The Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shaibu Husseini, hosted the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Dr. Ola Awakan, at the Board’s headquarters to align their visions for national growth.
In a strategic move to pivot Nigeria’s economy away from petroleum, the heads of the nation’s film and tourism agencies have pledged a new era of “screen tourism” collaboration.
The meeting centred on a singular goal: using the Nigerian film industry as a high-octane engine for tourism.
Both leaders resolved to encourage filmmakers to deliberately feature Nigeria’s iconic landmarks and hidden gems in their productions.
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“Tourism potential in Nigeria is enormous, and film provides a powerful platform to open up the sector to the world,” Dr. Husseini said.
“We will continue to encourage our filmmakers to tell our stories using our tourism locations”, he added.
Dr. Awakan emphasised that integrating tourism with film is no longer just an option; it is the most viable path for Nigeria’s economic future.
“There is no better alternative to diversify the economy than through tourism embedded in film,” Awakan noted, praising Dr. Husseini’s transformative leadership at the NFVCB since taking office.
The collaboration aims to address existing challenges in the sector while creating new policies to strengthen “inward tourism,” by merging the visual storytelling of Nollywood with the NTDA’s destination management.
The partnership seeks to: “Boost Job Creation: Opening new roles in travel and production. Attract Investment: Drawing international interest to Nigerian sites. National Development: Building a sustainable, non-oil revenue stream.”
The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to turning Nigeria’s creative assets into strategic pillars for national prosperity.