Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (second right); founder, Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMMA) and CEO, African Film Academy, Mrs Peace Anyaim-Osigwe (left) and Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm. (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf (second left) with some graduates of the African Film Academy during the graduation ceremony, at the Lagos Theatre, Igando, on Tuesday, 25 October 2022

Institute rolls out Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship Programme for Youths, Women

Ekene Okafor, Lagos

On Oct 31, 2022

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) has announced the commencement of an innovative training programme that would empower women and youths who are residents of tourist communities across Nigeria.

The project titled Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) is billed to launch in Lagos on Monday 28, November, 2022.

The Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) is an innovative training and empowerment program for Tourism and Hospitality small business start-ups and sustainable operations of small businesses in rural tourist host communities and major cities across Nigeria’s six-geopolitical zones where NIHOTOUR already has campuses and training centres.

STEP program is novel and designed to train, equip, and mentor trainees on hands-on skills and entrepreneurial capabilities for successful operation of small businesses (start-ups) in the Tourism industry value-chain such as Cookery, Pastry, Confectionery, Tour Operation, Tour Guiding, and Travel Agency – flight ticketing and hotel reservations.

The project under the leadership of NihotourDirector General, Nura Sani Kangiwa, is aimed at systematically growing Nigeria’s Tourism economy at different tourist destinations, especially targeting the growth of income and savings of the local residents, growth in employment opportunities, significantly increase number of self-employment and, over time, the development of tourism sites and businesses.

The STEP project is targeted at young girls and women who are single, married or widowed, vulnerable youths who are either orphans, abandoned or school drop-outs, physically challenged persons, internally displaced persons, and unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions, as well as, skilled youths with post primary school education in Nigeria.

The training will be delivered free of charge to participants, and graduates of the programme will be given starter-packs to immediately start their own business.