The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced plans to map
the culture and tourism sectors of the economy in order to boost activities and
create jobs, reports ITRealms.
Disclosing this to ITRealms, the Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Sunday in Lagos at a meeting with Arts,
Culture and Tourism Correspondents, that these sectors are close to this
administration heart, hence FG is working hard to bring the culture and tourism
sectors into the mainstream of the nation's economy.
“Working with various local and international partners,
including the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council, we are mapping our
creative arts, by which we mean pottery, weaving, dyeing, sculpturing, etc,
with a view to reviving them massively through capacity building for those
involved and the provision of loans,” he said.
The Federal Government, he also said, believes this will not
only create hundreds of thousands of jobs, thus keeping our people meaningfully
engaged, it will also become money spinners for the economy and stem the
rural-urban migration.
“As you are very much
aware, this Administration is diversifying the economy away from oil, which for
many years has been the mainstay of our economy. Among the sectors that have
been identified as veritable sources of revenue for the nation are the Arts,
Culture and Tourism Sectors. This is why
we in the Ministry of Information and Culture are working hard to move these
sectors from the margins to the mainstream, and ensure that the rural poor in
particular are factored into the sector's architecture,” he said.
In addition, Alhaji Mohammed said special attention will be
paid to the capacity building of culture and tourism managers in a deliberate
effort to revive the nation’s creative arts, boost tourism and create
employment for Nigerians, particularly the rural dwellers.
Pix: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
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