demonstrated commitment to raising standards, ethics and professionalism in the tourism and hospitality sector. He added that the registration and certification drive was aimed at restoring dignity to the profession and ensuring practitioners meet internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics.
Speaking after the conferment, Musawa described the exercise as a major step toward building a more accountable and globally competitive tourism industry in Nigeria.
She said the initiative would help establish credible professional standards, create a national database of practitioners, eliminate quackery and align the sector with global best practices.
“The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, contributing to employment, foreign exchange earnings and cultural diplomacy.
“Nigeria has the cultural diversity, heritage assets and creative talent to become a leading tourism hub in Africa and the world. However, no sector can attain sustainable growth without structure, standards and skilled professionals,” she said.
