The Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) has expressed its continuous desire to collaborate with the Ministry Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy to help develop competent manpower for the culture, travel and tourism sector in Nigeria.  This was reiterated when a delegation of ITPN led by the president, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, paid a technical visit to the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa.  

The technical meeting, part of the longstanding collaborative partnership between ITPN and the ministry, was aimed at acquainting the tourism minister with ITPN and re-establishing the technical collaborative rapport between the institute and the ministry.

The minister, while welcoming the ITPN delegation, expressed her desire to collaborate with the private sector to build a virile Nigerian tourism industry.

Odusanwo , in a chat with Africa Travel Herald (ATH)_explained that ITPN had since June written to the minister for the technical meeting, but only got the green light to see the minister this week.

He spoke further on the meeting with the minister: “The purpose was to discuss collaboration in view of the open arm approach of the minister, to ensure that the ITPN, the sector’s awarding body for travel and tourism, have a technical meeting with the minister and her team, to see how we can support the capacity building of the staff of the ministry and the parastatals, how we can also support t the development of tourism at local level like training the local tourism officers, because tourism is local. This is to ensure that those going into the business of tourism at local level have the intellectual ability and competence to development tourism. Many of the tourism commissioners across the states do not have tourism background.  Much as we do not have any role to play in the nomination and appointment of tourism commissioners, and directors of general of tourism agencies, it is incumbent on us, to ensure that we enhance the capacity of those persons that are mandated to actually carry on the task of tourism development within their states. These are some of the reasons why we went to meet with the minister.”

Odusanwo who expressed his satisfaction with the minister’s efforts to carry the private sector along, said the ITPN is fully in support of the minister’s idea.  He said the ITPN, through collaboration with the ministry will support her idea of developing tourism within the country, to see that those who are giving duties are properly trained to do so.

Odusanwo spoke further: “The minister confirmed that she is very committed to make sure that those given the task of developing tourism in different capacities and in different areas, both from the local tourism and at local areas, also to the parastatal within the state, she is now going to drive the training of all these people to ensure that they all become better trained and professionals.

“The minister seems more ready to work with the industry and the stakeholders and the industry more than we have had before.  She seems to be more opened to work with the stakeholder. Also we have our usual activities that we do-the National Tourism and Transportation Summit and Expo (NTTS) which the ministry has collaborated with us. The minister confirmed that the collaboration will continue, and then said she is having a stakeholders’ engagement on 29^th of this month. ITPN will surely be a part of that.”