The assurance was given by the minister in Madrid yesterday when he signed the hosting agreement for the event with the secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili.
The signing of the agreement, he added, is the clearest evidence yet of Nigeria’s commitment to holding a successful conference, titled the “1st UNWTO Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture, and Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development.”
Mohammed said the conference will be held at the National Theatre, which is currently being renovated at $100 million, under a partnership between the Federal Government and the Bankers’ Committee/Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He said the conference will form a part of the events to formally declare open the National Theatre, the iconic edifice which is undergoing its first renovation in over four decades, in addition to witnessing the construction of new hubs for fashion, and, information technology, film, and music.
”In an effort to ensure that the National Theatre complex is ready for hosting in November, I recently undertook an inspection tour of ongoing work there with stakeholders, including the governor of Lagos State, the governor of CBN, and the minister of Sports and Youth Development. Every indication is that the venue will be ready early enough to host the global conference,” the minister said.
He said the global conference would affirm Nigeria’s status as the hub of the Creative Industry in Africa, and help reposition the Cultural Tourism and Creative Industry as the engine of growth not just for Nigeria or Africa but indeed all countries of the world.
”The creative economy contributes a significant 3% to the global gross domestic product (GDP), averaging between 2% and 7% of national GDPs around the world. And, according to UN estimates, the creative economy industries generate annual revenues of $2.25 trillion and account for 30 million jobs worldwide. The essence of this conference, therefore, is to help improve on those figures and create more jobs.
