The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has launched a new product to reinvent the nation’s tourism industry.
Announcing the innovation while addressing journalists on Tuesday, the Director-General of NTDC, Folorunsho Coker, stated that the product is being launched to utilise the potential of tourism for economic growth.
“Across the world, tourism has evolved to become one of the fastest-growing industries.
“This growth has been driven by the deployment of advanced technology in travel and increased holiday culture. Indeed, the opportunities embedded in tourism are enormous.
“However, to fully utilize the potential of tourism for economic growth, we recognize that we cannot revert to the old ways of working, there is an urgent need to reflect and rethink what we do and how we do it.
“Therefore, we have identified the need to deploy technological solutions for sectorial growth across the tourism value chain in Nigeria.
“With over 147 million active internet subscriptions and a teledensity of almost 97%, we have a ready-made and vast domestic market for tourism development locally.
Why the Hackathon?
“As a Corporation, we launched “Tour Nigeria” as the strategic vision to market domestic tourism across the country in 2017 and we also designed an ambitious plan to reinvent the tourism industry through the CHIEF PLAN, which is an acronym that stands for Corporate Governance, Human Capital Development, Infrastructure Development, Events and Financing’’
“We have come up with the “Hackathon” to provide unique and innovative solutions to identified challenges and gaps across the tourism value chain in Nigeria, using digital tools that will be developed at scale within the next 18-24 months,” he said.
According to the NTDC DG, some of the identified challenges burdening businesses within the ecosystem include Proper Pricing, Safe Payment channels, Access to the market, Customer service and retention, and Bookings and reservations.
Coker revealed that other issues raised include Data Collection and Analytics, Distribution, Setup, System Issues, Supply Chain and Logistics.
He emphasised that the goal of NTDC is to improve the country’s ranking on the World Economic Forum competitiveness index by harnessing the growing popularity of digital technology to solve prevalent problems across the tourism value chain in Nigeria.
He said: “We want to be able to imagine a future in which a tourist’s journey experience is fully enhanced by the digitization of all support activities (from the pre-booking stages until the destination experience), with more digital interactions supported by data shared in a customized, secure and private way between the different players within the tourism ecosystem.
“To achieve this desired objective, we are looking for ideas that are scalable and sustainable on a use-case basis. Ideas that encompass Smart integration of information (Smart City), Multimodal mobility services, Customized route optimization, Ideas with sustainability in mind, and Virtual and Augmented Reality.
“The opportunities are limitless through technology, which is why we’re reaching out to the tech community to come up with new ideas for the sector. How? The initiative is a collaborative effort of the private and public sectors, where the private sector brings intellectual capacity, and the public sector provides the enabling resources that will help the ideas thrive.
“The Hackathon creates an avenue for carefully selected developers from the six geo-political zones of the country to develop digital tools that aim to solve some of the frictions and dislocations experienced across the industry. With the support of the UNWTO and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, we believe we can achieve these objectives.”
Former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has sent his condolences to the family of late Otunba Subomi Balogun over the death of their Patriarch who died yesterday in London.
According to a statement sent to the media, the Senator-Elect described late Balogun as someone who lived a graceful life with colour and candour.
The statement reads ” I received with shock the passing unto eternal glory of the Olori Omoba, Otunba Tunwase of Ijebuland. As the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, Otunba Subomi Balogun brought the fear of God into everything that he did and believed in, and united the Body of Christ while promoting interfaith relationships in the entire Ijebuland to the best of his ability. A frontline businessman and astute banker, Otunba Balogun lived a life worthy of emulation by carrying the weight of royalty into his enterprise. He lived a graceful life with colour and candour. I share a lot in common with Otunba Subomi Balogun who served as a father figure to me and supported our administration without let when I had the privilege to serve as the Governor of Ogun State. He was a man whom I have the greatest respect for both in royalty and in the business world. Yeye and I will miss this great icon of Ijebu culture and business enterprise, and we are consoled that God granted him a bountiful life to a ripe old age. My sincere condolences go to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR; The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Adetona, CFR Ogbagba; the entire Balogun Dynasty and Jadiara/Funsegbuwa Royal ruling House, Olorituns and the entire Ijebu people home and abroad for this great loss. We pray that the good Lord would grant his repose eternal rest and for the family that he left behind to be able to mourn his passage with great strength” He stated.
‘Celebrate true friends. They are a part of you that always sparkle’ – Amy Leigh Mercree. The English-born actress may have had the boss of Oando Group, Jubril Adewale Tinubu in mind when she made this quote. Truly, the trained lawyer never forgets to celebrate and appreciate his good friends whenever it is necessary. In fact, he is one gentleman who values and understands the definition of true friendship. This played out on Monday, April 10, 2023, when he showered praises on his friend of many years, Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Aliko Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, when he clocked 66. In celebration of Dangote, the oil and gas top player wrote: “Happy Birthday to an extraordinary business leader of global recognition. Your phenomenal impact on the African economy and society is truly remarkable. “Your drive, dedication, and leadership have paved the way for an army of aspiring African entrepreneurs. We are proud to have you as one our own, and I wish you many more happy, healthy and prosperous years ahead!” Dangote, a name that means so many things to many people. But what no one can deny is the fact that the name is essentially synonymous with success. The Kano State-born mogul has successfully engraved his name in the hearts of the generality of his compatriots with his business acumen. Like every creature, this amiable billionaire has his own humble beginning. But his is one that will inspire any ambitious soul, any day and any time. As a young man, he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do in life and he pursued it with unwavering doggedness. While growing up, the only thing that caught his fancy was business and he refused to be swayed by any other interest.
It is a general saying that “Until you realize how easy it is for your mind to be manipulated, you remain the puppet of someone else’s game”, and nothing can be truer than that quote in the light of Nigeria’s situation at the moment. The 2023 general election was meant to usher in a new era of renewed hope in a nation that is reputed to be the giant of Africa, but has successfully awaken an evil gnome of manipulation and bigotry in our youths like never before despite our alleged collective exposure. On March 11, Lagosians will be polling to either re-elect the sitting governor or replace him with another aspirant from one of the other political parties gunning for the Alausa seat at the centre of excellence. Lagos is a state with the highest number of voters in the South Western Nigeria. It boasts of vibrant and comparatively more educated electorates, representing a wide array of the nation’s ethnic groups. Statistics from the recently concluded presidential election shows that approximately 1/4 of the total number of registered voters were accredited to vote on February 25, 2023. There was an upset in the usual results trend, where the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, was overtaken with a slight majority votes by the Labour Party that polled a total of 582,454 votes against APC’s 572,606. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the historic second -fiddle horse in Lagos elections was edged to a record low of 75,750 votes. I may not be interested in the analysis of what went down in the election as there is an urgent task at hand; the requisite re-election of the incumbent governor of Lagos State, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. For those whose sense of judgement have not been coloured by mischief makers, it is an easy affirmation that Lagos State is working by every standard. Looking around you, there is always a testament to that fact. A litmus test of the fact that Lagos State is working is the reality of a working integrated public services system: Lagos remains the ONLY state in Nigeria (roll in the FG) with a working toll-free emergency line, with chronicles of how it has saved the day in incidences of fire, security, disaster and many more across the state. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is a new convex curve in Lagos’ trajectory to regional dominance and global relevance. From the very first day, BOS has shown what he is made of as a member of a set of first-class governors that Lagos has been blessed with since 1999. He swiftly moved in to salvage the lot of Lagosians with respect to the perilous time his administration advent into. From leading the entire nation to successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic, to rolling out his brilliant T.H.E.E.M.E.S. agenda, Sanwoolu came ready for the job from day one! Aside from working out the long-standing vision of previous administrations, anchored on the objective of making Lagos a mega city of the 21st century-kind, five months ago, Sanwo-olu’s government launched a 30 year development plan for Nigeria’s commercial capital, which is to be implemented between 2022 and 2052. It is imperative to note that the plan is necessary to achieve the goals of becoming Africa’s model mega city, while also positioning Lagos as a global, economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, functional and productive. Sanwo-Olu’s personality is cut from character traits uncommon with most Nigerian politicians, and ever since his assumption of office as the governor, he has rolled up his sleeves and got down into the trenches by ensuring that the state continues to move forward positively. I’m a serial entrepreneur, and having traveled across the nation and outside its shores, I can declare without equivocation that Lagos State, under the APC, provides the best business environment for my business concerns to flourish. You can then understand my situation when I, Adesola Fajobi, say that I refuse to be used to derail such brighter prospects for my business and that of many other hardworking Lagosians like me. Returning Sanwo-Olu as governor should be the most important task of every single Lagosian in this coking election. I refuse to be brainwashed to go against all the years of great works put into developing Lagos to make it the 5th largest economy in Africa. The Ehingbeti Lagos Economic Summit has provided a platform for the articulation of Lagos economic and developmental agenda and progress, which Sanwo-Olu continually showcases with incontrovertible developmental strides. He has commenced the construction of a new airport on the Lekki axis of the state after his government obtained approval from the federal government for the construction of the new airport in Lagos, and also completed the Lagos Blue Line rail project designed to move millions of Lagosians across the state. Other laudable projects include the completion of the Pen Cinema flyover in Agege, the Opebi-Ojota link bridge, which is nearing completion, the largest rice mill in Africa, the Lekki Deep Sea port, upgrading of four higher institutions to universities and so many more. Why change a winning and working formula? Why allow a newbie to turn a functioning society into a leadership testing ground? Sanwo-Olu is sellable, tested and trusted. Why would I allow myself to be used as an agent of destruction to give greedy politicians tickets to return Lagos to ground zero? Mr. Governor always provides robust responses, demonstrating a deep understanding of the economy, governance, the people’s expectations and desires. This is something I wouldn’t want to stop benefiting from. If his administration would be evaluated only by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no gainsaying that Sanwo-Olu performed excellently. Instead of throwing up his hands in defeat, Mr. Governor became the incident commander, and immediately went to work as he locked down the state, activated all the state apparatus – media, security, public health, emergency management, etc., thereby saving millions of Nigerians lives. He duly earned the country the fourth position in the list of the countries in the world that handled the pandemic well. This is a verifiable fact. With his years of experience in the private sector, he quickly worked with major players to set up isolation centres, infectious diseases centres, amongst other steps. It goes without saying that if Sanwo-Olu had failed as a leader during this dark period in our life, we may not be here now talking about 2023 election at all. Today under Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos Health Insurance Scheme costs only N40,000 a year for a family to enjoy from primary to tertiary health care. I refuse to be cowered by a mob that sees nothing good in Lagos, and are hell bent on fostering other candidates with no track records of performance. Governance is not a matter for experimentation I’m a father, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a brother and so much more like you; living in Lagos and flourishing under the present APC-led government. Come March 11, 2023, I have chosen to cast my vote for Babajide Sanwo-Olu to continue leading and serving Lagos with great achievements. You should do the same too. Follow person wey know road