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of herself and proving to all that she clearly understands what is
required of her as the Director-General of the highest tourism
development and promotion agency in Nigeria, the Nigerian Tourism
Development Corporation (NTDC), Mbanefo organised a stakeholders’
forum where she unveiled her strategy and also cross-fertilise ideas
with expectant tourism stakeholders, concerned members of the public
and private sectors.
The
Tourism Stakeholders Forum with the theme “Rebuilding the NTDC and
Growing the Tourism Value chain for Revenue Generations and Job
creation,’’ held under the chairmanship of Mr Andrew Alli, Chairman,
African Finance Corporation, AFC at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe
Avenue on Monday, September 9, 2013, which recorded the presence of
state commissioners for tourism, chairmen of tourism boards, transport
operators, airlines and travel associations, hoteliers and hospitality
associations, media, investors, corporate institutions and members of
the tourism allied sectors, provided a bountiful avenue for gaining an
insight into the direction where NTDC will be heading under the new
Director-General.
Realising
the essence of the forum and bringing the reality home to the
stakeholders, the NTDC ensured that the packaging of the forum was
replete with the hospitality retinue of entertainment, exhibition and
networking. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding with some financial
and corporate institutions that are keen on supporting the tourism
vision of Mrs Mbanefo.
Emphasising
why the forum was necessary, Mrs Mbanefo said, “We at the NTDC have our
work cut out for us. But we cannot achieve anything without the support
of all the stakeholders at home and abroad. We will engage frequently
with each stakeholder group to clarify or revise our perception of your
issues and expectations on an ongoing basis through forums like this. We
therefore make a passionate appeal for your help as we embark on this
bold and persistent experimentation in the service of our most important
stakeholder: the Nigerian citizen at home and in the Diaspora.’’
She
reeled out her focus and point of action in relation to the National
Assembly in terms of enacting necessary acts needed for the sector,
forging a profitable relationship with other related ministries ,
departments and corporations; networking with the Central Bank and other
financial institutions in relations to finance, statistics; maintaining
a balance of responsibility with the supervising Ministry of Tourism,
Culture and National Orientation in policies guidelines, implementation
and coordination in alignment with the nation’s aspiration;
maintaining a symbiotic relationship with state Tourism Ministries and
Boards and charting a result-oriented and purposeful course for tourism
value chain operators with particular reference to solving multiple
taxation.
Other goals include access to finance and creating conducive
atmosphere for good business, helping in crystallising the desire of the
Nigerian and African in Diaspora; keying into the desire of
international tourists by facilitating improved security measures at and
along tourism sites; provision of better facilities at the airports and
others tourists’ hubs and sharing correct information about tourists
sites and Nigeria in foreign media for proper and true perception of
Nigeria; making domestic tourism the pivot of reference by doing
everything possible at making Nigerians embrace spending holyday and
touring Nigerian sites, and integrating the media as an integral part
of the NTDC in information management, dispensing and effective
communication of tourism value and facts.
The
NTDC also aims at enhancing the value of Nollywood and tapping its
potentialities for the benefits of the sector and horning the NTDC by
repositioning it as a purposeful corporate public serving parastatal
which is alive to its charter of inauguration.
She
pointed out that “Given the desired objectives of the Federal
Government to make the tourism industry and indeed the NTDC a source of
revenue and jobs, we cannot afford to continue treating these issues and
expectations in a piece meal manner.
The
way to achieve these highpoints she announced to all requires a
three-fold strategic imperative for moving forward. We urgently need
to: rebuild the NTDC, grow the tourism value chain and re-invent
Nigeria’s tourism industry.”
She further elaborated on each of these steps with assurance.
On
the NTDC, she commended her predecessors: “We thank the past Directors
General of the NTDC for their contributions and support as we move
forward in our bid to make their good work even better. As they say; the
biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.
“There
is the greater need to systematically repair, replenish, replace and
maintain the corporation and finetune the minds of the staff to embrace
the evolving trends in the global hospitality sector for better
performance and service delivery.’’
Mrs
Mbanefo assured that the NTDC under her leadership will do its best
to ensure the success of the policy of the President Goodluck Jonathan
administration in re-energising Nigeria’s tourism brand campaign and
fascinating Nigeria as a strategic policy thrust to diversify the
economy away from oil earnings, create jobs and strengthen full
economic growth through tourism.
Mrs Mbanefo explained further that the second strategic plan which
is growing the tourism value chain for revenue and jobs would
bring about the establishment of tourism service desks at major
airports and hotels and major tourism centres in the six geopolitical
zones in the country. These centres are to provide
tourists with adequate information about sites and offerings, while
tourism value chain alliance will establish the market drive alliances
programme that will bring together all operators across the tourism
value chain using customised technology to create a network of partner
brand that run promotional and loyalty network through the brand.
The
third phase of the plan, reinventing Nigeria’s tourism
industry programmes, according to the DG, includes revenue growth
programmes which consists of an interconnected network of
sequential projects designed to make tourism industry
commercially viable in the short, medium and long term by
creating linkages across the tourism value chain through a tourism
cloud service.
She
also disclosed that the commission was working on the establishment
of a Tourism Development Fund and access to cheaper finance operators,
which is designed to finance and train local communities to participate
in the network of franchises to be operated by SMEs as a result of both
travel hub and green city projects
While concluding her analysis, the DG said: “Our strategy begins and
ends with Nigerian citizens and you can therefore understand our focus
on domestic tourism as the cornerstone for building a
sustainable tourism industry that will attract foreign tourists
and investors. We are not wedded to our idea and are therefore
open to any idea that work better for Nigeria.”
Earlier
in his keynote address, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National
Orientation, Chief Edem Duke also said that “ in line with policy of
this administration of providing an enabling environment for the
private sector to be the engine of economic growth and job creation, we
encourage private investors to partner with the NTDC as it unveils its
programmes and projects. You have the full assurance of our ministry’s
support in fast tracking bankable public-private partnership projects.
We also, in this vein, appeal to all our development partners to
support the NTDC and its partners with moderately priced and long term
capital required to develop infrastructure urgently needed by operators
across tourism value chain.”
Also,
the chairman of the occasion, Mr Andrew Alli, said tourism development
in Nigeria was at lower ebb and needed to be upgraded and taken to
greater heights.
Alli,
who spoke on “Financing tourism infrastructure for
sustainable growth,” said tourism development was crucial to the growth
of Nigeria as a country at the moment and commended Mrs Mbanefo for
the initiative pledging the bank’s support for the development of
tourism in the country.
The
Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador in Nigeria, Mr Onwika said Nigeria
should also open up to the foreign tourists by working on effective
modalities that will hasten securing visas to Nigeria and connecting a
direct flight into the country for tourism and business activities.
He said this would enhance cultural exchange between the two countries and facilitate business relations.
Mr
Yomi Akingbogun , President Federation of Tourism Associations in
Nigeria (FTAN), in his address urged the NTDC and the Federal
Government to consider the multiple taxation being imposed on the
private sector as one of the factors hindering the growth of tourism
sector in Nigeria, noting that “the private sector is not encouraged by
the government’s inability to make available, basic amenities and
infrastructure which are essential to their operations.”
Mr
Ben Bruce, Chairman and Managing Director, Silver Bird Television, who
spoke on the role of the media, said the media should be cautioned
about the way it projected the country and advocated keeping the
media practitioners informed about the progrmmes of the NTDC.
He
assured that the Nigerian Media would not relent in its support
for programmes that could enhance development in the country.
The
highlight of the Tourism Stakeholders’ forum was the Memorandums of
Understanding signed between the NTDC and four corporate entities,
Heriatge Bank, Arik Airline, Africa Finance Corporation, ABC Transport,
VISA, and Reddington Hospital.
Mr
Ejiro Onabrakpeya, a cultural enthusiast and tourism promoter,
described the forum as a very successful outing. “It is an indication
that the new Director –General knows her onions and is ready to offer
Nigerian tourism a refreshingly new era combing the fast tempo she met
on ground with her template. This will be good for the nation if only
she could remain focused, determined and consistent. May God help her,’’
he said.
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