Abuja: ‘WelcomeToNigeria Expo 2025’, a national initiative aimed at repositioning domestic tourism as a driver of inclusive economic development in Nigeria, is set to debut in the Federal Capital Territory. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy (FMACTCE), inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee for the event in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the committee members were drawn from the FMACTCE and its agencies, as well as officials from the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and the Federal Ministry of Interior, among others. The event, scheduled for July 23 to 24, is being organised by the FMACTCE and WelcomeToNigeria Ltd in collaboration with other stakeholders in the tourism sector.
Dr. Muhammad highlighted that Nigeria’s rich tourism potential has been underutilised for economic growth and national development due to inadequate investment and lack of synergy among stakeholders. He described the expo as an opportunity for both public and private sector stakeholders, including policymakers, investors, and tourism experts, to collaborate for the growth of Nigeria’s domestic tourism industry. He emphasized the strategic importance of developing tourism and urged the committee to remain committed to the task for a seamless domestic tourism expo.
Mr. Isa Sago, President of WelcomeToNigeria Ltd and National Coordinator of the WelcomeToNigeria Project, stated that the theme of the expo is ‘National Agenda on Tourism Partnership, Infrastructural Development, Institutional Linkages, Growth and Sustainable Development.’ He stressed that as Nigeria seeks to diversify its economy away from oil, tourism represents a viable alternative. The expo is designed to be a rallying call for national participation, aiming to awaken collective consciousness about the power of tourism to educate, empower, and economically uplift.
Mr. Sunday Bisong, Overseeing Director of the Department of Domestic Tourism Promotion of the FMACTCE, noted that tourism serves as an enabler of commerce, infrastructure, culture preservation, job creation, and national unity. He specified that the inter-ministerial committee for the expo will facilitate coordination, collaboration, and innovation across government MDAs and the private sector, laying the groundwork for a new chapter in domestic tourism growth.