The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy has renewed its commitment to working with state governments, investors, creative entrepreneurs, technology platforms, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to unlock Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy potential.
The Minister, Hannatu Musawa, stated this on Monday in Lagos during the official flag-off of “Ember to Remember 2026” and the unveiling of the national tourism calendar.
Musawa said the ministry was pursuing a tourism and creative economy capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s GDP throughout the year, while creating opportunities for young Nigerians, attracting investment, strengthening local businesses and projecting the country positively to the global community.
“Ember to Remember 2026” is a 100-day national tourism season scheduled to run from September to December.
According to the minister, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s economic vision of expanding Nigeria’s economic base, developing new growth sectors, creating jobs and positioning the private sector as a major driver of national development.
“Our ambition must, however, go beyond December. It requires deliberate planning, collaboration, investment and execution to drive this initiative,” Musawa said.
She stressed that unlocking the $100 billion opportunity would require collaboration across the tourism and creative economy rather than the efforts of a single ministry, company or event.
“The $100 billion opportunity will not be created by one ministry, one company or one event. It will be created by an ecosystem. And that ecosystem is represented in this room today.”
Musawa challenged participating organisations to identify their roles in building what she described as Nigeria’s next major economic growth sector.
She also called for stronger partnerships between government and the private sector to make “Ember to Remember” a platform that connects Nigeria’s destinations, events, businesses and people to wider national and international markets.
“Let us populate the calendar, promote Nigeria and convert our celebrations into sustainable economic value. Nigeria has the culture. Nigeria has the creativity. Nigeria has the people. Nigeria has the market. Now, we must build the economy around it,” she said.
The minister tasked the private sector with leading the transformation, while government provides an enabling environment through policy, infrastructure, security, destination development and ease of movement.
She also commended Ifeoma Chukwu, CEO of MyCityApp, for her commitment to the initiative and assured partners of the ministry’s support.
Musawa said the partnership represented the type of collaboration needed to move beyond viewing the festive period simply as a season of celebration.
“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” she added.
MyCityApp unveils tourism calendar
Also speaking, Chukwu said the initiative was designed to promote Nigeria’s cultural, tourism and creative offerings from September to December.
The national calendar is expected to help Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors discover events and experiences across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“MyCityApp is a digital city and tourism platform connecting people to Nigeria’s events, destinations, hospitality, culture and experiences,” Chukwu said.
She added that Nigeria’s cultural diversity and vibrant creative industry presented an opportunity to convert visitor experiences into economic value.
“That is how celebration becomes commerce. And tourism becomes an economy,” she said.
Representatives of Lagos and Enugu state governments, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and other stakeholders attended the event.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was represented by Toke Benson-Awoyink, the state’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah was represented by Ugochi Madueke, the state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, was represented by Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
