Dr. Aliyu Badaki, President of Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN) says the Association remains the body remains a reliable partner in ensuring the development of Tourism in the country.
Dr. Badaki said the Association is ready to provide the needed support for the Sector to take its rightful place in the country.
He was speaking in an address at the 2025 Nigeria Tourism Investors Forum and Exhibition (NTIFE) held at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
The FTAN President, who hailed the Minister for Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa for her revolutionary leadership, assured that the body will continue to provide the needed support to achieve set goals.
Dr. Badaki noted that upon his assumption of office, his administration initiated the “Tourism Transformation Mandate,” aimed at growing the sector through strong partnerships and meaningful policy influence, expansion of market development as well as transformation and unification of FTAN’s Institutional framework.
According to him, the Mandate is no longer on Paper as it has now become a tool for providing blueprint guiding actions and is already yielding positive results.
One of our most significant contributions this year was our full participation in the final review of the National Tourism Policy, an exercise coordinated by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group under the guidance of the Ministry. This was a landmark moment for the private sector, as FTAN’s voice was not only heard but deeply integrated into the policy.
On her part, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa noted that the Federal Government is working on improving Funding on Tourism and Creative industry.
According to her, engaging the private sector is key to developing Tourism, adding that the Federal Government is ready to sign Memorandum of Understanding with any body that is ready to add value to the development of the sector.
In his presentation titled “National Tourism Investment and Global Partnership,” the Keynote Speaker, the Head of the Current Affairs Unit, TVC News, Mr. Babajide Kolade Otitoju identified lack of meaningful investment, policy failures and tourism infrastructure as challenges hindering the development of the sector.
According to him, Nigeria has not done enough to develop the Tourism Sector, saying poor road network, electricity, insecurity among others cannot allow the sector to grow.
He maintained that to develop the sector, more is needed to be done by the government to unlock the tourism potentials of the country.
