As part of the efforts to develop exchanges with African countries in the area of tourism, agriculture and other businesses, the Tunisian Export Promotion Center is organizing Tunisia Africa E-business Meetings. This three-day e-meeting which takes place from November 18 to 20th (next month), is done in collaboration with the German cooperation Office, GIZ.

While shedding more light on the e-meeting, the Head of Tunisia Trade Office in Nigeria, Mr. Mohamed Sellami said: “Tunisia Africa E-business Meetings is a virtual B2B event aimed at linking Tunisian exporters  with their  partners from sub-Saharan Africa in various sectors of activity: Agrifood, Construction, Building, Public Works and Heavy Equipment (BTP), Mechanical and Electrical Industries, textiles, and clothing, health services, vocational training, education, and higher education, ICT, etc.

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“It will be organized via an electronic business matching platform. This platform will allow each registered company to have an individual list of contacts according to the sectors and areas of its interest

The subscription in this event is free and must be done through this link: https://tunisia-africa-meetings-2020.b2match.io  not later than November 16, 2020.”

On how it works, Sellami said: “The first step of the registration of the participant consists in creating a B2Match user account on the platform by putting the email address and a password (of his or her choice) or it can be done through the LinkedIn account.

“The participant has to complete the required information on the event registration form: Name, first name, position, telephone, company name, type of the organization, description of the activity, postal address, company logo, fields of activity, profile picture, etc.

Once the participant is registered, he or she will be able to plan his or her presence and define her/his  agenda.”

The founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and the biggest tourist attraction to Nigeria,   Prophet TB Joshua, is in the process of completing a five-star prayer resort, the SCOAN Prayer Mountain. The resort, located at the old site of SCOAN, when fully completed would be one of the biggest resorts in the country as it could accommodate close to a thousand guests at a time. Currently, it is the only resort of its size in Nigeria located in the heart of a city. The new addition will be a boost to religious tourism and add to the profile of the country as a destination. It will further offer pilgrims a five-star hospitality facility in a fully secured environment.

The SCOAN Prayer Mountain resort would not only complement current accommodation facilities within the church’s vicinity, it will further cement the reputation of the Ikotun, Lagos as Africa’s leading religious tourist destination.

Although designed to accommodate pilgrims in search of divine intervention, the resort boasts of facilities to cater for all categories of visitors from low-budget to premium luxury guests and VIPs.

It is ensconced within a large expanse of land with a natural ambiance of trees and water. It has about a kilometer of prayer and meditation walkway, a meditation garden that has rare and exotic species of peacocks and springboks, a helipad, speed boat to quickly convey pilgrims from one end of the resort to the other.  The resort premises, reclaimed from the swamp, are built on an elevated structure surrounded by water filled with catfish.  It is an urban oasis that cuts off toxic air and noise pollution, and also less than 10 kilometers from Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA).

Prophet TB Joshua spoke on the soon-to-be-completed SCOAN Prayer Mountain resort: “This is where I started. I must have a library and a place where I can enjoy nature, not the air condition or fan, just nature as God created it. So, having nature around you is very good. God is nature Himself and without nature, you cannot understand the Bible. Because the Bible is not history; when you are reading the Bible, you are reading the Holy Spirit. So, if you don’t allow nature when you are reading, you will be reading history. You need some places like this – where you leave everything outside and come and hear the cocks’ crow. But outside of here, whatever they are doing, you can’t hear because of the noise. So, this place is very important to me – this is where I live, this is where I sleep and do everything.

“If I want to meet people outside of here, I go outside. There is a time for that because the Bible says that there is time to rest and a time to work. Time to rest is time to receive from God and time to work is time to give what you receive from God. When you talk of time to rest, this is the best place to rest, not in the midst of technology or going to New York or travelling about but you rest in the midst of nature.”

Prophet T.B. Joshua also spoke on how the swamp was transformed into a five-star resort: “This swamp is the rejected stone. God spoke to me and brought me here. I have been following God’s vision, God’s mission. When I am out of God’s mission, I am finished. That is why you cannot see me outside of here; you cannot hear me.

God’s time is the best and I always follow God’s time. So, I have been following God’s time; that is why you will not see me preach every Sunday or go on television to preach every day. I must hear from God before saying anything. Every time can be good for you and every time can be the best time for you but for me, I must have a corresponding grace or power because the Holy Spirit must suggest what to do before I do them. If not, I will not be able to have God’s result.

“This is why you are not seeing me out there – at weddings, social occasions, coming to your offices to grant interviews. This is the only church – The SCOAN here in Ikotun. There is no other branch anywhere else in the world but it touches everywhere in the world. I am waiting for God to let me know if there will be branches or not; the important thing is that we should focus on building the people and not the church.”

The SCOAN Prayer Mountain would be open, but according to Prophet Joshua, it will be when God directs: “The people will soon get to know about it. We are just waiting for God’s time. There are many things to be done in this place. We are at about a 70 percent completion rate. So, if people should know about this place now, we would not be able to complete this job because it will cause distraction. When we are at about 95 percent completion level, we will let people know. It is going to be by grace. It is not something you pay money for; you can come and see people moving and praying. So, people will get to know; we are waiting for God’s time.”

The organizers of Nigeria Tourism Awards (NTA) have introduced a new awards scoring system. This replaces the previous process whereby winners emerged after a public nomination and thereafter public voting process. The awards scoring system requires every potential winner to enter for the awards and then be scored by inspectors on set criteria for their entered category. This gives the entrants a better chance to win the prestigious award based on merit as against depending on the limited knowledge of the public about their current or previous state.

To raise the quality of the awards process, the organizers of the NTA, have used the  downtime occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic to research and carry out surveys of the entire awards process. The most significant outcome of that study is the change to an award scoring system which eliminates the chances of particular brands continuously winning due to long-entrenched public sentiments.

Nnena Fakoya – Smith, project coordinator of the awards said “ Nigeria tourism awards seek to remain at the most prestigious award celebrating innovation and excellence in Nigeria’s tourism industry. It is a strong platform to showcase the work of the best of the industry and promote outstanding brands and stakeholders”.

Read Also: Amachree calls on rich Nigerians to invest in rural tourism

Ten of the awards categories for 2020 will go to individuals who have been outstanding in their contribution to the growth of domestic tourism in Nigeria.  These categories include the Tourism Personality of the Year, Royal Support for Tourism, Best Tourism Commissioner, and the Best Tourism Governor. There will also be special recognition awards for tourism  investment, tourism support, tourism infrastructure, and essential duties for the public sector players who excel in tourism allied sectors like the police, immigration, parks etc.

According to Olanrewaju Samson, Activations Director for the awards, the best tourism commissioner will be judged based on the overall scores of the state-owned attractions. This is to encourage the commissioners to be more attentive to the quality of their attractions which is critical to the growth of tourism. The best tourism governor award will go to the governor with the most friendly policies towards tourism and the travel trade, and who has shown the most commitment to providing infrastructure for tourism.

The fourth edition of the Awards will hold on Saturday 6th February 2021 to allow for an extended inspection period until December 2020. Previous winners of the prestigious awards include the former Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode, His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, Mr. Bankole Bernard, Alhaji Munzali Dantata, Mr. Femi Adetope, Eko Hotel, Senator Ibrahim Ida (Sardaunan Katsina), Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Air Peace, La Campagne Tropicana, Travelstart, Shiro, amongst others.

At a time when there is increased attention for tourism around Nigeria, especially with the impact of COVID-19 on the national income and the need to diversify the economy, the competition for the awards is expected to be very keen. “We are excited and looking forward to honoring the winners whose contributions and professionalism represents the hope we have for thriving tourism industry in Nigeria”, said Efetobo Awhana CEO of The Balearica Awards, the organizers of Nigeria Tourism Awards.

Father of Nigeria Tourism Chief Mike Amachree has called on rich Nigerians and entrepreneurs to invest and develop tourist sites in rural areas. He said this will serve as an incentive to make Nigerians visit and explore these rural areas. He said it will also help grow the local economy in rural areas.

Amachree made this call in his goodwill message to tourism practitioners to mark the 2020 World Tourism Day with the theme: Tourism and Rural Development.

He congratulated all state governors and tourism practitioners in the country for the auspicious day and also drew attention to the contributions of the tourism the sector in the economic development of the country.

Chief Amachree who is the national president of the Centre for the Promotion of Peace, Tourism, Arts, and Culture (CEPTAC) praised the efforts of five state governments: Rivers, Lagos, Kano, Plateau, and Cross River states that had in the early nineties brought Nigerian tourism into the limelight.

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The doyen of Nigerian tourism advised state governors that tourism establishment and promotion is entirely a private sector affair emphasizing that the the government should not operate tourist sites. He said   where the the the government comes in is in the provision of necessary infrastructure, creating the enabling environment and financial support to the private sector to operate.

The CEPTAC president disclosed that his association is planning to tour the country to discuss with prominent traditional rulers whose stools were recognized before Nigerian independence, on how to use a section of their palaces as tourist sites by displaying artworks, relics, and monuments and artifacts of their communities for visiting tourists to view and appreciate as was done in the ’90s when the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN)  visited the palaces of King Jaja of Opobo, the Oba of Ikeja, the Emir of Kano, Gbong Gwom Jos, Obong of Calabar, and the Ataoja of Osogbo.

He however, lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic will slow down the development of tourism in Nigeria

The Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to Nigeria Wendell De Landro  has said his country plans using its steel band music to boost cultural exchange between his country and Nigeria. He made this comment during a recent food festival in Abuja: Taste of the Caribbean. He said the high commission plans to introduce steel music in Nigerian schools. He said: “I thought it is best to highlight our Carnival by exhibiting two of our mas costumes which were used for the recent festivities in February 2019 and 2020. They are displayed here together with our steel pan (tenor pan) which is being played by a talented Nigerian. He will be playing calypso music (which is similar to high life music) and also contemporary Nigerian music. Plans are already in place to introduce the steelpan in schools and churches, in fact, the Nigerian National Orchestra is currently using the tenor pan with other African instruments to expand is repertoire”

De Landro also talked about the commonality and  historical  relationship between his country Nigeria: “Trinidad and Tobago is the considered the most heterogeneous island in the Caribbean and can be considered a melting pot when it comes to the cultural and ethnic make-up of its people. Nigeria although more homogeneous in its ethnicity may be considered similar to Trinidad and Tobago due to its cultural diversity with the various tribes here in Nigeria bringing with them, their own food, language, culture, practices and dress so too the various ethnic groups in my country blend into what I just described as a melting pot with everyone group participating in the cultural practices of the other group especially with food and even religious celebrations. We have descendants of Africans, Indians, Chinese, Lebanese, Syrians, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and British commonly referred to Trinbagonians living as one. It’s a good example of the words of our anthem which says “Every Creed and Race finds an Equal Place.

“Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago have enjoyed 47 years of diplomatic relations beginning with our independence from Britain. Examples of our bilateral and cultural agreements are:  tourism cooperation Agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria;  Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of health and medical services;  Standard Bilateral Trade Agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria; Bilateral Air Services Agreement and Draft Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation.’

On Nigerian and Trinidad and Tobago cuisines, the high commissioner said: “Nigerian food is spicy like our Trinidad and Tobago food, there is a lot of similarity in your jollof rice when compared to our pelau. It is basically, a one-pot dish where a lot of different ingredients are blended together. Our callaloo soup is fashioned from your various vegetable soups. We use the same ground provisions like yams and cassava. Plantain is also a favorite with us. We enjoy the same types of fruits and vegetables as you because of the similar climate in the Caribbean.”

A medical doctor and owner of  Home Touch restaurant, a leading  eatery in Nigeria involved in outdoor and indoor catering, Dr. Lai Banwo,  has advised Nigerian to eat more of local delicacies as they are rich both in taste, have health benefits and they are natural.  Banwo spoke in an interactive session with journalists. He said:  “Because we have now adopted this foreign diet and lifestyles and that is why we are having all these complications and it is bound to affect us.

“Nigerian dishes are good health-wise. We should promote it. Nigerian food is rich in fibre and we should take a lot of vegetables.  For example, our Peppered Rice special delicacy is popular?  Pepper contains Vitamin ‘C’. We are into catering, outdoor and indoor services and we also cater for several school sets. I think Nigerian dishes are just fantastic.”

He also spoke on the hospitality industry in Nigeria: “ Hospitality business, no doubt, has assumed some considerable growth in the country, leveraging ideas from medical practitioners turned tourism investors who improve on existing standards already in place. For instance, the Chief executive of Whispering Palms Resort in Badagry, Lagos, Professor Femi Pearse ( late) would say” It’s only when you’re fully relaxed that you are able to  think. That’s why some of us are in tourism.”

Read Also: Caribbean community showcase common cuisines with Nigeria

The manager of Home Touch Restaurant Mr.  Echela  spoke on the effort of the restaurant to promote Nigerian delicacies and the acceptance:  “Every day is special when we serve ‘Dish of the Day’. Our customers know when we focus on their favourite dish.  Mondays we celebrate Afang, Tuesdays its Ofe Onugbu ( bitterleaf soup), Wednesdays is Banga soup, Saturdays and Sunday we serve Ofada rice and Fisherman’s soup respectively,” he said.

Echela also spoke on their expansion programme. Home Touch Restaurant has expanded on the back of their Ikorodu Road property’s strong offerings to two more outlets including Home Touch Restaurant at Tafawa Balewa Crescent in Surulere. They also have an outlet at the Murtala Muhammadu International Airport, Lagos. The management of the eatery said they are going back to business as international flights resume on September 5, 2020 where they will continue to “offer travellers hot spicy peppered rice and Moi Moi and other Nigerian meals.”

By Okorie Uguru

Nigerian tourism industry private sector practitioners are in the process of picking the bits and pieces of their businesses after months of lockdown.
They had faced almost six months of total closure of business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the fallout the pandemic is realisation of the needs to develop local tourism contents into a thriving business.

To drive this, a new movement has emerged with selected stakeholders developing a new roadmap for the development of domestic tourism.

The group said tourism can only develop through the concerted efforts of the private sector hence the new move, which enjoys the support of one of the leading banking institutions in the country.

Members of the group include: Otunba Olawanle Akinboboye; founder/CEO, La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, who heads the team, Isaac and Nneka Moses; founders, Goge Africa Worldwide Limited, Efetobo Awhana; founder/CEO, Nigeria Travel Week, Dr. Mohammad Adamu, founder, Bauchi Friends, and Brian e Ebden, strategic director/brand consultant, TEOO Universal Concepts, as well as Sterling Bank, as the financial institution backing the entire project.

The group in its document “Collaborative tourism practitioners’ noted Nigeria as a country is blessed with diverse potentials dotting the 774 local government areas, spanning 923, 768 square kilometers and supported by over 200 million population made of a growing middle class and vibrant youth force, which makes the country a rich market to be explored by both investors and tourists.

It also noted for meaningful development to take place in the sector, a bottom to top approach mechanism must be adopted and that the Nigerian domestic scene must also be aligned with what obtains in the international tourism scene, with Nigeria adopting a central theme or focus as it is obtained in the global tourism ecosystem, for which the international tourism, including the domestic market, should be known.

Based on this, the chairman of the group, Akinboboye, disclosed the central theme for tourism as recommended by the group should be Cultural and Heritage Tourism, on which other sub-themes revolve. He noted that Nigeria boasts spectacular cultural heritage, which is quite unique and pristine.

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According to Akinboboye: ‘‘That is our strength, we want to be known as the cultural capital of the world as no other country has such abundant and unique cultural heritage as we do. So, we need to build our destination on that central theme and then other aspects would revolve around it.’’

He further stated it is only when this is done and Nigeria becomes noted for its cultural heritage as the East Africans are noted for safari and wildlife (Ecotourism) tourism, that real development and marketing of the tourism sector for the benefits of the people and the country can be achieved.

Therefore, he said that the group has developed a tourism roadmap for the development of domestic tourism in Nigeria, adding that anybody is welcome to participate in this new move as the document, which has been made public, is expected to form the basis or foundation for participation and investment by interested entrepreneurs and stakeholders.

As a result of the adoption of this central theme for the country’s tourism sector, the group in taking a holistic view of the global tourism ecosystem listed some of the tourism products that can be developed in tandem with the central theme and another sub-themes in order for the country tourism to fit into the global tourism ecosystem.

The document further stated that Nigerians should focus more on developing tourist destinations as opposed to tourist attractions as attractions are not what ignite the interest of the tourists in a country but the destinations which offer the tourists the opportunities to explore and spend money on the activities generated by the destinations.

On this score, the group in the document recommended the creation of destinations across the six geo – political zones of the country based on the peculiarities, cultural affinities, and other elements of states within these zones. To set the ball rolling for others to follow and join, they outlined the creation of destinations such as: Destination Oodua, Destination Arewa, Destination Kwenu, and Destination Carbd.