By Peter Adelowo
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Permanent Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat, Olubunmi Olowokere, has pledged support for the Emerging Abuja initiative to boost the tourism hub of the Territory.
Olowokere made this known when she hosted a delegation from Emerging Abuja Projects, organizers of the “Groovy December” led by it Program Coordinator, Dr. Kenneth Ibe-Kalu in her office in Abuja.
She said the Secretariat, as custodian of arts, culture and tourism development in the FCT, shares similar goals with the initiative and pledged maximum support the realisation of its objectives.
“Our responsibility is to regulate and coordinate tourism activities while also ensuring that culture and creativity are harnessed for economic and social impact,” she stated.
The Permanent Secretary who noted that promoting youth engagement through the creative economy and social development is central to the SDS’s mission praised the FCT Minister’s ongoing infrastructure efforts especially in improving roads and lighting in the Territory.
She stressed that safety and accessibility are key components for a successful tourism hub.
“A secure environment where tourists feel safe is essential. We want to make Abuja a place where visitors can sleep with their eyes closed,” she added.
She called for deeper collaboration between the SDS and the Emerging Abuja Committee, proposing a more integrated approach.
“This includes data-sharing from the Secretariat’s Research and Statistics Department and involving the Director of Arts and Culture in the planning and execution phases”
Olowokere also emphasized the need to embrace modern promotional strategies, particularly leveraging on digital platforms and social media, to drive global interest and increase tourism traffic to Abuja.
Earlier in his presentation, the program coordinator of the Emerging Abuja Initiative and organizer of the Abuja groovy December” Dr. Kenneth Ibe-Kalu who described project as huge stressed that the vision aims to give Abuja a change of fortune in terms of its standing in the tourism index.
According to him, lots of jobs will be created and the citizens will be gainfully employed to deliver such projects.
“It will robustly boost the internally generated revenue for the FCT” he stressed.
“A significant impact of the Emerging Abuja will be in the area of wealth creation as new opportunities will come up for the people to tap from direct investments that will suffice, once the programme comes on stream” Dr. Ibe-Kalu added.
According to Dr. Ibe-Kalu, the goal is to equip Abujans with skills to participate in and benefit from tourism.
“The goal is to encourage collaborations and investment in local tourism by involving local and foreign businesses in tourism infrastructure, Establish-friendly policies for SMEs, Security, create a safer, clean and welcoming environment, Train police and transport workers in basic tourism etiquette and safety and give Abujans a reason to invest, promote and project local heritage” he stressed.
Dr. Ibe-Kalu added that the group were at the social Development Secretariat to secure all necessary support needed for the successful hosting of this year’s groovy December in the Territory.
