FG Backs 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Unlock $100bn Economy

The Nigerian federal government has backed a newly launched 100-Day Tourism Calendar designed to unite festivals, concerts, and cultural celebrations on a single digital platform. Announced on Tuesday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, the initiative is powered by MyCityApp and MyLagosApp to unlock a projected $100 billion tourism and creative economy, according to Dr. Nneka Anibeze, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa stated that the government aims to transform the September-to-December festive period from a traditional time of celebration into an avenue for generating employment, attracting investment, and creating business opportunities. Musawa emphasized that the strategy involves deliberately organizing, packaging, promoting, and monetizing an economically active window in the national calendar.

This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar.

Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy

Maximizing Economic Value Chains Across Sectors

According to Musawa, the digital calendar addresses the wide economic reach of the tourism sector by connecting visitors to multiple interconnected industries. The minister noted that incoming travelers spend money across aviation, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, retail, technology, and artisanal trades. Every visitor forms a value chain that supports local communities and livelihoods, as stated by the minister.

Every visitor creates a value chain — from aviation and transportation to hotels, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans, and local communities. Within these value chains are opportunities for businesses, jobs, investment, and livelihoods.

Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy

To build this network, the federal government issued a nationwide call to state governments, event organizers, tourism operators, and hotels. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their scheduled September-through-December activities directly to the platform. Musawa pointed out that the digital hub will allow someone sitting in global cities like London, New York, Johannesburg, or Toronto to view Nigeria’s diverse cultural experiences in one place.

Targeting a $100 Billion Creative Economy

MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer Ifeoma Chukwu spoke at the conference, asserting that Nigeria possesses the capability to build a $100 billion tourism economy through the commercialization of its cultural assets. Chukwu referenced global tourism contributions to argue that Nigeria’s financial ambition remains achievable given its wealth of visitor experiences.

When we speak about building a $100 billion tourism economy, it may sound ambitious. But globally, the evidence tells us it is achievable. The question is not whether a $100 billion tourism economy is possible. It is: why not Nigeria?

Ifeoma Chukwu, Chief Executive Officer of MyCityApp

The tourism campaign arrives as the federal government steps up efforts to diversify the national economy away from crude oil dependence. By increasing the economic contributions of tourism, culture, and creative industries, authorities hope to mitigate long-standing sector challenges. Nigeria’s tourism market has struggled with fragmented promotion, weak coordination among operators, limited visitor data, and infrastructural gaps. The new 100-day digital platform seeks to resolve these visibility hurdles by centralizing event schedules from multiple states.