The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
called for a ‘Marshall Plan’ to aid the recovery of the Travel and
Tourism Sector in Africa, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that
has hit the sector very hard.
”It is imperative for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) to support Africa with a ‘Marshall Plan’ of sorts, in terms
of technical assistance, capacity building and grants,” the Minister
said in his intervention during the 63rd Meeting of the UNWTO Regional
Commission for Africa (CAF), hosted virtually by Seychelles on Monday.
He said the fastest way for the Travel and Tourism Sector in Africa to
recover from the effects of the pandemic is to focus on domestic and
intra-Africa tourism.
Mohammed said following the outbreak of the pandemic, the
Federal Ministry of Information and Culture had to act quickly,
because the impact of the pandemic has been particularly devastating,
due to its importance and relevance to the national economy.
”The Travel and Tourism sector and indeed the entire Nigeria Creative
Industry is large, diverse, dynamic and critical for economic growth,
development and diversification. It is the biggest creator of jobs
after agriculture. Also, the Industry contributes between 2.5 and 3%
to the nation’s GDP,” he said.
The Minister told the meeting that a 22-member stakeholders committee
has been established and tasked with working out the immediate, short
and long term economic stimulus and initiatives for the industry, in
order to mitigate the effect of the pandemic.
”The committee, with membership drawn from the Tourism, Hospitality,
Music, Film, Fashion, Photography and Broadcasting media, among
others, is tasked with assessing the expected impact of the pandemic
on the industry in general; advising the Government on how to mitigate
job and revenue losses in the industry as well as to create succour
for the industry small businesses; suggesting the type of taxation and
financing that are best for the industry at this time to encourage
growth, and advising the Government on any other measure or measures
that can be undertaken to support the industry.
”We are rejigging the National Endowment for the Arts to align it
with the current realities. We are also studying the new set of
guidelines/recommendations by the UNWTO as well as the ‘Safe Travel
Protocols ‘ designed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
for the purpose of domesticating them. I have no doubt that the
measures we are putting in place will yield positive results in
sustaining the Creative Industry in Nigeria,” he said.
Mohammed said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also
established a 50 billion Naira stimulus package to help mitigate the
impact of the pandemic on households, Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) and the Creative Industry.
He said as Nigeria gradually opens up, just like the rest of the
world, new protocols are being put in place for the safety and
security of all, listing such measures as training of personnel on
security and safety measures, infection control, adherence to
government protocols, enhanced hygiene measures, use of personal
protective equipment and facility sanitation.
The Minister commended the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank),
which has pledged US$500 million for the Creative Industry in Africa,
saying the support will come in handy ”as our sector seeks to recover
from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
