21/05/2025
NIHOTOUR Seeks Strategic Collaboration with NOA to Deepen Tourism Reforms and National Values
As part of ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality sector, the Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare (Dr.) Abisoye Fagade, paid a courtesy visit to the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, to strengthen institutional partnerships for national development.
During the visit, Aare Fagade emphasized the critical role of national identity and national orientation in shaping the future of Nigeria’s tourism and hospitality industry. He noted that NIHOTOUR is currently pursuing decentralised training models that empower local investors to establish standard training centres grounded in national curriculum content. These reforms, he added, are aimed at positioning tourism as a significant contributor to Nigeria’s GDP, potentially accounting for 10% within the next three years.
In response, the NOA DG pledged the Agency’s full support for NIHOTOUR’s reform agenda and agreed on the importance of embedding Citizenship Studies into hospitality training. He acknowledged tourism as a key avenue for projecting Nigeria’s image and promoting unity.
To further support NIHOTOUR’s objectives, NOA committed to sharing its national engagement template with the Institute, offering a tested framework that could enhance stakeholder mobilisation, public orientation, and value-based training. Both agencies also agreed to set up a joint committee to facilitate structured collaboration and ensure sustained implementation of shared goals.
This visit marked a pivotal step toward building a unified national approach to tourism development, citizen engagement, and cultural revitalisation.
