Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, on Friday announced plans by the Federal Government to establish a tourism academy in Nigeria.
Mohammed, who made this known at the first graduation ceremony of Terra Academy For The Arts (TAFTA) in Lagos, said the academy will provide a viable platform for upscale creative industries.
He said that Nigeria was chosen as one of the two countries in Africa to host the academy in recognition of the country’s giant strides in the creative industry.
He noted that the Federal Government is always keen to expand the opportunities available to Nigerian youths through training.
“Therefore, I am happy to announce that we are currently working with UNWTO and some other private sector players to establish a tourism academy in Nigeria.
“This initiative was initiated and launched during the global conference on tourism, culture and creative industries held in Lagos, last November.
“The academy will be located in Lagos and will provide transformative vocational and managerial training accessible to the tourism and hospitality sector.
“The UNWTO also announced plans to work with Nollywood to project the image of Africa in a positive light,” he said.
Mohammed also announced that the Federal Government’s N-Power initiative, a job creation program with graduate and non-graduate components, has enrolled 1.5 million youths so far.
He said the individual was not only trained but also given a monthly allowance of N30,000 naira every month.
“The Federal Government will continue to expand opportunities for the youth,” he said.\
He commended Mrs. Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder of TAFTA and Terra Kulture, who has trained no fewer than 2,000 Nigerian youths in animation, sound design, lighting design, script writing and more.
He said with TAFTA’s target of 65,000 youth between the ages of 16 and 35 to train in the creative space over the next 5 years, it will contribute a quota to ensure the growth of the creative industry.
He noted that TAFTA could not have come at a better time.