Fagade rallies industry behind NIHOTOUR reforms, says skilled workforce key to Nigeria’s tourism future
Maureen Aguta
The Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Aare Abisoye Fagade, has called for stronger collaboration between government agencies and private sector operators, saying the institute cannot deliver a globally competitive tourism workforce without the active support of industry stakeholders.
Speaking on Wednesday at NIHOTOUR’s Stakeholder Engagement Forum in Abuja, Fagade said sustained partnership was critical to implementing the institute’s mandate of regulating, training and certifying professionals in Nigeria’s hospitality, travel and tourism industry.
The forum, themed “Advancing Registration, Identification, Accreditation, Training and Certification Towards a Standardized and Professional Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Ecosystem Under the Renewed Hope Agenda,” brought together key players from across the tourism value chain.
Fagade described the engagement as an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, exchange ideas and develop practical solutions to challenges confronting the sector.
According to him, NIHOTOUR remains committed to working closely with stakeholders to build a professional workforce capable of driving Nigeria’s tourism industry to global standards.
“We are here to listen. We are here to exchange ideas. We are here to identify practical solutions to existing challenges and agree on actions that will move the sector forward,” he said.
The NIHOTOUR boss noted that the institute’s ongoing implementation of the NIHOTOUR Act is focused on producing a competent, certified and globally competitive workforce that will support the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope programme.
Fagade stressed that the success of any tourism destination depends not only on physical infrastructure but, more importantly, on the quality of its human capital.
“One thing is clear: no tourism destination succeeds without skilled people. Infrastructure attracts visitors, but professionalism keeps them coming back. The true strength of any tourism economy lies in the competence, ethics, skills and service culture of its workforce,” he said.
He explained that the NIHOTOUR Act places significant responsibility on the institute to regulate industry standards, strengthen capacity development, promote professional certification, support research and ensure Nigeria produces tourism professionals capable of competing effectively at regional and global levels.
Fagade urged stakeholders to embrace the reforms being driven by the institute, insisting that collective commitment would be essential to building a more professional, competitive and sustainable hospitality and tourism ecosystem for the country.