Culture, Tourism Key To Addressing Challenges Of Lean Resources, Unemployment – Minister

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said
culture and tourism are key to addressing the challenges posed by lean
resources and unemployment in the country

”In this period of tough economic challenges, caused by the steep
fall in global oil prices, Nigeria has no choice but to look for other
viable means of earning needed resources for developmental purposes
and to generate employment for its teeming youths,” the Minister said
at the Third Festival Colloquium of Lagos at 50 on Saturday.

”In this search for a new economic paradigm, tourism, arts and
culture have been identified as the most viable sector of the economy
to explore. Culture drives tourism, and both are good for creating
jobs, reducing crime and diversifying the economy, three of the
cardinal programs of the Buhari Administration,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed said the potentials of the sector in boosting the
country’s economy had been attested to by many international agencies,
including the British Council whose 2013 report of the Lagos Pilot
Study on the ‘Mapping of Nigerian Creative Industries revealed that
the creative businesses surveyed in
the mapping exercise contributed N2,547,300,490.26 during the
reference period, with 61% of the total Gross Value Added (GVA)
derived from the film industry alone. Fashion and music contributed
26% and 13% respectively.

He also said that with Nigeria being richly endowed with
globally-recognized sites and monuments, it is imperative for the
country to convert its tourist sites to tourist attraction and bring
the culture and tourism sector to the mainstream of the economy.

The Minister said the government is working with the World Tourism
Organization, the UN agency charged with the promotion of responsible,
sustainable and universally-accessible tourism, to turn around the
fortunes of the sector.

”Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the foundation has been laid and
the ground work done. It is time for all States of the Federation to
pick up the gauntlet and explore the vast tourism potentials available
to us and by so doing, improve our economy and provide employment,”
he said.