We Are Re-positioning Culture and Tourism Sector, Minister Tells Senate Committee

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
reiterated the commitment of the Ministry to bring the Culture and
Tourism Sector into the mainstream of the economy, in line with the
overall goal of the Administration to diversify the economy and create
jobs.

The Minister stated this in Abuja on Thursday, during the oversight
visit to the Ministry of Information and Culture by the Senate
Committee on Culture and Tourism.

He said with the instability in the prices of commodities, many
countries are now diversifying their economies, having realized the
futility of total dependence on commodities as foreign exchange
earners.

Alhaji Mohammed said as part of the efforts to re-position the sector,
the Ministry has kick-started new initiatives  and different dynamics
in order to create a new vista of opportunities, adding: ”After
meeting stakeholders in the sector, we convened a National Summit on
Culture and Tourism in which all the
critical sub-sectors engaged in a meaningful dialogue. We then
followed up by setting up an Implementation Committee which has since
submitted a draft report, the implementation of which has already
begun.

”The review of the Tourism Master Plan and the resuscitation of the
Presidential Council on Tourism (PCT), both of which we are in the
process of implementing, are some of the committee’s recommendations.
As a matter of fact, only yesterday (Wednesday), I inaugurated the
Technical Committee on the Review of National Tourism Development
Master Plan.”

The Minister said against the background of the need to develop new
partnerships and synergies based on concrete mutual understanding and
cooperation, ”we decided to revitalize Nigeria’s long-standing
membership of the global body on tourism, the UN World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO). That decision has proven to be prescient, as the
UN agency has offered to assist us in key areas, such as the review of
the Tourism Master Plan and the resuscitation of the PCT,”

He announced that starting from the 5th of December 2016, the Ministry
will be hosting a sectoral support mission from the UNWTO.

Alhaji Mohammed also disclosed that in order to build capacity in the
sector, promote entrepreneurship and private sector economic
development in the Creative Industry, facilitate the mapping of the
Creative Industry, and support the efficient delivery of the Abuja
Carnival, among others, the Ministry has signed two MoUs with the Tony
Elumelu Foundation and the British Council

On the Culture sub-sector, he said since culture drives tourism, it is
important to have a vibrant Culture sub-sector, adding: ”This
explains why we have also been working very hard in the past one year
to strengthen the sub-sector. Specifically, we are working with the
relevant states to revive some festivals that have grown moribund in
recent years, such as the Argungun Festival and The Durbar, and to
create a time-table of festivals across the country for the benefit of
tourists.

”We have also been, as much as our schedule permits, increasing our
visibility at the various festivals across the country, with a view to
encouraging the organizers. We have also widened our horizon on the
external front. In August, we actively participated at the Edinburgh
International Cultural Festival and got a great insight into what our
own festivals can be. There is no doubt that our participation at the
Policy Round Table on Cultural Heritage and Tourism and on the Digital
Platform at the Edinburgh Festival will further strengthen the
strategic objectives of our Ministry.”

He said in order to provide the enabling environment for Nollywood,
the Ministry is supporting the burgeoning industry by creating the
necessary regulatory environment, disclosing that the report of the
review committee on the draft bill for the establishment of the Motion
Picture Council of Nigeria (MOPICON) was submitted to him by the
committee last Monday,

On the music industry, Alhaji Mohammed said the Ministry partnered
with the organizers of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) earlier
this month to ensure the success of the 2016 edition, and that he
participated in the AFRIMA Round Table that explored the role of music
in championing social justice and advocacy.

He also disclosed that the Lagos State Government has acceded to the
Ministry’s request to help redesign and modernize the National Museum
in Lagos into world-class historical hub and tourist site.

The Minister told the Committee that the late release of the 2016
budget, the burdensome procurement processes and some legal issues
couldn’t allow the ministry to attain optimal performance in the
budget implementation.

While seeking the support of the Senate Committee on Culture and
Tourism, the Minister assured that ”we will continue to build on the
dynamism that we have evolved in the past year,”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mathew
Urhoghide, said the oversight visit by the Committee is to monitor the
performance of the 2016 budget and identify areas of challenges, which
will form the basis of support for the 2017 budget.

Senator Urhoghide disclosed that the National Assembly will soon
incorporate Tourism in the nomenclature of the Ministry because of the
huge importance of the sector to the nation’s economy.

“This is the aspect we are looking at as parliament, as a Senate, and
we believe too it’s going to add value, particularly in our quest to
improve on our revenue base in Nigeria. Tourism sector is a latent
area that we believe that the country will drive a lot of revenue
from,” he said, stressing the need to put in place the necessary
legislative framework to adequately harness culture and tourism into a
viable economy.